The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-20
HOW TAKU
WAS TAKEN
Eyewitness Tells Of
The Fight.
in PERIL At HEN-TSIN
A Woman Tells Of FrightfuI Exper-
fences During the Present War
IN The East.


A very fun and graphic description OF
the state Of affairs in Tien-tsin. says
the North China Daily News OF June
2ist was given US yesterday by Mrs.
James Jones. who returned in the after
noon from a short visit to that place.
Mrs. Jones was able. too. to tell more
OF the scenes connected with the taking
OF the Taku forts than has hitherto
been known. and the following has very
great interest:
Having Just returned from a flying
visit up north. | send you a short ac-
count OF the trip ana experiences con-
uected with 10, as IL may possibly inter
est you and some OF your readers. / left
Shanghai IN the steamer hsinfung Oh
Tuesday. 18th instant. for Tien-tsin.
where. according To wires received.
things were very unpleasant owing To
/ the Boxers. After passing through n
fleet Of about thirty-one war ships out
side Taku bar. which made SD endiI
show. We finally reached Tangku on
| riuay In time TO catch the last train,
leaving at p. m.
] on arriving at our destination (7.3)
/ p. m. ole hour late) we were very
much surprised TO find the station sim
ply crowded with sailors and marines.
all fully armed. and mostly Russians,
some being well mounted on horses
brought over from Port Arthur. On
proceeding on our way the same sight
met US. marines and sailors Of all ma
tionalities on guard everywhere. and
f.. quite prepared for a sudden attack.
l At the house where / was 20 stay I
found that the place was apparently In
their possession, about so Austria
being put up In the godowns adjoining
the premises. whilst two OF the officers
occupied rooms I'm the house. After
having dined. n party OF US, escorted
by n naval officer. took a short walk
before retiring 20 ress and we saw
what precautions ha- been taken for
our safety. At every few yards we were
challenged by sentry. There was not
a single Chinaman to be seen about.
/, and the whole pace seemed still and
deserted asd very unlike Tien-tsin. es-
pecially the Taku road. which Is as a
. rule. 4 believe. one constant flow of
traffic. Just as we were returning we
: heard seven shots fired In rapid success
sion. but feeling quite safe with so
many protectors near. we retired 70
rest Not. as II happened. for long.
At about midnight an officer came with
! the news that the whole OF the Chinese
: city was In flames. that the Boxers
: were advancing, anG were then actual
ly lighting at the Tien-tsin railway
station. which place they had also at
4 tempted 20 fire. We were told to get uJ
and dress. so "a to be In readiness q
: rush OF 10 the town hall on ,he alarm
being sounded.
|. The fre was n tremendous blaze ant
. n really grand sight. IL Is reported tia
}: the city was fired In fourteen differen
|. places. and II the wind had been In tn
other direction Tien-tsin would hav
- - a.
we spent most OF the time In the gar
a den (the alarm not having sounded) be
side the ammunition. which had bee
- carried out there In case OF the build
ings being fired. Ten men were left I
guard US and the rest went of wit
,' the officers 10 meet the Boxers. II wa
- about three o'clock when we were q
"a last told we might safely retire agair
IL as all was quiet. the Boxers havin
" been driven OF. We heard about 50 {
20 had been killed. but the number
- uncertain. The firing had been Yer
frequent since about II o. m. and ths
a. and the barking and bowling Of dos
. around gave one an unsettled feelini
- 30 that We did not retire. but just la
ar down as we were.
ft was fortunate We did 80 as at
- n m. We we're hurriedly called up ar
Informed that the Boxers were clio.
=, upon us. advancing toward the back
our uNeiuNks anu we were 10 kD OIL
- once 20 the town hall. As you can In
4. aRine. In n very short space Of time "
~ were on our way there. The poor chi
- dren were taken out OF bed and hu
lTiedly put Into thick coats and shoe
:. aud on we rushed 20 the town ha
al where we found others similarly a
q. tired. II was a truly pitiful sight. the
were so many little ones. some only
= month old. and although they were vel
quiet and good. there were a few htt
white. scared faces. Very few ANAL
or were there. as most of the servan
re have run away. In some cases not OF
- being left in the house. We remain,
at the hall until about 1880 a. m, n
=. knowing quite what was happening
"a had happened during the time We III
70 been there. OF course all sorts Of r
NJ m0rs were going round. which did n
Of tend TO improve matters. At last wO
I. came that IL was safe 20 return TO o.
homes. The Boxers had withdrawn, b
% would return that night. and they e
ne pected 20 have a big fight All the W
40 men and children were strongly advis
a. how 10 get away The lines had be
-. a. upered with and the trains were n
i. running. The damage 60 the lines. ho'
~ ever. was evidently not as bad as
ng ported. as u was quickly repaired. a
% AZ 2 % m. az many as could get aw
es left for Tangku. a pilot engine got
on ahead. Later on another train Q
rived. also with a number Of ladies' a
children. and made for the vario
shius IN port.
n Even here our troubles were not
a an end. We seemed % have fallen "C
- the fryinRpan into the FIRE" for %
after Retfirg on board we heard tn
was a probability of the Taku forts