Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28

west of the Pei-Ho is full of swift and
treacherous streams. and the whole plain
is a big swamp 1t would be almost i'm
possible to march across it without oppo-
sition, yet the relief force started out
across it over the railroad whose destruc-
ton was known to be one of the main OBJ
jeCtives of the hostileS.
II was prepoSterouS to suppose that 1000
men could protect eighty miles of rail-
, road running through an unfricndly popu-
la;ion of S.ouJ.OOU or 10000 900, SO when the
relief forces reached Liarg Fang, half way
be tween Pekia and Ticn Tsin, they found
the railroad destroyed ahead of them, their
communication cut in their rear and them
selves literally smotEercd in the mass of
people about them. The Chinese cart road
from Tien Tsin to Pekn follows the west
ern bank of the Pei-Ho until Il short dis
lance below Turg-chow. where 1t turns
west to the capital. The proper route for
the relief force to have taken was to go by
boats up the river to Tung-chow. Dlsem
barking there, they would only have had
to march twelve miles west over easy
ground to reach Pekin.
If, however, the opposition too strong
or the fighting too severe to make the at
tempt in boats, then the forces should have
marched up the east bank of the river,
along which a low. but continuous water
shed runs: thus for the whole march they
would have had the river between them and
the Boxers, who were busy tearing up the
railroad.
China's had Water.
The relieving force suffered from lack of
water. and this is one of the greatest dan
gers to be encountered in campaigning in
China. The country has been so thickly
populated for 50 many centuries that it is
one vast graveyard, and the graves are not
made by interment. but by setting the cot :
flr on the ground ard heaping the earth
UP around il. Then. too there is no sys-
tenn of sewerage or drainage, except INFO
cesspools. which often sand almost along
s!!e the wells that supply the various COM
munlties- The water. therefore, is always
ieehlnS with ihe germs of tyPhus. typhoid,
ana that fearful Cr-entaI dySenIcry that
makes living skeletons OUT of the strongest
men in a few weeks. The Chinese only
manage To escape these cp.demics by boil
ing all their water and drinking it hot and
the troops campaigning in China must fol-
low this same plan, unpalatstbIc though the
water may taste when 50 treated or they
VIII lose 1t@ by the dread disease men
toned tor every man that is lost in fight
ing.
quarantine is unknown in China. and it
Is common 10 see men all broken out with
smallpox lying along the streets The
chinese regard smallpox much as we do
chlckenPoX. as something that everybody
must have: in fact. among them measles
is much more feared.
The troops moving in China at this sea-
son VIII tnd the country fun of the finest
gar"ens. and many will doubtless yield 10
the temptation to sample the numerous
greens and vegetables, but let them be-
ware. for the method of fertiIizins- the
fields and gardens is such that all green
things are poisoned with the same germs
that faint the waters. AS a rule vege-
tables and fruits are safe to eat in China
after they have been thoroughly cooked
1t will be particularly trying on troops
who have been serving in Cuba the Phil
ippines or India to be transferred at this
time to north China. The rainy season
there is over by the. last of August, and
the falls and winters are dry and cold
while frequent storms Of wind sweep the
PLAIN and raise such clouds of sand and
dust that traffic is stopped. These sand
storms have played unimportant part
in the history of China. Both the Mongols
and the Manchus, being northern men and
accustomed 70 them. have rea 5ed great ad-
vantage from them, more than once sue
csssfully attacking the southern Chinese
while the storms were in progress the
singing sand and gravel of the storms de-
moraAzlng the SoutheTH=rs utterly.
Winter in Nc.th China
Frost comes alb Ut the middle If OctcD.r.
and about the last If November the ST adv
cod sets in and freezs up the river. which
stays closed until the last Of February or
the middle Of March. There are no SHOWS
to amount to anything. few hurries. per
maps. which amount to six inches. say, in
a whole winter. The M an ternpar5; llr..
for the winter months is not much over -
degrees II seldom warns -up enough to
'A-''''' VIM II ll''4H'I-klS q! rs 10 near
zero. 50 the men VIII need generous sup
plies OF warm clothing and boiling.
Most OF the troops row going to nort II
China will duubtlesS have to winter there
Tor II Is unlikely that quiet Will f,c res orud
before the closing of the river in November
and after that it will h. impossible for
them To leave the country before spring
The wintering of such forces about P.kin
will be difficult problem. for there are 10
decent camping places about the city They
might be placed on the top of the city wall
which Is nifty or sixty feet wide. and well
paved but to Keep the troops in the city