Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-09-21
Rain OF Shot and Shell.

Rain OF Shot and Shell.
"On Monday, the 18th OF June, the
bombardment began, and at p. m.
from all directions came shells. Anon.
the first places hit were the Aston
House and Gordon Hall. a big shell
bursting In the gardens of the latter
place. Nightfall only heightened the
suspense. The women and children fed
to the Gordon Hall for shelter. Every
one knew the meagre force they had
with which to oppose and overwhelnl-
ing enemy. For the first time the Ch!-
nese abandoned their mo can see, no
can savee" policy, and at night they
made the place a perfect hell with shell
fire. 1t was very black night and the
continuous firing was kept up from
sunset to sunrise. Tho enemy's mum
bers and equipment made them more
hopeful and us more respondent. Our
meagre troops barely sufiiced to cover
the large fire zone. The Russians hac
100 and the others did not make up
2000, and of these there were many kin
ed and wounded. The Settlement was
all exposed, and, let alone any aggros-
sive move, the defence occupied them
all. We welcomed the next day as II 1,
were our last, and there was a look OF
despair on many brave mems faces
On Tuesday the telephone and tele'
graph wires were cut and strung knee
high across the streets to act as a net.
work In preparation for an expected
invasion at night. H0ngs and godowns
were ransacked and all of us were al
busy as beavers barricading the Sc:
Element with bales and boxes OF al
descriptions. At 2 p. m. began the sam;
hellish bombardment of the previous
day. The Gordon Hall, where the wo
men and children were, was strucl
twice, one shell entering the stage wal
hut fortunately not exploding. Nigh
came and still no reinforcements.
ION Wednesday, Goth of June, tb
> Russian and British marines set mos
| of the Chinese property in the Settle
| ment on fire. Meanwhile skirmishln
was going on all round and never ccas
/ ed. At p. m. the Smelling again he
gan, and soon nearly every house 4
the town had shell in 1t. The tow
, Is now total wreck. On the 2ist tn
bombardment began at daylight an
l we had the same storm OF iron an
, lead. We first heard the boom OF dis
, tant cannonading, but whether fror
g achievements for us, or Admiral Sey
I mour's column or for the Chinese non
/ could tell. We all had confictin
Q doubts and hopes and fears as to tn
reinforcements. Friday. still the saGl
, fusilading and bombardment. On TIL
I evening we saw the first rocket signal
I. and Captain Bayley estimated the
were on the borders of the native cit
y and we again heard the distant cannon
A aiding. On Saturday at II a. m. ther
came In 1870 marines and the LIST Reg
hh'ht VI SaN''e iloih inc NasnNiie w
the Solace. The relief column marche
q past the Gordon Hall, weary and dust
a after two days continuous fighting
n and were closely followed by about II
II British marines, 800 Welsh Fusileer
n the Weihaiwei contingent, Sikhs frol
K Hongkong and the Germans, Russian
II and Italians-their numbers did NJ
Q obtain. They were all parched an
n half-starved, anticipating no such
march, and each party bore a sad br
N den Of dead, dying and wounded.
' was their distant cannonading we hr
i. heard for two days, A small party
Americans had come within five mil,