The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-19

London, June ~, sou a. III NINA uc-
clared war against the world when the
Taku forts opened fire upon the inter
ma ionaI fleet The accounts of what
took place are still unsatisfactory, the
best semi-Official information being the
dispatch received at Berlin from Chez
Foo
The German consul at Chez Foo tele-
graphs that a Japanese torpedo boat
from Talu has brought the following:
The Chinese laid torpedoes in the
Taku river and collected troops from
Shan Hei Kwan.
The foreign commanders assembled
: on the Russian flagship and addressed
an ultimatum to the commanders of tina
Taku forts. summoning them to with
draw their troops before 2 O'Clock.
June II.
AT / a. m, June i, the guns of the
forts opened fire, to which the Russian,
British, French and japanese warships
replied.
''The bombardment lasted seven
hours.
Two British ships in the river be
tween the forts are reported to have
been sunk.
1.-THE telegraph line and railroad be-
tween Tien Tsin and Taku was destroy
ed
Communication by water is also
threatened"
Seymour's Expedition Fails.
The admiralty Office has received the
following official dispatch from Chez
Foo under yesterdays date:
TIE japanese man-Of-War Teyashi
has just arrived from Taku. She re-
ports that the chief and
troops are back at Tien Tsin."
The unofficial narratives coming by
way of Shanghai vary. and bear evil
dence of experimenting the main facts
OF the battle with guessWOrk- one dis
patch says that the Yorktown partici
pated in the bOmbardment. Another
asserts that American marines formed
part Of the storming force of 1900.
Taku Forts Taken.
An Associated Press dispatch from
Chez Foo dated yesterday afternoon,
says:
The forts on both sides of Taku are
now occupied. The Chinese opened IRE
Unexpectedly. The casualties to the
mixed force were as follows;
'Killed-British, /; German, 3; Rus
sian, l. and French, J.
WOunded-British, 4: German, Z;
Russian, 45; and French, I.
Chinese torpedo boats were seized. -
Firing Ordered by Dowager.
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Daily Mail, telegraphing yesterday,
says:
The forts began firing in observance
TO orders from Pekin, conveyed in the
personal edict Of the empress dowager,
by advice Of Kang Vi (president of the
ministry OF WARP. Several warships
were struck by shells from the twelve
inch guns Of the forts.
no no 4 7
to the blowing up of the magazines Of
Mandshur
-Four hundred Chinese are reported
killed. The Chinese, who were retreat
ing. fell into the hands of the Russian
land force
The Daily News has the following
from Chez Foo.
Two of the forts were blown up The
thirty-twO warships at Aaku aggregat-
ed 100000 tons, and carried more than
800 guns
Legations in Dire Peril.
The failure of Admiral SEYMOUR
column and its retreat to Tien Tsin in
creases. it is presumed, the peril Of the
legations in Pekin. The capital city is
still isolated, although Shanghai for
wards Chinese rumors that the aega-
tons were attacked by mObs who were
moved down by machine guns. and
also that the members of the legations
were massacred- The situations at Niu
Chwang is. reported critical.
The British consul at Kiu Kang has
ordered all foreigners to leave Ka Ling
and Nau King Chang.
The powers are taking prompt action
Four thousand German troops have
been ordered to China, 10000 French
troops are waiting to embark at Sal
gOn, capital Of French Cochin China
and from 5000 to 5000 more Russians
have been ordered from Part Arthur to
Taku.
The Brussels correspondent of the
Standard, in a dispatch dated yester-
day, says;
Russia has massed 10000 men. with
seven batteries of artillery, at Kiachta
with orders to proceed 10 Maimathin a
Chinese town contiguous to Kiachta
and then to advance along the teIe-
graph route to the Mongol town of
Urga. 200 miles south Of Kiachta and
$50 miles northwest of Pekin.
Americans Lie Low.
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Times under yesterdays date gives the
following description, said TO be from
official sources. of the action at Taku:
"On the afternoon of June Is. in view
of large bodies of Chinese troops as
sembling at the forts and of the facts
that torpedoes had been laid in the
river and that all communications were
interrupted, the naval commanders held
a council and decided TO send an ulti-
matum, calling for the disarmament of
the troops and announcing that if this
Sdemand were not complied with before
, a. m. of the following day, the united
squadron would destroy the forts.
shortly after midnight the forts
opened fire. The British. French. FsIs-
sian, German and Japanese warships
replied. Two OF the forts were blown
up and the rest were carried by assault
Two British. one American and FIVE
Chinese Rarships are in Chez Foo har-
Dor
Declare War Exists.
The morning papers consider that a
state % war practically exists.
Another dispatch from Chez Foo
says:
1.-THE forces Of the combined fleets oc-
cupied the Taku north forts yesterday
after exploding a magazine The Brit