The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-19

RI comm adequately the Pekin force
General Charles 5 Humphrey, the !
chief ouartermaster, who recently ar
rived Immediately gathered an eNtsh-
sive feet of junks and the Work -L hls
been pushed vigorously Ihe colnHliS-
sary department, in charge OF MdJoI
Hugh J. Gallagher, has been rushlhS
in supplies as fast as they can De sOt-
ten up from Tong Ku, and even at TINS
early date, with probably SIX weeks OF
navigation left, ii is Ill Jndt ehe
Americans have the supply SITUATION
well IN hand. $500.
Winter clothing in sufficient quanti-
ties for all pressing needs IS now IN
Pekin and the tentage ana camp sLoNSS
will be there in time for cold weather.
Tba chief DrObIem has been transpOr-
tation. Every junk and lighter IN the
Pei HO region has been pressed INTO
service by the allies, and at the start
the Americans were somewhat hdhul-
capped. This, however, has now oeen
remedied In the matter OF amman
transport the United States contingent
of the Chinese expedIuOnary force IS
conceded to be superior of any, eX-
cept. perhaps, the splendidIy -equipPeu
Indian pack trains of the BRUSH me
big army wagons and large mules nav
been greatly admired by the oTlcerS OF
other forces. and the character ana
quantity of the American supplies nave
( been much cOmplimented.
Supply Problem Is Serious.
/ The question of supplying the Pel<in
army for the long, severe winter IS
/ serious one. The Pei HO river, which
affords the transportation as far as
/ Tung ChaO, is falling rapidly, ana river
/ men say navigation viii be extremely
| difficult after the middle of November.
/ About Dec. 1 the freeze is expected,
and navigation will entirely close from
| Taku I'D. All transportation viii then
/ have to be by pack and wagon trans
. and there is apparently little chance
( that the railway viii be completed TINS
! winter. The failure Of the russians
| to restore the road beyond Yang Tsun
has caused some severe criticism, ana
it has been openly reported that they
did not desire the railway completed
The Americans have practically aoah-
doned the railway for supply transpOf-
tation. Considerable friction has re-
suited from the Russian method OF
| operation, and the service has of late
/ become so inadequate that little or no
attempt has been made by any OF the
others to utilize the railway.
/ The occupation of Shan Hal KWan
by the British has relieved the supply
situat ton considerably With the res
toration and operation Of the railway
there will be easy access TO TIen TslI
| all winter, as San Hal is an open port
, | This also makes available a fairly pleh'
! JlTul coal supply from s9AAs~lL N'i-7 %
/ the line of the railway. The mine:
have not been injured, and there l!
said to be a large quantity Of coal OF
, the dumps ready for transportation II
| addition to the several military wires
10 Pekin a commercial line IS nov
nearing completion, and there viii o
: no lack of telegraphic communicated
? from the capital this winter should tn
l legations remain there
The German contingent, though su
. perbly equipped in other respects, ha
) been badly handicapped by lack OF AMI
: nal transportation. For some time for
aging parties have been securing tn
p regionaround Tien Tsin for some mule
! and carts, and the result has bee
: rathSr an unmilitaTy lOOting aggrega
= ton of mules, dOnkeys, shaggy littl
2 | ponies and native vehicles, cOntrastin
| curiOuSly with the smart and other
wise almost perfect equipment Of tn
| force.