The sun., 1900-10-07

! IOr inc QuaTtermaStcrs IN hTTulRHg thcii
! transportation. The Ninth Infantry had It's
wagons. and because Its Quartermaster had had
hard experience with Iawton in the Philippines
he got a few extra. just for good measure,
when the regiment left Manila Every one OF
them comes in handy now. The Fourteenth
was Just ~ well equipped as the Nlnth. except
that following the customary American fashion
the regiment left Manila week ahead of the
ship that brings It's transportation. The ma
rluc5 being web-footcd, never do have any
transportation for land service except such as
they can orranize. and they have been doing
that wit celebrity and sk III ever since they landed
in China
The result is that on land the transportation
OF the Americans Is a conglomcraie OF the big
four mule wagons that every man jack OF any
other nationality here admires. but says wont
work FIVE minutes on tho Chinese roads, Chinese
carts Of all varieties and styles with ponies,
mules and donkeys to pull them, and long
strings Of coolies and other Chinese carry't x
all kinds Of regimental and company plunder
Oh their heads, on their backs. slunH from poles.
In their arms. on wheelbarrows and In rikshas.
All the other forces have their regular land
transportation and have not had to hustle
for 1t so hard a. the Americans. The japanese
have gathered in a great number Of carts To
supplement their own trains and the British
have commandeered few for tho Royal Ar
tllory. and the naval brigade. They have also
organized train Of native wheelbarrows. The
French have picked up everything they could
lay hands on to help out their little pack mules
The river, however. has been the scene OF
the greatest activity Every force Is planning
to use II a n means Of getting the greater part
OF it, supplies up TO Tung-chou. the town where
we swing OF on the last lap TO Pekin, Every
kind Of craft that will float has been gathered
in by one or another The British found a
yard above Tientsln whore river junk1 were
built and that was better find than vault ot
svcee. There must have been fifty junks there,
most OF them apparently Just finished The
japanese in their excursions up the river found
good many Of the small, light river boats
that are likely to prove especially valuable in
this time Of low water
From below the quarters Of the Ninth down
in the southern edge OF the German concession
all along up the river 10 the walled city and even
beyond. the bank has been lined with iunks
and streams of coolies have been running to
and fro loading them with the reserve sup
plies. Yesterday the first Of them began 10
move up as far as they could and still keep
within our lines. and to-day all Of them that
wero ready were sent up
There was great busting at the house Of Mr.
Drew the Commissioner Of Customs. this morn
ing Gen. Chafee has made his headquarters
there. and In the midst of the last preparations
for the forward move OF the troops the per-
sonal baggage OF the General and the stan was
being put Into shape for storage except that
which Is to go along with them. Before noon
it was all loaded In tho big wagon and was
waiting with the escort In the street In front
OF the house. There was much activity In the
mission compounds. where the Fourteenth was
quartered. and In the camp Of the Ninth. The
marines had made all the preparations they
could for q move that they thought was to be-
gin several days ago, and there was not so
much running around az their quarters, Every
where about the settlement there was eyidesce
Of the coming advance. The japanese. TAX
ing time by the forelock as usual. began send
ing out their cart and pack trains early In the
morning, and by noon had many OF them out
Of the way.
Soon after thin the troops began to move
out and frsm then on until dusk there was the
steady tramp Of men through the streets. The
japanese had got nearly all Of their men out
Of the way by . o'clock and the British followed
them. They went up the Taku road to the
walled city and out the north gate. Our men
followed the British. The clouds had been
getting more and moro ugly all the afternoon.
and Just as the nrst Of the Fourteenth swung
out OF their barracks and started down the
road heavy duststorm broke.
Gen. Chaffee with his staif had been waiting
in the street for few minutes and they turned
In ahead Of the regiment which Col. Dskgett
led with the band. They took side road for
the native city. and Just as they turned the
corner BY the Temperance Hall at the start the
rain began TO fall In the huge drops that pre-
ssged the downpour which quickly followed.
The Ninth and the marines swung out IN a
deluge. the webfeet looking particularly misera-
bic and displsassd about It. Reilly's nne bat
terry followed the Fourteenth.
As soon as the men and the transportation
had all passed more japanese took W the road
Just at dusk their three neld batteries rumbed
by their headquarters. The Generals. Yama-
guchi and Fukushima are to start at 10 o'clock
this evening. as will Russian headquarters.
1t Is stfll raining. but 10 be wet and cold and
hungry Is part Of the business Of the soldier
as well as Of the correspondent.
All told there are about %, 900 fighting men
In the relief column. OF these 2.40o are Ameri-
cans The Japanese have eleven battalions
Of infantry, three field and six mountain bat
teries Of six guns each and three squadrons
Of cavalry. their squadron being about the
same strength as an American troop. In all
there are about $4,000 Japanese. not counting
the transportation corps. The British have
n battalion OF the Royal Welsh FusilIers. tho
First Sikhs, Seventh RaJputs. Twenty
fourth Punlab Infantry and First Bengal
Lancers, with naval brigade OF saiormen
and marines.
They have battery OF four OF the I2-pounder
guns OF the cruiser Terrible mounted on trails
and limbers improvised from material capt
ured from the Chinese. They have also bat
terry of the Royal Artillery l5-pounders. Be
sides these there is the Royal Asiatic Artillery
with its old muzzle-loading 7-pounder sorrow
guns that we're good guns in the days when the
Chinese made war by making faces and throw
ing stink pots. How Chairman could ever
have thought stink pot 10 he terrible thing
is mystery. At some remote period he must
have had a nose. The British number about
twentv-eiGht hundred.
The Russians have three battallons OF IN
fartry. about three thousand fighting men
with four s-gun field batteries, They also have
some machine guns, IA have the Americans
Theirs are Msxims. ours Colt automatic and
Ga;linR. For cavalry the Russians have one
aotnia Of CossackS anywhere from l25 to 2,O