Show WAR IVAR IN CHINA ALLIED FORCES LOSE 1600 MEN IN BATTLE WITH CHINESE battle Oc corred at t iret tine rutn milt arom irom tien aln rodn loii loga chiefly confined to russians Kulk nn and japanese Japan tse A dispatch was received at the war department monday engagement lead had occurred sunday between tile the allied forces and chinese at pet pel tsang than and that the allied forces lost 1100 1200 chiefly russians Kuss Rus liDS and japanese the allied forces numbered the chinese were driven back with a heavy loss pei is eleven miles from tien tsin it is a village of mud huts buts of 0 considerable size but not walled tile the river at this point is not navigable liy by anything larger than a good sized steam launch and it is thought that the troops probably reached there in small email boats towed toned by the naval launches tho the engagement lasted seven and a halt half hours and final aiom this fact it is argued a r aed that the chinese loss must have been from three to six times as heavy as that odthe of the allied forces opinion among the various officials now in washington is somewhat divided as to just hat is press aged ly by events the alic more optimistic arc inclined to think that such a severe blow as the chinese must have hare nt at pel pei than thang will result in the speedy disintegration of the foties now opposing tile the march of the international colo column lull in ile line iviah this prediction it was ivas prophesied that the chinese government would find means to send tile the ministers from pekin under escholt and thus stare off the advance upon the capital it is thought few or no americans were in the battle at pie tsang 1 san at and I 1 certain certainly lv general chaffee was not there he be being detained at taku takes by the difficulties accompanying the le de bai kation of the sixth cavalry ry end and other american troops it II is believed that when he reaches the front lie he will show the allies a way around fortified or difficult places if it be possible in instead of sending his bis men forward forwar in bull like rushes unnecessarily tile the position of the united states diplomatically remains unchanged this government will not consent to the removal of the ministers minis lers and foreigners eigners from until there is free communication by the powers with their ministers nor will this govern ment consent to communication 11 in plain language alone but insists that cipher messages wilst must pass freely between minister conger and our state stale department it is emphatically stated that unless such messages are exchanged the united states cannot know beyond question that the messages fi es are riot not garbled and both the united states government and tile the ministers misled the shipment of the heavy artillery in in the philippines for possible use on the pekin wall is about due to arrive at taku it will be hurried to the rout front |