Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-06-21
FIRED upon FLEET.
The Taku Forts Fire on Foreign
Warships and Start 4 War.
Two OF The FORTS BLOWN Up.
Ths Best Of the Sosts Carried By Assault
lsstrucelsas 10 the American Admiral
Case Hin 70 Tahs . Part In
the BombaPdmsAt,

London, June 19.-China declared
war against the world when the Taku
forts opened fire upon the interna.
tional fleet. The accounts of what
took place are still unsatisfactory,
The unofficial narratives coming by
way Of Shanghai vary and bear In
ternal evidence of supplementing
the main facts with guess work. One
dispatch says that the Yorktown
participated in the bombardment.
Another asserts that American ma
rines formed part Of the storming
force Of 1000.
The Shanghai correspondent Of the
Daily Mail, telegraphing yesterday,
says: 1.-THE forts began firing in OBJ
servance to orders from Pekin, con-
veyed on, the personal edict Of the
empress dowager, by advice Of Rang
VI president Of the ministry OF wary.
Several warships were struck by shells
from the 12-inch guns Of the forts.
"The heavy Russian. losses were due
to the blowing up Of the magazines Of
Mandshur. Four hundred Chinese
are reported killed. The Chinese,
when retreatlng, fell into the hands
Of the Russian land force"
The Daily News has the following
from Che-Foo: "Two of the forts
were blown up. The 80 warships at
Taku aggregated 100000 tons and car
ried more than 800 guns"
The failure Of Admiral Seymour's
column and its retreat to Tien Tsin
increase, it is presumed, the peril of
the legations in Pekin, which is still
isolated, although Shanghai forwards
Chinese rumors that the legations
were attacked by mobs who were
moved down by machine guns and
also that the members of the lega-
tons were massacred. The situation
at Niu Chwang is reported critical.
The British consul at Kin Kwang has
ordered all foreigners to leave Ku
Ling and Nau King Chang. The pow
ers are taking prompt action. -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.
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Times, under yesterdays date, gives
the following description, said to be
from official sources, of the action at
Taku: "On the afternoon of June
l6, in view of the large bodies Of
Chinese troops assembling at the
forts and of the facts that toipedoes
had been lald in the river and That all
communications were interrupted, the
naval commanders held council and
lecided to send an ultimatum, calling
'or the disarmament of the troops
md announcing that II this demand
we're not complied with before two a.
N. of the following day, the united
squadron would destroy the forts.
shortly after midnight the forts
opened fire. The British, French,
ierman, Russian and Japanese war;
ships replied Two of the forts were
blown up and the rest were carried by
assault. Two British, one American
md five Chinese warships are in Che
Foo harbor."
Admiral KempY's Authority.
Washington, June 19.-The instruc-
ions sent to Admiral Kempff, relative
% his participation in the seizure Of
he Taku forts were broad, consisting
~ n d;raofion IN protaot oil Amarioou