The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-07
TRANSPORT LOGAN REACHES SAN
FRANCISCO WITH TROOPS
AND CIVILIANS
WERE BESIEGED IN TEN TSIH
PASSENGERS DESCRIBE THE OPEN
ING OF HOSTILITIES AT
THAT PLACE
SOME OF THE NINTH RETURN
They Went Out on the Same Trans-
port and Came Back InvaIided
or Wounded-An Glad to
See Civilization.


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 6.-With her
decks crowded with bluejackets, ma
rines, ex-soldiers of the Ninth infantry
and refugees, the United States trans
port Logan, from Taku, via Japan, was
allowed to dock today after passing quar-
antine. There were men, women and
children on the vessel direct from Tien
Tsin, who had escaped from the mobs Of
Boxers and the imperial Chinese troops
Nearly all of the passengers in the
cabin had felt the depressing effects of
siege and had been in the Chinese city
when 1t was threatened by the celestial
lighters, and the refugees were more than
glad to get back to civilization. Among
them were Dr. Diffendorfer and Mrs.
Mcintosh, who were in the mill at Tien
Tsin, where the Chinese were held at
bay before the relief came through.
Master Earl Ragsdale and Miss Effie
Ragsdale, children of the United States
consul at Tien Tsin, were also on board.
A large number of the refugees left the
transport at Yokohama to return to
various parts of Europe and America by
regular steamer.
Among the passengers were the follow
Ing: ]. M Mussen, Shanghai; Mrs.
Drew; Mrs. Jenny and four children;
Mrs. Pike and four children Mrs Lowry
and three children; Mr.. and Mrs. Hay
nor and three children; Miss Jones, Mr..
Pike, Mr.. Diffendorfer, Mr. Mcintosh,
Taku; Rev. H. W. Houlding, wife and
Sn11 M1-c oY,lz "
Miss Tillie Fahr, Tien Tsin; DR.. N. S.
Hopkins, wife and three children; Mrs.
ii. E. King and three children, Mr.. and
Mrs. S. Smith, Chez Foo; the Misses
Drew, Mr.. L. Drew, o. c. Clifford, wife
and child; Edward Wilson, Yokohama,
and about 100 inyalided soldiers.
THREE DEATHS EN- ROUTE.
There were three deaths on the Logan
during the voyage, two occurring before
Taku was reached.
On June 80 Private James H. McNerny,
of Company D, Ninth regiment, died,
and on July 5, James D. ST. Croix passed
away. Private. David Nutes of Company
&, one of the men who started home
ward owing to illness, died at sea
July o.
To the Logan attaches the distinction
of being the first transport to land
American troops in China. She conveyed
the gallant Ninth infantry from Manila
to Talu. The Logan made the run from
Manila in thirty-nine days, from Naga-
saki in eighteen and half days, and
from Yokohama in fifteen and half
days.
From Manila to Taku she conveyed the
Ninth infantry and detachments of the
signal and hospital corps and among
the passengers brought here by her were
sixty-one sick men of the Ninth. At
Taku she took aboard ITO Christian re-
fugees from Tien Tsin. All except forty
eight Of these left the Logan at Naga-
Sak.
Dr. Diffendorfer of Philadelphia, the
builder and manager of the first wooden
mill established in the Chinese empire,
and a personal friend of Poo Tong, a
brother Of the Chinese emperor that was,
tells the following story of the attack
on Tlen Tsin.
HOW THE ATTACK STARTED.
1T was on the morning of July II that
the first clash between the foreigners and
the empires soldiers occurred. On the
afternoon Of the same day the lombard
ment of the Taku forts began.
Capt. Bailey, of the British ship Or
lando, was commander of the allied force
at Tien Tsin on July II, as Capt Nc
Gala was absent with Seymour at the
time. About II o'clock in the forenoon he
saw smoke rising from the railroad track
about four miles distant from the city,
and, suspecting that the Boxers had fired
another bridge, Capt. Bailey ordered thir-
ty of his bluejackets, commanded by
midshipman, whose name l have forgot
ten, to proceed to the spot and investi-
gate. We had three-inch gun and the
men were fully armed. When our fat car
had Travelled about three miles we found
a bridge In which the timbers had been
burned away from the iron girders, and.
considering it unsafe to cross, our COM
mander ordered his men to return to the
city. We had gone about 800 yards on the
back trip when we saw a lot of Chinese
soldiers-about 150-crossing the track at
a point mile ahead of u.s.
They were walking very rap div and as
We approached them all doubts as to their
being imperial troops disappeared They
did not wear the red turban that dis
tinguished the Boxers, and as soon as we
got within about 800 yards of them thew
scattered and got behind grave mounds
with which the surface of the country
was thickly studded. Regarding this ac-
the order to fire volley, and they quick
ly and vigorously returned the salute
Our field piece was minus a sight. and
most of its shots passed over the enemy.
so that after ten minutes of hot firing
we resumed our retreat, the Chinese firing
as long as we were within range. Thera
were no casualties on our side The sig
nificant feature of the incident was Its
bearing on the subsequent PROCEEDINGS.
If 1t had not been for the action of our
party that morning the bombardment of
T1en Tsin might not have commenced that
afternoon; In other words, / am inclined
to believe that our attacks on the Chinese
troops precipitated this bombardment of
the city. And for that reason the skfr-
mish may attain some Importance when
final settlements are being made"
DR.. Diffendorfer believes that the trouh
lie In China will be at an end within q
couple of years at the farthest.
1T will be a repetition of the Taeping
rebellion" he said, when the allies have
captured Pekin the Boxers will he hrok-
en- into bands Of marauders."
A CANADIANS EXPERIENCE
Charles Mcintosh, Toronto, Canada.
man, but an American citizen, who was
DR.. Dtffendorfer's assistant in the wooden
MILL said: II think 1 must have spent
about fourteen days in the tower. I was
doing sharpshooting most of the time.