Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1900-08-07
INTEREST INTENSIFIED
The Advance Is Meeting With Great
Opposition from the Chinese.
AMERICANS In LINE.
The War Department Puzzled Why the
Chinese should Select such
POor Place for a Stubborn
and Hard Fight.

Washington. Aug G..-Interest in the
Chinese situation was intensified by the
receipt of two dispatches from two naval
officers NJ Che Foo repeating an unofh.
cial, but apparently reliable. reports Of
active and extensive hostihties between
Tion Tsin and Pelin. The dispatches
indicate unmistahnbly the relief column
has started In earnest and is meeting
with great opposition Although neith.
er of the naval dispatches mentions the
presence Of American troops in the re-
ported engagement. IL is generally as.
sumed az the war department that AZ
least part of General Chaffee's small
army was on hand and took an active
and aggressive part IN the affairs.
According ioinformation in possession
of the war department the town Of Pei
Tang. is 40 the head Of tidewater on
the Pei Ho, between II and ~ miles by
road from Tien Tiu. Il Is "a village OF
mud houses considerable in size. but moi
walled Tho river at this point is not
nnvigablc by anything larger than good
sized steam launches, and It is thought
the troops reached there In small boats
aud naval launches The country along
the river between Pekin and Ten TsH
Is low nlluvial plain. almost impassa.
ble for wheeled vehicles and under quite
a high state Of cultivation II presents
no natural defensive features and the
war department knows no strategetic
reason why the Chinese should have
made stand rather than any Of the
other dozen villages east Of the walled
town " Hung Chow. whore is stored
immense amounts Of provisions upon
which the city Of Pekin would have to
depend In case of a siege.
From the fact that the engagement;
lasted seven and half hours. It Is ar.
gued IN the department. that either the
Chinese must have been heavily en-.
trenched or there was immense hordes
Of them 20 stuhbornly contest the al.
vance Of 5000 troops.
IL is figured by military experts that
the loss In killed and wounded ON the
part u the allies probably means the
loss of three % SIX times as many by tho
Chinese II is possible a blow Of this
magnitude may hroak the resistance of
the Chinese 90 advance on the foreign
column. but on the other hand, 10 Is pos.
sble this may b. one of the large mum.
| Der 0f places on the road that have been
| intreuchcd with a view % falling back
and contesung the foreign advance. ~
n 10 delay ns long as possible the arriy.
al Of the foreigners at Pekin, Unless
the opposition suddenly breaks down. ex.
pcrt- look Tor desperate engagement
when the troops reach the walled city OF
Tung Chow. which i said 10 be- even
more favorably located for the purposes
Of defense than Tien Tsin.
Tho position Of the United States,
automatically, remains unchanged
This government will not consent 20 the
removal of the ministers and foreigners
from PeRin until there is free communi.
cation by the powers with their minis.
tors Nor will this government consent
90 communicate IN plain language alone,
but insists that cipher messages must
pass freely between Minister Congei
and our state department Il is emphat'
ically stated that unless such message,
are exchanged. the United States can
not know beyond question that the mes
sagcs are not garbled and both the gov
ernment and ministers misled Their,
is no doubt the ministers are safe IN Pc.
kin and they will remain there, refus
ing offers 20 escort them 10 Tien rrn
Its stated II all the international
forces in the vicinity Of Taku can b,
landed and supplies brought mp there is
sufficient forces % overcome any army
the Chinese may bring forward to pre-
vent the march ON Pekin II Is be
heved ut the war department the infor
tion received through the navy depart