The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-08-07
CHINESE DRIVEN BACK A Heavy Battle Reported Eight Miles Beyond
 Tien Tsin.
ADVANCE BEGUN AUGUST 4
NEXT DAY THE ENEMY WAS EN-
 COUNTERED IN FORCE.


 COUNTERED IN FORGE
 Allies Losses Reported as 200 but May be Exaggerated Clear That the March to Pekin Will Not be Walkover Iii Hung Chang Declares Envoys Have Left the Celestial City.
 Washington, Aug. 6.-The announce ment received through Admiral Remey and Commander Taussig of reported heavy fighting on the road beyond T1en Tsin, was the news of interest in the Chinese situation to-day. Little doubt was expressed at the navy department that the news was substantially correct. It is probable that a later report may reduce the list of casualties among the international forces, but it is evident that the move on Pe1in is at last fairly under way and that strong opposition has been encountered. The war de- partment officials, who have been ex- ceedingly reticent for several days as to news from the seat of war admitted to- day when the naval dispatches were re-
 
 was not unexpected.
 Opinion among the various officials now in Washington is somewhat divided as to just what is presaged by to-day's events. The more optimistic are inclin- ed to think that such severe blow as the Chinese must have received at Pei tsang will result in the speedy disin- tegration of the forces now opposing the international column. In line with this prediction it was prophesied that the Chinese government would find means to send the ministers from Pekin under escort and thus stave off the ad- vance upon the capital. On the other hand there was number of officers in a position to judge equally well who held that the fight at eitsang was only the beginning of a strenuous resist ance that would be continued to the gates of Pekin or beyond
 It was urged in support of this view that the Chinese had a hundred men to lose against one of the allies; that they were well armed with modern guns and had apparently an abundance of ammu- milton. It is stated that considerable apprehension exists among those con- versant with oriental affairs at the re- appearance in Pekin politics of that rabid anti-foreign fanatic, Lii Ping Heng. It is understood that his appear ance in Pekin affairs may have some- thing to do with the Shanghai rumors of Lii Hung Chang's suicide. It is cer- tain that with Lii Ping Heng and Prince Yuan in control of the de facto govern ment in China, a religious war of Der vish-like fanaticism probably will be waged against all foreigners and friends of the more liberal Chinese statesmen are exceedingly anxious as to their fate under the Tuan-Li regime. Following are the dispatches report ing the battle at Pei Tsang as given out by the navy department:
 ''Chefoo, Aug. G. Bureau Navigation, Washington:
 British Fame reports, unofficial en- gagement at Peitsang, Sunday morning, 3 to 10:30. Allied loss, killed and wounded. 1900, chiefly Russians and | Japanese. Chinese retreating
 "Taussig."
 This was received from Admiral Remey:
 "chefoo, Aug. 6. Bureau Navigatio Washington:
 Unofficial report believed reliable About 16,000 allies heavily engaged Chi nese at Peitsang daylight of the 9th.
 "Remey."
 Peitsang is the first railroad station about eight miles northwest of Tien Tsin, en route to Pekin. It is at the | head of tidewater on the Pei Ho, and | the charts of the war department indi- cate that it is not fortified town, nor, as far as the department knows, is it a point of particular strategic advan- tage such as might have been chosen by the Chinese as the main point of |, resistance to the advance toward Pekin. The troops encountered there, it is in- ferred, are those which retreated from Tien Tsin, after their defeat at that place. probably largely reinforced
 The war department is in receipt of dispatch from General Macarthur announcing that he has shipped addi- tional artillery supplies to Taku for use in the Chinese campaign. These SUD- plies include several Gatling guns, and the remainder of the rifle and Howitzer siege train at Manila which up to date had remained useless in that country on account of the bad roads. How ( much better General Chaffee may be able to handle these monster guns through the almost impossible rice swamps of China no one at the war de- partment was willing to guess, but his recent dispatch contained an urgent ap- { peal for more artillery and he is get ting it. The ordnance experts at the war department say that if it comes to 2 bonbardnoent of Pesin these fve-in rifles and seven-ineh Howitzers with their enormous bursting charges of high explosive will be the most collective | battering weapon in the international f column
 ADTINCE BEGUN AUG J-ST 4. Il