The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-07-10
BONBARDMENT OF TAKU
DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLE BY
AN WITNESS.
Two American Miners who Were on
the Last Train to Leave Tien-Tsln-
A Lucky Escape.

Two American miners, who were
among the last refugees to get away
from Tien-Tsin and Taku on the break
ing out of the war in China, were
among the passengers on the steamship
+ Coptic for San Francisco yesterday.
They were W. l.. ireland and A. Ma
, thez, who have spent about year in
the interior of China, investigating
mining properties. BY a lucky chance
they were just returning home at the
beginning of the trouble, thus escap-
ing the fate which would almost GER
tainly have been theirs had they re-
mained i'm the interior of the country.
They reached Tien-Tsin just as the
fighting began, and on June 16 they left
that city on the last railroad train to
! leave before the destruction of the track
and the beginning of the campaign now
! in progress. From Tien-Tsin they went
/ to Taku, and they were at the city on
! board the German steamer Kniosberg
| during the bombardment of the Chinese
forts by the allied fleets. Mr.. Ireland
gives a graphic description of the fight
! between the war vessels of the powers
and the Chinese forts.
! I'VE were anchored several miles
| from the forts" said Mr.. Ireland, but
had good view of the fighting.
think we were in as much danger, If. not
more, than the warships, owing to the
poor gunnery of the Chinese They
shot far over the war vessels, and their
shells fell near us. The anchor chain
! of our vessel was struck by one of
their shots. When the fighting began
many Of those on our vessel went away
to place of more safety, others staying
/ to look on.
The fighting began at about one
o'clock in the morning of the 17th,"
said Mr.. Ireland THE forts opened
on the allied fleets which had been ex-
/ pecting such action. Throughout the
| night the firing kept up, while we
/ watched it from the bridge of our YES
sci. We could not see the effects of the
fire of the warships, but the Chinese
shots were evidently wild. They CON
stanly came far beyond the war ves-
sells, and there was a general movement
to get out of the way among the non
fighting ships at Taku.
THE end came at about six o'clock.
Some japanese and English had made
an attack overland, and had captured
what was called fort number one. The
Chinese were still using their guns
from che fort beyond. A gunner said
to be an Austrian, in the captured fort
trained one of the captured guns on the
othef-f fort and hit the magazine, explod-
ing ii. The explosion was a Tnagnifi-
cent sight. 1t sent ruins a thousand
feet into the air, as it seemed, and it
destroyed the fort. | was told that
the dead bodies of six hundred Chinese
were among the ruins. The fleets kept
up their bombardment for a time, while
what was left of the Chinese retreated.
From shore a few VOlleyS were fired
, with Mauser rifles after the explosion,
|, but the Chinese resistance was practic-
, ally over. Some of the bullets came our
{ way and made things seem decidedly
lively"
The retreat from Ten-Tsn to Taku
was a quite exciting bit of travel, ac-
7 cording to the miners. The last train
; that left Tien-Tsin was crowded with
fugitives, many of them Chinese The
l latter were all searched for arms, says
q Mr.. Ireland ''and most of them had
> big Chinese knives, which were taken
away from them. There were more Chi
. nese fleeing from the district than any
other nationality.
1.-The opinion is universal in China
that a most serious trouble has begun
q and many people look forward to long
a and very bloody conflict. So far the
y disturbance has not made any differ
q ence in Shanghai and Hongkong. AL
is peaceable there except for the ex.
O element caused by reports from othel
: places. In the southern district where
we were mining, there were no signs
/, of trouble, till we got to Tien-Tsin
There are plenty of mines there i
n would pay to work, but they are no
a much use under the Chinese govern
ment. 1t would be impossible for ;
/, white man to get a title that would b.
- satisfactory to him, and the Chimes
don't care about working mines. Tn
authorities know that a white mai
doesn't want anything in the way o
70 lands, or anything at all for that mat
= ter, unless it is pretty good thing
and they see that he doesn't get II
a rio hIt
II he cannot get a title to the propert
81 he would like to develop"
> The two miners completed their wOrl
IL and started home without any knowl
s. edge that trouble was brewing excep
, in a general way. Il wouldn't haV
e missed the experience at Taku for
,e good deal" said Mr.. Ireland land
think we were very lucky all through
'e for if we had not happened to come in
y to Tien-Tsin when we did, we shOul
"a have been murdered like some Others
= as we had no protection. We hav
IL been going about quite unmolested, bu
le now things are different"
= Regarding the situation at Pekinf
IL Mr.. Ireland had no later news to CIV
rs than has come by way of San Fran
g cisco, except about the impression
among those at the front of the trouble
i He is inclined to think that the lega
$ tions have been bOmbarded and de
Sloyeub anu tHe occupants hilleu LII
2 officers of the Coptic and others o
board unite i'm giving this as the pre-
re vailing impression at Shanghai an
l. Hongkong, since the reports that nc
only Boxers, but imperial troops, ha
guns trained on the legations, an
Z. since the American minister's messag
s, that he could only hold out forty eigf
i hours longer.
IN -
=, IT IS PERFECTLY RELIABLE.
p 1--WE have sold many different coug