The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-09-03
HARD JOB TO GET TO TAKU.
No Easy Task for Correspondents To
Reach the Place.

on, you can yet bttdilci hioh'
Shanghai to Tien Tsin almost any day.
/ dare say you can get on when you like,
don't yon know. I mean to say the
steamers run almost daily"
That was the general opinion. In
Shanghai Ii was much the same In the
public notion, but investigation revealed
that 1t was very different in fact. Hong
Kong had had no thought OF n seige OF
Tien Tsin Shanghai knew of the taking
of the Taku forts. Tien Tsin was cut out
of the run. Then Ii was this sort OF
thing that was said:
why don't you go to Che Foo? There
will be plenty of steamers over from
there. Dispatch boats will be plenty In
any event"
The Canton got into Che Foo In the
morning and two little merchantmen
there were flying the blue peter. we
thought we We're going to be able to set
on I'm n few hours. But at the last min
ute they changed their minds, or their
agents or owners did, and they sailed
for some other port than Taku. Then
II was case of dispatch boat. Two Jap
anese men-of-war came In and the Jap
anese consul sent word to his colleagues
that one would leave at o'clock that
evening for Talxu. We went to see the
consul. He was very polite. The Japan
ese always are, unless you call them
Japs. He assured us that II made him
very sorry to think that we could not
go on the Kasagi. We told him she was
built by Americans and we had special
interest I'm her welfare. He said he would
consult the captain and let us know
Later he regretted to be obliged TO say
that the captain had no orders from the
government to take passengers of any
nationality whatever. The French at
tache at Pekin was most extremely de-
sirous of going to Taku, and they greatly
grieved not to be able to take him. But
there was the fatal lack of orders 1t
was impossible without them. The cap
tain was profoundly regretful.
The British dispatch boat Humber was
due in from Wei Hal Wei In the after
noon. 1t had gone down the evening be-
fore with refugees. We went to the
British consul. He is a very direct and
businesslike young man. who seemed dis
posed to be agreeable. although bit
uncertain about his own powers In the
matter After he had asked each OF us
Are you an American?' and 70 the AZ
firmative had remarked but that doesn't
make any difference" he gave us collec-
lively "A note TO the captain OF the Hum-
Der asking him to take us along. We
hurried back to the hotel where our bag
gage was stored piled 1t into a sampan
in and was lying clear across the road
stead, outside the Terrible. The road
stead was "A little rough, with fine fresh
breeze blowing, and the never-swift sam
pan was retarded very much. Inc men
worked their best and we urged them
constantly to greater efforts. The Hum
Der began TO swing with the changing
tide and we thought she was getting
under way. For a little hope sank. but
we hung on and soon saw what II was.
che Foo made fine picture. The jag
ged hills beyond the town stood out dis
tinct and sharp In the clear light Of the
late afternoon. Their seaward slopes
were green with waving fields or spotted
with orchards. Right and left stood the
two big forts. On the high blum almost
midway between them were the consul
lates and the signal station with their
bright display )f bunting On, it's fine
thing TO see your handsome flag snap
ping i'm the fresh breeze. when you are
SO far from home. The air was ike wine
after the long months In Manila. We
almost forgot our anxiety to catch the
Humber in the pure enjoyment of the
moment Boats were all about us. yawi
rugged. cutting across the wind OF smash
ing down II. Great fun for the sailors,
and never "a thought of war.
Then up went a string OF signals on
the Humber. The answering pennant flew
on the Terrible. We had been out from
the beach more than an hour and were
sun half an hour from the Humber. n
four-fiag hoist showed on the Terrible.
The single pennant on the Humber show
ed her reply. We wondered what II
meant ana urged the sampan men the
harder But IL WAS no use. When we
were still a mile away the white diS-
patch boat got her anchor and stood
away for TaEu faster than all the sa9n-
pan men in Che Foo could nave followed
her There was nothing Tor II but To
drift back in and watch the stars come
out ana take what comfort there was to
be had in knowing We had done our best
But il was hard to bear. We mad lett
Manila il the afternoon. ihat evening
came the order to the marines ana they
left at midnight ON the Solace. IF We
mad Staid few hours longer in Manila
we might have gained days IN arriving al
Taku. We had heard IN Che roo OF the
landing of Major Waller and his men and
something OF the gallant part they played
in the relief of EIen Ialn. ROW the nope
was To get here IN time TO so with the
relief column 10 Pekin.
To breathe cool air win oxygen IN II
Instead OF water. To take some thing into
your lungs on which they can set "a grip,
to wrap yourself Up i'm blanket ana
$ eep; You don kn3" any lhths aDout ~
this back there in the states. BuJ 10.
l have been in Che Foo. Some day / snail
be millionaire and have at orchard ana
a vineyard on the slope back of che Foo.
1 choose che roo.
They took up the evening telling rs all
about the missionaries in Shautuug anu
/ echili provinces. Inc consul GeclareH
he had been in the service eleven years
land never lost missionary Ihe ms
sionary agent said the story Of the rev
bricks was Il contemplate
SANDER We turned IN under blankets on
the floor Of the hotel pdrIOr AID there
W ere several flags on the halyards at the
signal station when we awoke. That day
we tried to charter a steamer for Taku
The agents looked at us ANA Erinned. Ihcy
did not need our money. n Chinaman in
the native city had a good-SiZed launcn
he thought would be aDle to make the run
I'm TWO and one-half or three days for
SEQ. We went 10 the teleSraph station
The Chinanan IN charge looked through
a big pile of messages lhat Nad NOT been
sent hshed out TWO that had been HE'D
the day before ana ChCcrtuhy told their
" ritter that they should be sent lmm edi-
ately. The consul came IN ana told the
l'hinamAn to be sure 10 see that his news
PAPER DISPATCHES Wero aiWaNa the very
Iirst sent. The oblising Chluaman agreed
TO do it, The consul SAID he had 10 get
a kumsha out OF the war somehow.
We were sitting in front of the hotel,
waiting. some one shouted: There an
American coming nj The stars ana
stripes fluated from the north signal hal
yard. and the ball below showed me new
conner was a man-o'-War. Then slowly
appeared around the point THE white nun
and tall buff tunnels of the NASHVILLE. IL
was only a few steps to the beach, ana
the Nashville had hardly well cleared the
point when our samoan was under way
As she let go her port hover We came
alongside. How good IT seemed TO see all
her men In the blue uniforms again, Cap
tain Rodgers SAID the torhtoMn was 10
90 back 10 Taku al soon as she could get
m steam. Captain TauSSig had told us
he would take us if the Yorktown should
go But We had left our baggage ashore