The sun., 1900-08-12
HOW SHANGHAI WAS STIRRED UP.
Development OF the Crisis ~ II Appeared
There and at Hong Kong.
From Siar Correspondent Of THE SUN.

SHANGHAI, June SIN Manila We had heard
occasional rumors as to the seriousness OF mat
ters in the north OF China. but We were 80 busy
with Filpinos and f1libusters and commissions
that We had small time TO give to such things.
and IL was with rather a surprise that the crisis
came. The order said simply go to Tientsn.
as IL It were just step or two across the road.
As a matter OF fact at that time 1t was three
steps and now there Is no telling how many
must be taken before II Is carried out. The first
step was to get to Hong Kong That was IA
miliar ground and comparatively easy, involv-
ing nothing worse than trip across the China
Sea. Hong Kong was in the throes OF an ex-
element that reminded one OF the days OF the
first expedition TO Manila from San Francisco
in Nav Of 'ss. Troops had been ordered away to
Taku at the earliest moment. and the Britishers,
who had rail d at our makeshift transport con-
trivances In 'es. were now struggling with the
same problem and being scandalously worsted
by H. A battalion Of the Hong Kong Regiment.
composed Of various kinds Of Indians. Sikhs,
Mohammedans and Hindoos, In all about seven
hundred men, was to 60 on the suddenly char
tered old coaster Hingsang.
Nobody seemed to know exactly what was
going on. Some one was supposed TO be in
charge Of the work which II was necessary
to do To get the ship ready for service az trans
port. Each officer acted apparently on the
suppositon that It was the work of some one
else. The result was that almost nothing
was done. At last the time came when. nc
cording 10 the announcement, the men were
To go aboard. The men were ready. Il was
raining Manila fashion. and when the men
got on the wharf they found that the trans
bol haa ,ln do hol
any launches been provided to take them Of
They stood In the downpour and got wet to
the skin. and all their kit was soaked. Finally
boats were procured and they were loaded
in. When they got alongside no gangways
were down and they had to crawl through
cargo ports They were 10 be slowed tween
decks. II was a vile filthy place with no ven-
tilation. and five minutes after II had been
filled with the steaminR water-soaked men.
II was almost impossible to breathe there
The commander decided that the state OF az
fairs would never do and sent 200 of the men
back ashore Immediately, and the steamer
sailed without them. There we're no bathing
facilities for the men and only one galley, so
that all castles had to cook in the same place
to the scandal and abomination Of them all
The force taken finally by the Hingsang
numbered only $50 Asiatics, including de-
tachment Of the Asatic artillery. The Hing
sang is steamer of more than 200 tons. In
the Philippines we have been Transporting men
men m or more on a ship Of less than 500 tons.
Hong Kong raised great row about the Hing
mean things about the men who should have
seen that all was right on the transport and
some Of them went so far that they were told
by the officials that they need expect no further
news about the army, That was a dreadful
punishment The next step would be a suit
for libel
Hong Kong was full Of the widest rumors
about the. situation around Tientsin The
legations In Pekn were DESTROYED, the Ger
man Minister had been murdered. native
Christians Chris an by the hundred ". were being slaush-
everywhere. Hour by. hour the dreadful story
grew. The huge cruiser Terrible was pressed
Ro int cys S s tSe ssIcs fSs
to speculate forebodinsiy on the reduction Of
her garrison The cruiser ss, Gndaunted get
in the club centred about the affairs in the north
and about the danger OF local uprising and
massacre in Hong Kong. To those who had
citement was entertaining. We. had sim
mered on the same sort Of kettle lid for so
long that we we're accustomed to IT. but 1t
was q new and tremendous thing for Hong
Kong, The grave discussions of the existing
situation were almost sure TO lead TO long,
II not lucid ordinations Of the measures that
that came the final distribution Of rewards
were tho only ones who, showed no sign what
ever Of any feeling In the matter
Thus far 1t seemed 70 one who had not lived
long enough on the coast of China 10 he familiar
with the way these things have Of going from
1t surely would all end in big talk and ,thing
more, with tho accompaniment Of h ldina
parties and the old show Of force But when
M oil VhA asta
on the gunboats and the reduction OF the Taku
forts had occurred. china was at war with
all the greet Powers. There was ground for
reports which had 40 stirred up Hong Kong
might have unpleasant, foundation in fact
Shanghai Ia very much excited. The voun-
common thing TO zee a young fellow riding
about In a ricksha with rife beside him. show
ing on his enlistment before he goes home
Men in uniform E are seen In the clubs every
Chefoo. and all sorts Of stories have oircula-
ton and some credence.
There were three Of US Americans come IN
from Manila together, and one OF the first men
we met In Shanghai was the correspondent
q the o,I; London Tme1 He vent straight e
only join with him In respect to the policy TO
be pursued in the settlement Of the affair every
thing Undoubtedly would go all right. and
ing together no other power could Interfere
In way We did not like. The main thing was
TO have the newspapers take the right view
and that they did so was 10 be our part of the
lookout. When n came 10 a discussion of the
news and how to get II through TO our papers
the Times man was not nearly 40 clear
At tifln everybody in Shanghai was at the
club and all the talk was OF the latest news
There was astonishing news for us Americans
a big white TRANSPORT. crowded with troops
had been seen on the Sh antunQ promontory ON
the 18th, the Ninth Infantry had started already
from Manila and the President had ordered
5000 more men 10 be sent at once The fact
that no American army transport could nos
slbly have been where the white ship was seen
when she was seen did not disturb the calcu-
!auons OF Shanghai In the least The news
had been brought by the skipper Of a Shanghai
ship and he had seen the white transport II
must be so. II turned out when we had tee-
graphed TO Manila that II might have been tho
Solaca with the marines. The news Of the
ordering out Of 5000 men from the Philippines
came from London, and Manila's advice that
only the Ninth had been ordered was not valid
against that
II Hong Kong had been full Of r,lmors and
strange stories. Shanghai was overiowng
alton. the undoubted gravity Of II. served 10
possible danger TO Shanghai. Men gave voice
70 consider their absurdity, One man gravely
iieved W De trained upon the settlements. az
the foreign concessions are called. II seemed
not to have occurred 10 any one 10 no over 10
al nd AnA a.