The age-herald., 1900-06-19
HEAVY CASUALTY LIST Marines Take Possession of the
 Forts. GUNBOAT YORKTOWN TOOK PART Magazine on Russian Ship at Mand, shur Was Exploded Causing Heavy Loss-All Legations
 Are in Great Peril
GuNBoAT YORKTOWN TOOK PART

London, June 19.-(3:3O a. m.)-China de- clared 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 best semi-official information being the dis patch received at Berlin from Che Foo, which says:
 ''The Chinese laid torpedoes in the
 Taku river and collected troops from
 Shan Hei Kwan. The foreign com
 manders assembled on the Russian
 flagship and addressed an ultimatum to the commanders of the Talxu forts, summoning them to withdraw their
 troops before 2 o'clock. June F. At l
 a. m., June F, the guns of the forts
 opened fire, to which the Russian,
 British, French and Japanese warships
 replied. The bombardment lasted
 seven hours. Two British ships in the
 river before the forts are reported to
 have been sunk. The telegraph lines
 and railroad between Tien Tsin and Taku were destroyed. Communication by water is also threatened" The unofficial narratives, coming by way of Shanghai vary widely and bear evil dence of supplementing the main facts with guess work One dispatch says that | the Yorktown participated in the lombard ment. Another asserts that American marines formed half of the storming force of 2,0O0
 Heavy Casualty List
 An Associated Press dispatch from Che Foo dated yesterday afternoon. says
 The forts on both sides of Taku are now occupied The Chinese opened fire unex- pectedly. The casualties to the mixed force were as follows: Killed-Britisb, l; German, 8; Russian, 1; French, l. Wounded: Brit ish, 4; German, q Russian, 45; French, 1. Chinese torpedo boats were seized.
 The Shanghai correspondent of the Daily Mail telegraphing yesterday, says:
 "The forts began firing in observance to orders from Pekin. conveyed in personal edict of the Empress Dowager by advice of Kang Vi president of the ministry of war). 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 magazine at Mandshur. Four hundred Chinese are reported to have been killed. The Chinese. when re- treating, 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 | thirty-two warships at Kau aggregated 900 tons and carried more than 300 guns" Foreign Legations in Peril The failure of Admiral Seymour's col. 1 rre;,, ca1 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 legations were massacred.
 The situation at Niu Chwang is reported critical. The British consul at Kiu kwang has ordered all foreigners to leave Ku Ling and Nau King Chang. The powers taking prompt action Four thousand German troops have been ordered to China; 10000 French troops are waiting to embark at Saigon. the capital of French Cochin China, and from 5000 to l 5000 more Russians have been ordered from Port Arthur to Taku. This reinforce l ment says the St. Petersburg correspond- 1 ent of the Daily Telegraph, Is announced 1 in the St. Petersburg Gazette, the govern l ment pointing out that Russia Is sending 1 so many troops solely for the sake of peace and humanity.
 The Brussels correspondent of the Stand ard in a dispatch dated yesterday says; Russia has massed 10000 men, with sev- en batteries, at Kiachta, with orders to proceed to Maimatchin, Chinese town contiguous to Kiachta, and then to ad- vance along the telegraph route to the Mongol town of Urga, 200 miles south Of Kiachta and 750 miles northwest of Pekin.
 Another Description
 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 assem- bling at the forts and of the facts that torpedoes had been laid in the river and that all communications We're interrupted. the naval commanders held a council and decided to send an ultimatum calling for the disbandment of the troops, and an nouncing if this demand were not complied with before a m. of the following day the united squadron would destroy the forts.
 Shortly after midnight the forts opened fire The British, French, German and Jap anese warships replied. Two Of the forts were blown up and the rest were carried by assault.
 Two British, one American and five Chinese warships are in the Foo haboY"
 The morning papers consider that state