Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-11-10
Tsing-Tau Surrenders After the En-
envy Captures Middle Fort
With Infantry Charge.
ABOUT 1000 IN GARRISON
Kaiser Loses His Last Strategic Pc.
sition Outside Of the Empire
in Europe.

Toxic, Nov. 7 (11:25 a. m.).-It
is officially announced that the Ger
man fortress of Tsing-Tau has sur
rendered to the Japanese and Brit
ish forces.
1t is officially announced that the
first step in bringing about the sur
render of the fortress occurred at
midnight when the infantry charged
and occupied the middle fort Of the
line of defense. In this operation
they took 200 prisoners.
The fall of Tsing-Tau ends the
most picturesque of the minor
phases of the great world war now
raging. On two continents and in
many of the islands of the seas
where colonies of the warning ma
tons were planted combats of more
or less interest have taken place.
garrisons have been captured and
towns occupied peacefully, but in
the little German concession on the
south side Of the Shan Tung PENN
sula of China there has been going
on since late in August a reduced
scale of war that from all accounts
has duplicated nearly all the feat
ures of those battles in Europe that
have resulted in the capture of for
titled positions.
The capture of Tsing-Tau loses to
Germany her last foot of possessions
on the Asiatic mainland as we'll as
her last strategic position outside of
the German empire in Europe.
For nearly three months the little
German garrison, amounting to
about 1000 men and nearly wholly
composed of reservists who were liv-
ing or doing business in China, has
tacks Of the Japanese and of certain
British detachments of both white
and Indian troops that found them
selves in China at the outbreak of
the war. What the losses of the
garrison have been are not known,
but the official Japanese and British
reports have indicated that Using
Tau has been taken at heavy cost of
men on the part of the allies.
1t was on Aug. IS that Japan
threw herself into the European war
Is an ally of Great Britain after de-
manding that Germany withdraw or
Intern all German warships in Ash
attic waters and relinquish posses
sion of Kiao-Chow.
In the statement from Toxic that
accompanied this demand Japan as
serted her intentions were purely
military and did not contemplate
the retention of one foot of ground |
on Chinese territory and later af-
f1rmed that she did not intend to ex-
tend her holdings in the islands of |
the Pacific that might fall into her
possession during the campaign Her
demands ignored, when the ultima
tum expired week later Japan pro-
ceeded cautiously with plans to
seize the German settlement on the
Chinese mainland
The operations in this isolated
far eastern theater of the war have
been reduced to scale of some 200
square miles as compared with the
whole continent of Europe, but on
that account they have been none
the less interesting. Aeroplanes and
all other accomplishments of modern
warfare have figured in both the
japanese and the German opera
lions.
The strength of the attacking
force, as compared with the little
garrison of some 1000 men and the
few German vessels at Kiao-Chow.
was so disproportionate that at the
beginning of the campaign it was
generally granted that the German
campaign would fail.
Reports from various sources
pointed out that the allies loss
around Kiao-Chow has been upward
of 1000 men and several second rate
warships. The details of the move
ments have been secret, but the first
general operation undertaken by the
Japanese was the sweeping of the
waters around Kiao-Chow for mines
which the Germans had laid. In
this connection 100 Japanese shell +
divers offered their services, point. t
ing out that they could dive and re. a
lease the mines. But this was re- e
fused, since the Japanese law pro. r