Directory_and_Chronicle_1901 — Page 604

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

TAKU

149-

crisis in Tientsin and Peking or not. The official people in general held that it did, lay observers affirm that it made no difference; that the Imperial Government now captured by the Reactionaries was fully committed to the Boxer movement, and that the non-capture of the Forts would have involved the destruction of every foreigner and native Christian in North China, The admirals had to decide this fine point, and, with the exception of the American Officer, they took the line of men of action. After a council of war they sent in the ultimatum that they would open fire at daybreak next day if the Forts were not surrendered. The Commander referred the matter to Tientsin, and was ordered not only to resist but to take the initiative He did so by opening fire at the six gunboats lying in the Tong-kie reaches of the Peiho, about 2,000 yards in a bee line above the forts (three miles by river). There is much general misapprehension about this brilliant feat of war. The allied Fleet had nothing in the world to do with it, lying as it was twelve miles distant with a shallow twelve foot bar between it and the forts. The entire weight of the business fell on six little cockleshells of gunboats-the British Algerine, French Lion, German Iltis, and the Russian Bobr, Gelek and Korietz--and two landing parties of British and Japanese numbering about 300 each. The residents of Taku village found refuge in the U. S. Monocacy, which, after getting a shell through her bows, steamed up the river out of range. Many refugees fleeing from Tientsin were on the merchant steamers at the wharves, and were under fire for some hours. The firing was somewhat wild during the darkness, but when dawn appeared, at 3.45, the gunboats led at port by the Algerine and afterwards by the Iltis, steamed down the river and took up a position close under the N. W. Fort. A single well-timed shell would have utterly destroyed any one of the six vessels, but Chinese gunnery was once more at fault. The naval guns soon mastered the heavy and beautiful weapons on the Forts, and before 5 a.m. the two landing parties had rushed the North-west Fort, and then proceeded along the causeway to the large North Fort at the river mouth. This was also escaladed and its fine guns turned against the two fortifications on the South side of the river at close range. The whole affair was finished before 6 a.m. a large number of Chinese dead testifying to the accuracy of the Allies' fire. The Chinese torpedo-boat destroyers were all captured with conspicuous bravery by the British torpedo-boat destroyers Whiting and Fame, and divided amongst the Allies.

Since that date, June 17th, Taku and Tongku have been the chief naval bases of the Allied forces: the normal trade having entirely vanished. The four forts are respec- tively in the possession of the British (and Italians), the Japanese, the Germans and Russians.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1901 — Page 604

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