The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-19
Two Forts Blown Up. The
Others Taken by
Assault.
ADMIRAL SEYMOUR BACK AT TEN TslN
Ninth Infantry at Manila Ordered to
China Forthwith. They Will
Probably Not Start Before the
Oath. Delayed by a Ty-
phoon. No Definite
News From
Pekin,
Pekin.
lBy thc Associated Press.l


London, June TUESDAY, $3.50 a. m.)
China declared war against the world
when the Taku Forts fired upon the in
ternational fleet The accounts OF what
took place are still unsatisfactory, but
the best semi-official information is the
dispatch received at Berlin from Che Foo
dispatch received at Berlin from Che Foo,
which follows:
The unofficial narratives, coming by
way Of Shanghai vary widely and bear
internal evidence of supplementing the
main facts with guesswork. One dis
patch says that the Yorktown partici-
rated in the bombardment Another as
serts that American marines formed part
of the storming force of two thousand
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
unexpectedly The casualties to the mix
"a forces we're as follows:
'GKiled-British, one; German; three;
Wounded-British, four German
seven; Russian, fortyfve, and French
one.
1.-The Chinese torpedo boats were
seized
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Daily Mail, telegraphing yesterday says
"The forts began firing in obedience tc
orders from Pellin, conveyed in person
al edict of the Empress Dowager, by ad-
vice of Kang XII president of the Minis
try OF War;. Several warships were
struck by shells from the 12-inch guns
of the forts.
1.-The heavy Russian losses were due to
the blowing up of the magazine at
Mandshurt
-Four hundred Chinese are reported to
have been killed The Chinese, when
rctreating, 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 Taku aggregated
900 tons and carried more than 3l9
guns
The failure OF Admiral Seymour's col
umn and is retreat to Tien Tsn in
crease, it is presumed the peril of the
Legations in Pekin. which is still iso-
lated, although Shanghai forwards
Chinese rumors that the Legations were
attacked by mcbs who were moved down
by machine guns and also that the men,
bcrs of the Legations were massacred.
The situation at Niu Chwang is reported
critical The British consul at Kiu Kiang
has ordered all foreigners to leave Ku
Ling and Nau King Chang.
The powers are taking prompt action.
-Four thousand German troops have been
ordered to China; 10000 French troops are
waiting to embark at Saigon, capital of
French Cochin China; and from 5000 to
5000 more Russians have been ordered
from Port Arthur to Taku.
More Russians have been ordered from
Port Arthur to Taku. This reinforce
ment, says the ST. Petersburg correspon-
dent of the Daily Telegraph, is announced
in the ST. Petersburg Gazette the Gov
ernment pointing out that Russia is send
ing so many troops solely for the sake of
peace and humanity. The Brussels cor
respondent of the Standard in a dispatch
dated yesterday says:
RUSSIA has massed 1000 men. with
seven DdllCIleS, dl hidCHLd, Win OIucl ,
10 proceed to Maimaitchin, a Chinese
town contiguous to Kiachta and thence
TO advance along the telegraph route to
the Mongol town of Urga, two hundred
miles south of Kiachta and seven hum
dred and fifty miles northwest of Pc
kim
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Times, under yesterdays date, gives the
following description said to be taken
from official sources, of the action at
Taku.
"On the afternoon of June 10th. in view
of the large bodies of Chinese troops as
sembling at the forts and of the facts
that torpedoes had been laid in the river
and that all communications we're inter
Tupted the naval commanders held n
council and decided to send an ultmatum.
calling for the disbandment OF the troops
and announcing that if this demand was
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, Rus
sian and Japanese warships replied. Two
of the forts were blown up and the rest
were carried by assault. Two British and