The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-08-28
JAPANESE Open
.FIREONGERMANS
Bombardment Of Tsingtau Be
gins When Commander Re-
fuses to Surrender.
AIM OF BESIEGERS Is BAD
Bryan Notified of Declaration Of Wai
=. by Austria on Japan-No
Fleet for Adriatic.

Shanghai. Aug. N.-Vice Admiral Ratn,
commander of the Japanese naval forces
now before Tsingtau, today demanded the
surrender Of the German port. II was
refused by Gov. waldeck, Of Kiaochow.
The japanese warshIps then opened
bombardment. They failed to get cor
rect range and many OF the shells fell
on an unoccupied island in the harbor.
The battleship Suwo Is the flagship OF
Vice Admiral Kato.
Willis r. Peck, the American consul at
Riaochow. was notified today by Gov.
waIdeck that ne probably would not have
another opportunity to leave. Mr.. Peck
decided to remain during the siege.
The entire German territory Is now sold
to be completely surrounded by japanese
troops. Their artillery has been placed in
position.
English Are Defeated.
Reports received here that the battle
between the French and German destroy
ers at Tslngtau was sharply fought and
that the GERMAN boats had the better Of
il. forcing the English vessels to run for
shelter at wei-hai-weI-
The British destroyer Kennel was dam
aged seriously by a shell from a fort
which II approached too closely. and got
back to wei-haI-wei with difficulty.
Tokyo, Aug. H-omcIaI denial was
made today Of reports that a japanese
fleet would be sent to the Adriatic Sea
to permit the British and French vessels
there to join the allies naval forces in
an attack on the German fleet in the
North Sea
Japan will take no part in the war out
side OF the Far East" said an Official
statement I'VE are aiding Great Britain
here and we will destroy whatever threat
ems our ally, but the war was not sought
by US"
okuma Renews Assurances.
In reply to messages from America,
Premier Okuma has reiterated his decla-
ration that Japan has no intention Of
taking Chinese territory.
Not war, but simply a rupture OF dip
Iomatic relations" is the way the situa-
ton between Austria and Japan is de-
scribed here.
Formal notice Of the declaration Of
war upon Japan by Austria-Hungary
was served upon the State Department
yesterday by Ambassador Chinda OF
japan and Ambassador Dumba Of Aus
| tria-Hungary. At the request OF both
governments the American diplomatic
| representatives at Tokyo and Vienna will
take over the archives Of the respective
embassies. Ambassador Chinda assured
Secretary Bryan that the declaration OF
war between Japan and Austria-Hun-
gary will not result in the sending OF
| a Japanese feet to the Adriatic Sea
After the conference Ambassador
ChInda made this formal statement:
Nothing Is more absurd than the pur-
port OF a London telegram appearing in
some OF the papers this morning init
mating that Japan's answer to the Aus
TRAN declaration OF war will be the dis
patch Of a squadron to the Adriatic.
The terms OF the Angio-Japanese sIli-
ance solely under which Japan is acting,
contain nothing which will obligate ia
pan to go that far; nor is there any in
terest or inducement whatever for japan
| to embron herself in this European war
in Europe itself II she succeeds in full
filling her obligation under. and in
achieving the object of. the Anglo-Japa-
nese alliance treaty, there she will stop.
Moreover II would be ridiculous TO i'm
aRine even for a moment in the present
circumstances that Great Britain Is COM
PEELED TO call upon her far-on ally to
come all the way out to the assistance
of her Mediterranean fleet The idea is
on all tours with another preposterous
report given out in some papers that the
Japanese army will be sent to Europe
over the Siberian Railway.
II take this occasion to categorically
deny that l have ever stated or even
limited that Japan might be found eX-
tending her activity outside the zone Of
German hostilities in the China Sea, as
some OF the papers have enormously re-
ported.