The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-07-26
Left Yesterday for the Chinese Port,
Where He VIII Promptly Dis
embark His Troops.
AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN
UNITED STATES SOLDIERS WILL EN-
DEAvOR TO REACH PICKING.
The Administration Hopes to Be Able
to Escort COnger from the Cap
ital IL He he Still Alive.

surances that the foreign ministers at
Picking are safe. the United States govern
ment is hurrying preparations TO send
relief expedition to the Chinese capital
Special instructions have been forwarded
to General Chaffee. Adjutant General Cor
bin to-day received two cable messages
from Major General Chaffee. dated at Ma
gasah to-day The first reads: Trans
port arrived at this port on oath inst
Transport will leave on 18th for Taku."
The second is General Chaffees accept
ance and thanks for his promotion, as fol-
lows: Accept promotion to major general
Thank President for me for the honor and
his confidence"
An idea of the general character of the
orders sent to General Chaffee can be
gathered from the generals report that he
was about to push forward at once with
his big transport for Taku. He will not
even stop at Che-Foo and 1T Is even doubt
full whether he will detain the Grant at
Nagasak long enough to take on coal. He
is also energetically taking steps in adj
vance to meet the evil of which all the for
eign naval commanders have complained,
but none was remedied-the lack of landing
facilities at Taku. To this end he has in
structed Lieutenant Colonel Coolidge, of
the Ninth Infantry. at Tien-Tsin. to
cure at once all the tugs and lighters neces-
sary to a speedy landing of the reinforce
ments and stores that are being carried
out by the United States transport Grant.
A dispatch from Shanghai, dated July
"a, says: Three thousand American troops
have arrived at Taku, as well as eight
transports filled with British troops. Both
detachments are deficient in artillery. A
cable steamer has started TO lay a cable
from Wei-Hai-Wei TO Che-Foo and Taku."
In spite of the alarm with which the
Chinese officials. including Ii Hung Chang,
profess to view the advance of the allied
forces at Picking, far as Ii affects the
safety OF the foreign ministers, 1t may be
said that none of the powers has evinced
any tendency to abate their preparations
or accept an escort of imperial troops for
the ministers from Picking to Tien-Tsin
This government has acted all the while on
the theory that the ministers were alive
and has accepted in good faith the assur-
ances of the Chinese government to this
effect but it has not recognized in any
way the suggestion contained in Sheng's
cablegram of yesterday that the Chinese
an escort out of Picking. 1t was said at the
State Department to-day that the Amer
lean minister is not to be delivered up by
force of Chinese troops to the allied
forces or to any one else. This government
deems II much more appropriate If he needs
an escort out of Picking that it should be
composed of American soldiers.
A cablegram received to-day at the War
Department from Lieutenant Coolidge, in
command of the Ninth Infantry since the
death of Colonel Liscum, indicates that
the temporary government formed for
Tien-Tsin has not been put in force yet
The report, which briefly covers the opera
ton of the Ninth Infantry since its arrival
in China, is dated at Tien-Tsin July u, via
Che-Foo to-day, and is as follows:
Ninth Infantry reached anchorage in
Gulf of Pe-Chi-Li July 6. Two battalions
left the ship under Colonel Liscum by
lighters and tugs up the river TO Tien-Tsin
arriving on the morning of July H. En-
gagged in attack on Tien-Tsin July 10, form
ing part of the brigade under British Gen.
eral Dorward. Third battalion disembarked
on July II, arriving at Tien-Tsin on July 13
too late to take part in the attack. Tien-
Tsin captured July IA. City divided among
the powers, the southeast quarter being
assigned to American troops, under Colonel
Meade, of the marine corps, for police and
protection. Since then the powers have in
stituted temporary government council
under Colonel Dequhar and Lieutenant
Colonel Bower. British but has not as yet
gone into force. The American troops are
still protecting their quarter"