Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-06-19
CHINA s ACT OF VAR.
Taku Forts Fired on Foreign
Warships.
COMMANDMENT FOLLOWED.
The Forts Finally Taken After Seven
Hours Firing-Two British warships
sunk-Number Killed ON Both sides
About 400 Chinese Dead.

BERLIN, June l9.-The German con.
sui at Che Foo telegraphed that Japa
nese torpedo boat from Taku brought
the following:
The Chinese laid torpedoes in the Taku
river and collected troops from Shan He
Kwan. The foreign commander assembled OF
the Russian flagship and addressed an ultima
tum to the commanders of the Taku forts
sumInonng them to withdraw their troops
before 2 o'clock June II. At a. m. june II
the guns of the forts opened fire, to which the
Russian, British. French and japanese war
ships replied. The bombardment lasted seven
hours, Two British ships in the river between
the forts are reported tohave been suak.
The telegraph line and railroad between Tier
Tsin and Taku were destroyed Communities
ton by water is also threatened.
An Associated Press dispatch from
Chez Foo, dated yesterday afternoon
said:
1.-THE forts on both sides of the Taku
are now occupied. The Chinese opened
fire Unexpectedly. The casualties to
the mixed forces were as follows:
Killed. British, 1; German, 3; Rus
sian. 10, and French, /. Wounded
British, A. German. z; Russian, 40, and
French. l.. The Chinese torpedo boats
were seized.
Later semi-official dispatch from
Che Foo announced that the Taku forts
had been captured after combined at
tack by the foreign warships. Three
men on the German warship Iltis were
killed and seven were wounded.
The dispatch added that the foreign
settlements at Tien Tsin were being
fired into by the Chinese.
When tie dispatch left nothing had
been heard from the German detach-
ment sent to Pekin or from the German
legation there.
WASHINGTON, June 19.-The navy de-
partment made public the texts of two
cablegrams received from Admiral
Remy and Commander Taussig. The
first is as follows:
CAvITE June IS.
Bureau of Navigation. Washington:
Taussig cables that the Taku forts fired upon
foreign gun vessels and then surrendered to
the allied forces the morning of June II.
kempH asks Instructions about joining other
powers, who are taking united action in de-
manding that the Taku forts be turned over to
them to secure favorable termination of the
trouble Will the department instruct Kempff.
through Taku at Che Foo, and give me the
same information.
(Signed) REMY.
The telegram from Commander Taus-
sig, of the ! orktoWn, was as follows:
CHE Foo, June l7-Taku fort fired upon
foreign vessel about 12:45 a. IA. Surrendered
to allied force about a. British admiral
is at Tien Tsin.
fsignedl TAussIG.
The Shanghai correspondent of The
0oilxr Mail falacyro YAI,i V,cy 81
in part:
The forts began firing in obedience to orders
from Pekin, conveyed in a personal edict of
the empress dowager by advice of Kang vi
president of the ministry of war;. Several
warships We're struck by shells from the u
inch guns from the forts.
The heavy Russian losses We're due to the
blowing up of the magazine at Mandshur.
-Four hundred Chinese are reported to have
been killed
The Chinese, when retreating, fell into the
hands of the Russian land force.
The Daily News had Che Foo dis
patch saying i'll part that two of the
forts We're blown up.
The failure of Admiral Seymour's col
umn and its retreat to Tien Tsin in
creases, it is presumed, the peril of the
legations in Pekin, which is still iso-
lated, although Shanghai forwards Chi
nese rumors that the legations were at
tackled by mobs, who were moved down
by machine guns, and also that the
members of the legations We're massa-
cred
The situation at Niu Chwang is re-
ported critical The British consul at
Kin Kiang has ordered all foreigners to
leave Ku Ling and Nau King Chang
Four thousand German troops have
been ordered to China; 10000 French
troops are waiting to embark at Saigon,
capital of French Cochin China, and
from 5000 to 5000 more Russians have
been ordered from Port Arthur to Taku.