New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-07-21
THE PROBLEM OF RESCUE
CONGER'S MESSAGE CAUSES
RENEWED ACTIVITY.
WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS STRAIN
ING EVERY NERVE To PUSH on
THE PERING CAMPAIGN.
rBT TELEGRAPH To TIE rR1uuvr.1

and felt on every side to-day in both the War
and the Navy Departments. There were pro-
lOnged conferences between the Secretary OF
War, the Lieutenant-CeneraI OF the Army. rhe
Adjutant-GeneraI and che heads or the supply
departments. All OF the latter were exceedingly
busy. IN the Navy Department similar activity
was exhibited and similar conferences were held
The watchword everywhere was The rescue OF
Conger"
The Secretary OF the Navy lost no time IN
sending the following message 70 Admiral
Remey:
COnEer teIeEraphs II In British Legation
under IRE from Chinese troops. and that
shcre- tse and urge every possible en-
deHyOr relief LONG.
Minister Congers dispatch convinced the
members OF the Cabinet that the rescue prob
lem may not prove as difficult as they had
feared They now appear TO believe that the
established Government OF China has been act
ing in good faith. and exerting It's influence and
efforts TO protect the lives OF the diplomatic
representatives and other foreigners. buu that ii
has not been able thus far 10 queu the insur-
rection or prevent the bombardment OF the Iega-
tions- In this view OF the case. the mission OF the
international troops will be 70 cooperate with
the imperial authorities in furnishing needrul
and suitable protection 10 the foreigners. and
in removing them 20 place OF safety pending
the restoration OF public order. and the desire
OF those authorities 70 cooperate with the
Powers TO that end is assumed 10 be an earnest
and sincere one.
II this is correct view OF the existing facts
the problem Of rescue viii be 10 some extent
simpIihed and rendered easier. for there ought
not to be any doubt that. II so disposed. the
Imperial authorities can do much 10 aid the re-
leving column when il arrives in the vicinity or
Peking, and a smaller column viii be required
than has been considered necessary while the
impression. prevailed that the foreigners had al
been murdered with the consent Of OF at least
without opposition. from these authorities
HURRYING TROOPS FORWARD.
There WILL however. be no halt in the prep
arations to throw a large force into North
China from the United States. and 10 accomplish
this at the earliest practicabIe time. All the
regiments and batteries win be hurried forward
10 san Francisco. and made ready 10 embark
as soon as the transports are in readiness 70 re-
cetve them. aud several battaIions OF infantry
and squadrons OF cavalry, together with three
/ batteries OF artillery. are expected 70 leave
/ that place on or about August I. Room viii be
/ found on the same transports for dve hundred
marines. and five hundred more win follow on
other transports in the course Of the next three
7 or four weeks
The War Department officials stoutIy deny
that there is any purpose 70 call more troops
from the Philippines but despite the denial there
is a strong impression in some quarters that TWO
more batraliOns OF infantry and one more light
( battery viii be sent from there 10 Taku as soon
as transportation can be provided FOR them.
They could reach Taku or Tien-Tsin at least
three weeks sooner than troops leaving San
Francisco al the same time; and time is a most
important factor in the successful solution or the
rescue problem, as the urgency OF Minister Con
-z-Fsa al far ra1fa az zr7%Ff fav-rfv
THE FORCE UNDER CHAFFEE
It is expected that Maior-Genera Chanee VIII
arrive ar Taku within the next eight or ten
days. and some days after the arrival OF Colonel
Daggett with two battaIions OF the 14th Infau-
try and Reily's battery OF the 9th Artillery.
he viii then ind himself al the head OF an ef-
fective force. composed OF more than three thou
sand cavalry. artillery. infantry and marines.
after deducting the casualties resulting from the
operations at Tien-Tsin. This force viii be a
compact well disciplined and thoroughly
equipped one, and IT alone viii be 80 per cent
larger than that with which Admiral Seymour
recently advanced 10 within twenty-five miles OF
the gates OF Peking
The utter lack OF any recent official advices
concerning the state OF affairs al Tlen-Is-n
which Is considered the key OF the problem OF
rescue. was a subject OF grievOUs complaint and
a cause OF intense anxiety as Wei as veXa-ldn
to-day among all the otlcials or the departments
directly concerned in the efforts 70 solve IL IN
less diSpaECleS have been Withheld from puDlf-
cation, no otlclal lnIorT1allon Whatever mas oeeh
received by the War and Navy departments re-
speCtiug events which have occurred at Taku or
Tien-Tsin since a week ago tomorrow II IS
not officially known. therefore. whether the
press dispatches OF yesterday and to-day saying
that the latter city was destroyed by fire last
Saturday were correct or not II is not officially
known. either. whether the International troops
were able 10 hold the positions they carried on
Saturday or were forced back by the enemy
one of the press dispatches indicates that nshf-
ing was still in progress on sunday at Tlen-Tsin,
which Il correct would tend 20 show that The
occupation OF the walled city and fOrrifcaLiO
was not then firmly established Ir is not ON
ciaIIy known. az least FOR the benefit Of the pub
lie that the railway line of communication be-
tween Taku and Llen-Isln Is open. ouJ Ine
dearth OF information would seem 20 Indicate
that IL is not
ROAD To PEKING MAY BE OPEN.
The failure 10 receive reports from the COM
mandins officer of the 9th Infantry indicates IN
the opinion Of some OF the military authorities.
that ne is either engaged in operations which
keep him too busy 10 report them. or that his
means Of communication with Taku have been
cut Of The field OF conjecture is a wide one.
one known fact is that the Chinese force which
held TIen-Tsin was composed OF the best armed
and most thoroughly drilled troops Of the I'M
perial army The Tien-Tsin Army Corps has
been often described by competent observers as
the flower OF the Chinese army. IL Is said % he
about Ihirty-uve thousand strong and that 10 is
commanded by brave and skilfuI officers was
fully demonstrated in the defence OF Tien-Tsln
last week If the result Of the ensageIuents of
OF this superb force-such defeat. for example.
as that OF Hoods army ar Nashville in 1St4-
the road 10 PeslinS was open tt is not beyond
the bounds OF probability that the commander
OF the international troops in thar event de-
cided 70 take advantage OF the situation BY
rushing forward strong a column as possible
toward the Chinese capital
ESTIMATED STRENGTH OF THE ALLIES.