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.

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.

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]

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.