Show MPFF WAS ROHT Explains Why He Did not Join in Attack on Taku REPORTWARMLY COMMENDED Could Not Initiate Any Act of War Against Power With Which His Country was at Peace Duty to Protect Pro-tect American Interests His Report Re-port Sent to Naval Bureau Includes In-cludes Many Details of Battle not Heretofore ± Published Commander Wises Graphic Account of Action I I Washington July 25The Navy department de-partment today made public the mall reports of RearAdmiral ICempfC explaining ex-plaining Ills reasons for refusing to join with the ships of the other powers pow-ers In the attack on the Taku forts and giving an account of the attack which Includes many details not heretofore published Admiral Kempft also In closes the report ot Commander Wise of tho Monocacy giving a graphic account of the action BearAdmiral KempfCs explanation for refusing to S participate on the attack oC the fortifications fortifi-cations of a power with which we were at peace is warmly commended by Secretary Long The reports are as follows S COULD NOT INITIATE WARS WAR-S United States flagship Newark Taku China June 17 1900SirI would atate what follows in regard to the happenings previous to the resolve yesterday by other senior foreign naval S officers here to get possession of the S Taku forts Second On Thursday June 1lth RearAdmiral Bruce called and asked I what I thought of the matter and I Informed him that I was not authorized author-ized to initiate any act of war with a country with which my country Was at peace that my limit was to protect American Interests both by regulations and under recent Instructions froth both the department and from the command erinchlef of the United States naval force on the Asiatic station DECLINED TO PARTICIPATE Third On the 15th at a consultation of the other foreign naval officers ItS it-S was agreed that the railroad station at Long Ku should be taken the railway Is under Chinese Government controlS control-S and In case any Chinese Government force acted against the force of any foreign nation all should be Involved and act unitedly Under my instrucr lions I could not join in taking possession posses-sion of Chinese Government property and did not care to become a party to sufch an agreement without vspeolal authority au-thority COMPACT SIGNED Fourth Yesterday June ICth the same foreign naval officers signed a compact that it was necessary to take temporary tempo-rary possession of the Taku forts and notice was served on the Viceroy at Tien Tsln and on the commandant of the forts Consuls at Tjen Pain were informed in-formed of what was contemplated I did not join In the attack on tne forts Gapt Wise of the Monocacy md > orders or-ders to protect American interests based upon departments orders but m case of attack by u Chinese Government force he was to consider it as a declaration dec-laration of war and act accordingly Very respectfully LOUIS KEMPFF RearAdmlral TJ S N ATTACK ON TAKU United Slates llapshlp Newark Taku June 18 1900SliI have the honpr to report qs follows The commanding com-manding officers of the gunboats in the river met on the afternoon of June ICth and agreed or tIm senior officer ot the gunboat to direct the movement This officer happened to be a Russian Rus-sian The poaltlpn for he various gunboats gun-boats were than assigned taking positions posi-tions Jin the second reach ot the river abovo the north fort The gunboats participating were the Koroetz Guilnk Bobr Russian IflU German Lion French Algerino English The English torpodoboat do stroyers Fame and Vhlting Joined In the latter part after Hocurlng the captured torpedoboats near Tong Ku The Japanese gunboat claimed that her engines were disabled so she moored near Tong Ku and wag assigned charge oC the railroad station ut that place The United States steamship Mon ocacy being under orders remained S nioort > d at Tong Ku and took part In the action Many foreigners were afforded af-forded shelter and protection during the night A copy of the report of the commanding officer oC the Mouocacy Is herewith Inclosed S FORTS OPEN FIRE The vessels except the IHIs took their assigned positions early In the evening of the ICth inst and about 1255 it nit one hour before the expiration of the time limit all the forts guns which could bo trained on the ships fired simultaneously many shots striking strik-ing the Korectx The vessels returned re-turned the fire with a rapid lire from tholr guns whch with the exception of the guns of sixInch caliber were of small rapidlire typo The guns on Iho north fort were chiefly 17lnch while the south fort has a number of guns from Hlx to eight Inches In caliber LANDING PARTY SUCCESSFUL The Algerine having on board a landing party oC some 380 men Immediately Imme-diately put thorn ashore A portion of them advanced through Tahiti to lie navy yard and took by surprise four now modern torpedoboats carrying two tubes and six threepounders each and convoyed by the Fame and Whiting took them to Tong Ku the other landing parties and the remainder of the English aggregating some 050 men awaiting an opportune tine for the assault The firing conUnuedwIth moro or less spirit until daylight when It became very rapid and active and It la reported veil disastrous to the Chinese Chi-nese GUILAK BLOWN UP About 4ZQ a shell entered the magazine maga-zine of the Guilnk blowing It up causing her to take water and burning fortyseven men more or less severely She got over an awning us u collision mat and after a few Hours work wag floatingat her normal height At about 6 a mm lie gunboats having silenced the northwest fort a landing force charged and occupied ft wheiv hoisting the flag casualties occurred notably the captain of the Japanese landing party and ono English sailor killed and several wounded ABANDON THE FORT The Chinese then abandoned the north fort which Is Joined to the northwest fort by I a protected passage After about two hours moro the south forts were taken after the explosion of I the magazine Most of the occupants I fled but were not pursued Some thirty thir-ty or forty were found hiding In varl owl parts of the fort The various na tlonu participating hoisted their flags on the various llnGstaffs The forty I being of thick mud and grass adobes I were but little damaged by the gunfire gun-fire although tliey iccclvod a host of projectiles The guns and gun shields as a rule woro not damaged Two op three of the modern guns were disabled dis-abled The dead hlncso ipre not counted but it Is estimated by eyewitnesses that some 200 dead were left in the fort The loss on the side of the allied forces was as nearly as possible as follows Alg rlne one officer badly Injured eight men wounded Iltls captain badly injured three or four men killed nix or eight wounded Koreetz two officers badly wounded eight men dead twelve wounded Gullak one officer badly wounded eight men killed ton wounded fortyseven burned by explosion of powderroom Lion one man killed one badly wounded Qther vessels engaged injuries of minor mi-nor importance Th i above is an account gleaned with conversations of officers engaged but may contain minor inaccuracies MONOCACY STRUCK During the engagement guns wero turned on the Monocacy which was out of the line of lire She was struck no casualties and was forced to with draw up the river Very respectfully LOUIS KEMPFF RearAdmirtil U S N Following Is the report of the action taken by Commander Wise of the Monocacy to RearAdmiral Kerapft COMMANDER WISES REPORT U S S Monocacy Tong Ku China July 17 1000SirI have the honor to report upon the occurrences since yes terday noon I attended a meeting of officers at G p m on board the Tot born I i vas shown the protocol and ultimatum as to the Taku forts The signatures to the document were autographic auto-graphic and as yours was not appended append-ed I informed the senior officer that he would have to leave the Monocacy out of the plans and places for vessels of the attacking forces FIRST GUN FIRED Second The first gun was fired at 1245 and with the simultaneous discharge dis-charge that followed two of the shots passed over the Monocacy although she was out o the line of fire between the forts and vessels of the attacking S Third The < llltls did not leave herS her-S berth whichwas a short distance from mine until 1030 and the Japanese did not leave hers during the bombardment bombard-ment S Fourth The fire was well sustained S Son both sides and although shells con tinued at intervals to pass near me or burst short o beyond I attributed ItS it-S to u wild firing by the forts S SHELL STRIKES MONOCACY S About 230 I was standing on top of S the pilothouse by the Galling I had mounted there when I heard a shellS shell-S approaching and Immediately a crash S The second cutter hanging at her davits da-vits a few feet below and behind me had been struck by a ahell It entered her stern tore out the bottom and ranging diagonally across the shipS ship-S smashing port forecastle ladder and passed through the ships side In which It left a clearcut oval two feet by ten inches There were many men on the forward main deck and It must have S gone as close to some of them as It did to me It fortunately missed the launchs davit as that would haveS have-S caused It to explode MAGAZINE EXPLODES Fifth It was difficult to make out how the allies were faring but they S were evidently closing ns after 3 a m discharges from guns like Catlings or Maxims wore heard At 4 1 oclock there was a tremendous explosion and amass a-mass of flame which I attributed to a magazine In ono of the forts S MOVED SHIPS POSITIONS POSITION-S Sixth Toward 1 oclock the bursting of shell In my near vicinity Increased S to such an extent that It occurred tome to-me that the forts might be directing sqme of the fire on the railroad sta ion as In this flat country It was a prominent mark and a number of Jap anese and Russian troops were encamped en-camped around it In such case the Monocacy would bo in considerable danger from a fire which I had hither to considered bad shooting Acting up on the thought I at once cast off every S tlj ng I steamed away from the bank and went two miles up the river anchoring an-choring in the llrst bend This move was made fit 120 and 530 the fire slackening and a Japanese Hag floating S over one of the forts I returned to my S berth ASSISTED REFUGEES Seventh was able to render the fol lowing assistance First a party of thirtyseven ladies and children refugees S refu-gees from the mission at Taku who S had fled hurriedly on the notification of the bombardment They came aboard last night at 0 p ni and are still with mo also came two officers of H M S Barflour who had como down from Tien Tsln too late to get to any English ship As I was coming down the river at 6 a m met an English En-glish torpedoboat towing a Chinese boat prize I had no small boat to S make a landing so I sent the launch to run her line ashore for which thanks have been rbtumod I haveS have-S taken on board and had surgical attendance at-tendance for the following A Japanese Jap-anese soldier with a gynshot wound a Chinese coolio found close to the ship with arm torn off by fragment of shell a Russian soldier with wound In the hand S handFORTS FORTS DESERTED Eighth Taku forts deserted by everyone every-one on trains no telegraphic communication communi-cation from anywhere but I had a telephone tele-phone from Mr Hettenglll who reports re-ports all quiet since firSt disturbance Ninth I know nothing of the tight except that the forts were taken I feel a natural regret shared no doubt by the officers that duty and orders prevented the old Monocacy from giving her ancient smoothbores a last chance S S Very respectfully F M WISE Commander U S N Commanding |