The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-07
VIEWS OF OFFICIALS.



Associated Press Dispatch.
WASHINGTON, Aug 6-The announce
ment received through Admiral Remey and
Commander Taussig of reported heavy
fighting on the road beyond Tien-Tsin was
the news of interest in the Chinese sit
uation to-day. Little doubt was expressed
at the Navy Department that the news
was substantially correct. 1t is probable
a later report may reduce the list of cas-
ualties among the international forces, but
1t is evident that the move on Peking is at
last fairly under way and that strong op-
position has been encountered. The War
Department officials. who have been ex-
ceedingly reticens for several days as to
news from the sea- of war, admitted &C.
day when the naval dispatches were re-
ceived that the announcement of the battle
was not unexpected.
Opinion among the various officials now
I'm Washington is somewhat divided as TO
.
The more optimistic are inclined to think
that such a severe blow as the Chinese
must have received at Pei-Tsang will re-
suit in the speedy sdisintegration of the
forces now opposing the march of the in
ternationaI column. In line with this pre-
diction 1t was prophesied that the Chinese
government would find means to send the
ministers from Peking under escort, and
thus stave off the advance upon the capital.
On the other hand. there was number of
officers in position to judge equally well
who held that the fight at Pei-Tsang was
only the beginning of a strenuous resist
ance that would be continued TO the gates
of Peking or beyond. 1t was urged I'm sup
port of this view that the Chinese had a
hundred men to lose against one of the
allies; that they were well armed with
modern guns and had apparently an abund-
ance of ammunition.
CHAFFEE MAY HAVE TAKEN PART.
Although neither of the naval dispatches
mentions the presence of American troops
Ia the reported engagement, ii is generally
assumed at the War Department that at
least a part of General Chaffee's small
army was ON hand and took an active and
aggressive part in the affair. According to
the information in possession of the War
Department the town of Pei-Tsang is at the
head of tidewater on the Pei-Ho, between
eleven and twelve miles by road beyond
Tien-Tsin. 1t is village of mud huts. of
considerable SIZE but not walled The river
at this point is not naNgabie by ANYTHING
larger than good-sized steam launch, and
IL is thought the troops probably reached
there In small boats, towed by the naval
launches The country all along the river
between Peking and Tien-Tsin is a low. al
iuvial plain. almost impossible for wheeled
vehicles In the wet season, and under quite
a high state OF cultivation. 1t presents no
natural defensive features, and the War
Department knows no strategic reason wbv
the Chinese should have made a stand
there rather than at any of the other of the
dozen villages east of the walled town of
Tuns-chow, where is stored an immense
amount of provisions on which the city of
Peking would have TO depend in case of
siege
FROM the fact that the engagement lasted
seven and a half hours IL is argued i'm the
department that either the Chinese must
have been heavily intrenched. or that there
was an immense horde of them to so stub
bornly contest the advance of the 1900 in
ternational troops. Ii is figured by mill
tary experts that loss of 100 killed and
wounded on the part OF the allies probably
means a loss OF from three 10 six times
as many by the Chinese. IL is possible that
a blow OF this magnitude may break the
resistance OF the Chinese TO the advance
OF the foreign column. but. on the other
hand. II is possible that this may be one
Of large number of places on the road
that have been intrenched with view to
falling back and contesting the foreign
advance. so as TO delay as long as possible
the arrival OF the foreigners at Picking.
Unless the opposition suddenly breaks down
the military experts look for a desperate
engagement when the troops reach the