Shifting the moorings--The _Koreetz_ suffers heavily--Commander
Wise--A position of absolute safety--The _Whiting_ and _Fame_
capture four Chinese torpedo-destroyers and convey them to Tongku--A
5-inch shell--Gunboats fare badly--The United States at peace with
China--Admiral Kempff refuses to join in the attack of forts--A
strange coincidence.
After dark, the several gunboats up river, except the Russian, took the
precaution of shifting their moorings. At 10 +P.M.+ the _Algerine_,
_Fame_, and _Whiting_ steamed up the river to just below the Russian
gunboat. This was fortunate, for at a quarter to 1 +A.M.+ of the 17th,
the forts having during the day carefully trained their guns on the
gunboats up river, opened a terrific fire on their presumed positions,
the only boat suffering heavily being the Russian _Koreetz_, which
had disregarded the precaution taken by the others. She received the
full fire of one of the Chinese batteries at a range of 400 yards,
and in the bombardment her crew lost sixteen killed--including four
officers--and forty-five wounded.
On the bridge of the _Monocacy_ stood her Commander, Wise, cheering
and encouraging the women and children swarming the decks, and who
all the same felt some apprehension at the hissing and bursting of
shells--fortunately high over head. He and his officers reassured the
refugees and convinced them that the ship lay in a position of absolute
safety, when, much to everybody’s surprise, and for some unaccountable
reason, she was hit by a shell that cut right through her bows.
[Sidenote: TORPEDO DESTROYERS CAPTURED]
The _Whiting_ and _Fame_, at the beginning of the engagement, steamed
down to the Taku dockyard, each towing down a whaler with ten men.
The French _Lion_ and the German _Iltis_ also went down the river to
support the other gunboats and the _Algerine_. The _Whiting_ and _Fame_
did very smart work, and captured the four Chinese torpedo-destroyers.
The Chinese crews made a weak-hearted sort of defence, firing a few
pistol and rifle shots while bolting on to the wharf and running
for their lives. Once under cover in the dockyard, and supported by
soldiers, they opened a rapid fire on the British crews of conquering
and conquered vessels. A few shots from the destroyer’s guns put a stop
to the annoyance.
[Illustration: COMMANDER WISE, U.S.S. “MONOCACY”]
The _Whiting_ and _Fame_ conveyed the captured destroyers to Tong-ku,
and it was there that the _Whiting_ was badly hit by a 5-inch shell,
which penetrated her coal-bunker and did considerable damage to
No. 4 boiler and tubes. The damage, nevertheless, did not prevent
her steaming up river, to shell the forts, and protect with her
quick-firing guns--of which she had six--a steamer with provisions
bound for Tientsin.
The other gunboats of the Allies also fared badly. The _Iltis_ was
struck by eight shells. Her Commander, Lanz, lost one leg. One officer
and six men were killed, nine wounded. The _Lion_ was struck once and
set on fire. She had one man killed and forty-six wounded. The _Giliak_
was hit four times, once below the water-mark, and had to be run
aground; eight men were killed, including two officers, and forty-six
wounded. The _Koreetz_ received five shells, one of which set her on
fire, and had five killed and twenty-one wounded. The _Bobr_ had one
man wounded. The Japanese _Atago_ did not take part in the fighting
as she was laden with ammunition and provision for the Allies, while
the _Kagero_, also flying the flag with the Rising Sun, steamed round
(outside the bar) and kept a sharp watch upon the Chinese second-class
cruiser _Hai-yuen_, flying the Admiral’s flag. The Chinese cruiser,
however, showed no inclination nor desire to participate in the
hostilities. She was detained by the Allies.
The U.S.S. _Monocacy_ took no part in the fighting, nor did the
Americans take any active part in the attack on the forts. Rear-Admiral
Kempff, of the U.S. Navy, informed Rear-Admiral Bruce that he was not
authorised to initiate any act of war with a country with whom his
country was at peace; both by regulations and under recent instructions
from both the department and from the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S.
Naval force on the Asiatic station, he was confined to protecting
American interests.
[Illustration: THE OPERATIONS OF THE ALLIES AT TAKU]
Consulted by officers of the Allies regarding the decision to hold the
railway station at Tong-ku (in order to keep open the communication
with Tientsin), in case any Chinese Government force acted against
the force of any foreign nation, so that all should be involved and
act unitedly; Admiral Kempff refused to agree to it without special
authority, as the railway was under Chinese Government control. The
Admiral would therefore not join in the attack on the forts. Commander
Wise, of the _Monocacy_, had orders to protect American interests,
based upon department orders, but he was to consider any attack by the
Chinese Government forces as a declaration of war, and act accordingly.
[Sidenote: AMERICA AND CHINA]
[Illustration: A CAPTURED CHINESE DESTROYER]
Although Commander Wise attended the council meeting on the 16th, on
the _Bobr_, he did not sign the protocol and ultimatum to the Chinese
Commandant of the forts and to the Viceroy of Tientsin, therefore the
_Monocacy_ was left out of the plans and places for vessels of the
attacking forces.
Curiously enough, although well out of the line of fire, between the
forts and attacking vessels, the American ship was almost the first
to be hit by a Chinese shell! Commander Wise, in his official report,
attributes the passing of shells near him, or bursting about or beyond,
to “wild firing by the forts.” Possibly the _Monocacy_ was hit for the
same reason.