Evening star., 1900-08-11
LAND TRANSPORTATION.
Quartermaster's Department to Sup
ply Chinese Expeditionary Force.

ply Chinese ENpeuittOnary rorce.
The quartermasters department is max
ing every effort to supply the Chinese ex-
peditionary force with all the land trans
portation that the American troops In
China will require. This is regarded as one
of the most serious problems in the eastern
campaign not only because of the almost
impossible roads and the lack Of railway
facilities. but also from the fact that the
country to be traversed between the coast
and Pekin affords nothing even in the way
of forage upon which an invading army
can depend. Besides what has already been
sent in the way of animals and wagons the
quartermaster's department has prepared
list of transports and their approximate
sailing dates which will iand an immense
number of animals and good supply of
wagons at Taku before the Gulf of Pc
chilli freezes In.
There are 13 animal transports with &.
combined capacity for 1850 horses and
mules. Their sailing dates are arranged
ciose together from now up 10 about sep
tember ~. The anlma,s tor a number OF
those SHIPS are aIreauy bought and some
OF them loaoed, While tnose Ior the vessels
sailing after August 30 are now beng pur-
chased by the quartermaSter'S agents scat
tered over The Country. pcsiues me
mails these ships will carry they are sched-
uied TO lake III army wagons ana % ainude
iances. Twenty-Five auul.iona. escort
wagons have Just been snlpDed to Taku
from Mania. besides The pack trains
carried by the Grant several hundred adui
tlonai pack muIes ana Ine,r equipment Wui
be included in The foregoing .Is,.
Ih@ commlssary ana qUartermaster de-
partments are equally interested IN throw
ing into China suuicient roou and c.otn
ing supply 10 last our army all winter IN
case tne Gulf OF Pechin is closed by ice
early IN the autumn, as is underst tood 10 be
the case.
Besides immense amount Of food 81 tuff
already accumulated al Taku and at Mania,
Which Is the commissary uepar lnentS base
OF operations, the quartermaster's depart
ment now mas nine transports of an agsre-
gate capacity of 81 no tons, whose salnng
dates are arranged up TO and inc. .uding
September l. The most of these vessels
Will go to Manila, but some will go to Taku
via Nagasaki. One of these vessels, the
Siam, sailing, from San Francisco August
Is, will be loaded entirely with subsistence
supplies amounting TO 6,00O tons.
while the war Department is anxious
to get an abundant supply of equipment,
subsistence and transportation into China
before the beginning of the rigorous winter,
1t Is not thought here that the coming of
cold weather will be any hindrance to mill
tary operations in case the active campaign
runs beyond the middle of October. 1t is
said that operations can be carried on more
eHecuvey, II anything, after the ground
freezes than during the hot wet season now
prevailing.
Admiral Seymour to Land Troops.
The Navy Department, has received a
cable from Shanghai which gives notice Of
the intention of Admiral Seymour to land
troops there for the defense of the city.
The Shanghai newspapers. according to the
cable, while acquiescing In the landing of
British troops. deprecate the idea that
Englands example should be followed by
the other powers. The United States now
has two warships at Shanghai to safeguard
American interests in case of trouble there,
the gunboats Castine and Princeton. The
latter arrived at Shanghai today
Warnkips in China.
The collier Caesar, en- route to China. has
sailed from PortSaid for Alden. The New
ark has arrived at Nagasah. The Prince
ton has arrived at Woosung. This Is the
anchoraee Of the foreign menSof-war at