McCormick messenger. (McCormick, S.C.) 1902-current, August 15, 1940, Image 6
McCORMlCK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, S. C, THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1940
Forty Years Ago England, France, Germany,
Austria, Italy, Russia, Japan and America
Were Allies, Waging War Against China!
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
v AND so it came to pass
Z\ that the Allies —Eng-
land, France, Ger
many, Austria, Italy, Russia,
Japan and the United States
—sent their armed forces
against a common enemy and
that common enemy was
China.
In the light of present
events, does that statement
sound a bit fantastic? Yet, it
is true! But, it should be
added hastily, that occurred
40 years ago and it was an in
cident in the history of inter
national relations that is now
almost forgotten. It came
about in this way:
Around the turn of the century
the “Celestial Empire,” weak
ened by years of aggression by
European powers, was on the
verge of being dismembered.
Then a society of patriots, popu
larly known as the Boxers (from
a literal translation of its Chinese
name, I Ho Chu’van, meaning
“the fist of righteous harmony”),
and devoted to the principle of
“China for the Chinese” raised
the cry of “Kill the foreign dev
ils!” In May, 1900, they destroyed
a number of villages inhabited by
natives who had been converted
to the Christian religion and mas
sacred these people. In June they
murdered two English mission
aries in a village 40 miles from
Peking, assassinated the chancel
lor of the Japanese legation in
the capital and waylaid and killed
Baron von Ketteler, the German
minister.
Meanwhile, as the outrages
against foreigners and native
converts increased, a mixed force
of 400 marines and sailors >of
various ndtiohalities reached Pe
king to protect the legations. The
imperial authorities did little if
anything to restrain the Boxers
and, as murder and pillage con
tinued, most of the foreign resi
dents of the capital and many na
tive converts tool; refuge in the
British legation where the Brit
ish minister. Sir Claude Mac
donald, took charge of the prep
arations to resist the threatened
attack.
By June 14 Peking was com
pletely cut off from communica
tion with the outside world.
Meanwhile all of the nations who
had citizens there had begun or
ganizing expeditionary forces to
send to their rescue and within
a short time their troops were
disembarking upon the coast of
China. One of the first to act
was the United States.
On June 16 Gen. Arthur Mac-
Arthur, commander at Manila
was ordered to rush a regiment
to the Chinese port of Taku where
the Allied forces were concen
trating, and which they captured
on June 17. The Ninth infantry,
commanded by Col. Emerson H.
Liscum, was chosen for this duty
and within 19 days, although de
layed by a typhoon, Liscum’s
force was at Taku.
Then the Chinese began attack
ing the foreign settlements in
Tientsin and on July 13 an allied
force of British, French, Japa-^
nese and Americans moved' *
against that high-walled city. Aft
er ae.bitter fight, lasting 15 hours
they took the city by storm but
they suffered a loss of 700 killed
and wounded in doing it. Among
the dead was Colonel Liscum.
His last words are inscribed
upon the banners of the Ninth
infantry today—“Keep up the
fire!”
Hastening across the Pacific
ocean while these events were
taking place was Maj. Gen. Adna
H. Chaffee, who had a brilliant
record in the Indian and Spanish-
American wars and who was com
ing to take command of the
American forces in China. There
had been numerous reports that
the Boxers had captured the le
gation in Peking and killed all
of its defenders. But soon after
Chaffee’s arrival, the Americans
learned through friendly Chinese
that the besieged Europeans and
Americans were still holding out.
Chaffee Makes a Decision.
The American commander was
In favor of moving at once to
their rescue. But international
jealousies had sprung up among
the other Allied leaders and pre
cious time was being lost while
they debated what course they
should pursue. In the midst of
one of their conferences Chaffee
was handed a cablegram from
Washington telling him that he
had a free hand in whatever ac
tion he decided was best. Stuff
ing the dispatch in his pocket and
rising from the table, he an-
inced: . , ,
Gentlemen, at daybreak to-
rrow the American forces will
ve on Peking. I should be
y glad to have company—the
re, the better. But they go at
r rate, even if alone.”
The Fourteenth United States infantry ih the Palace Grounds of
Peking. (From a photograph in the United States Signal corps, War
Department, Washington.)
Gen. Sir Alfred Gaselee, the
British commander, sprang to his
feet.
“I’m with you,” he exclaimed.
“The British troops will march
with the Americans tomorrow
morning.”
So on the morning of August 4
an Allied army of 20,000 men set
out for the Chinese capital. Since
Germany had the largest contin
gent of land forces in China it
had been agreed that command
of the expedition was to be given
to the German commander, Graf
von Waldersee. However, he had
not yet arrived in Tientsin so
the expedition started without
him.
The Tricky Russians.
By August 13 the Allies were
within 12 miles of Peking. They
had agreed to spend the night in
reconnoitering the situation be
fore making an attack on the an
cient walled city. The Russians,
however, who had been the slow
est on the march, now tried to
steal first honors for themselves
by attacking the Tung-pien-men
gate. They succeeded in forc
ing an entrance but were driven
back with heavy losses. This
breach of international etiquette
added to the ill feeling that bad
been evident from the beginning
MAJ. GEN. A. R. CHAFFEE
of the expedition and which later
flamed out in a series of trouble
some incidents.
The next morning the Japa
nese attacked at another point
along the walls but were checked
by the fierce resistance of the
Chinese. The American forces,
moving forward to go into action,
became entangled in the Russian
line of advance and were some
what delayed. So it was not un
til 11 o’clock that two compa
nies of the Fourteenth infantry,
led by Col. A. S. Daggett and
covered by the fire of the remain
der of the regiment, reached the
base of the wall, despite the hail
of lead poured upon them by its
defenders. Here they were shel
tered temporarily but it was a
question how long they would be
safe.
In this crisis a young bugler
named Calvin P. Titus volun
teered to try to climb the wall
and clear it of its defenders. Such
a feat was dangerous to the point
of foolhardiness. But by some
great good fortune he reached
the top undiscovered.
Before him was a group of huts
on top of the wall. Scouting for
ward cautiously Titus found that
they were unoccupied. As he re
turned to the edge of the wall,
Capt. Henry G. Learned, the ad
jutant of the regiment, who had
followed him, handed him the end
of a long cord to which was at
tached a rifle and a supply of am
munition. Hastily pulling these
up, the young bugler immediately
opened fire on a group of sur
prised Chinese who showed up a
>. few minutes later.
Meanwhile Captain Learned
had hauled up more rifles and
• ammunition and other soldiers
came scrambling up. Soon they
had established a firing line and
under its cover the whole com
pany occupied the top of the
broad wall. They drove off the
defenders from that corner of the
wall as far as the east gate,
through which a short time later
the British forces, under General
Gaselee entered without opposi
tion.
The Siege Is Lifted.
Meanwhile Battery F of the
Fifth field artillery, commanded
by Capt. Henry J. Reilly, had
swept the Chinese off the wall
west of the Tung-pien-men gate
and the Fourteenth drove for
ward, pushing the defenders
southward toward the Sha-Huo
gate. As the British entered the
city and the other Allied forces
swept in, resistance collapsed and
the siege of the legations ended.
It is not difficult to imagine the
hysterical joy with which these
people, who had been living for
two months under the shadow of
a horrible death, welcomed their
rescuers.
Although the siege of the lega
tion had been raised, armed Chi
nese forces still held the Forbid
den City within Peking and from
its walls kept up a sniping fire
on the invaders. On August 15
the Allies began cleaning out
these snipers. Reilly’s battery
distinguished itself during this
fighting but its commander was
killed while standing beside Gen
eral Chaffee watching the effect
of the fire of his guns on the
Third Gate.
The Looting Begins.
On August 28 the Allied forces
formally entered the Forbidden
City. “I was opposed to the per
formance as one based on curi
osity merely and not one of mili
tary or political necessity, but I
was overruled,” General Chaffee
reported to his superiors. “The
city of Peking has been sacked;
looted from corner to corner in
the most disgraceful manner im
aginable; such is my opinion. I
had no idea that civilized armies
would resort to such proceedings.
It is a race for spoil. I have
kept my own command fairly
clean, thank God, but with all my
efforts it is not spotless.”
Although the Germans under
Graf von Waldersee had arrived
too late to take part in the fight
ing and capture of Peking, they
were leaders in the looting.
When Chaffee learned that they
were removing from the Chinese
observatory some ancient astro
nomical instruments, the Ameri
can commander sent a strong let
ter of protest to Von Waldersee.
But it was useless. The instru
ments were carried away and
were not returned until after the
World war when the Treaty of
Versailles forced the Germans to
return them to China.
As might have been expected
such incidents and other echoes of
international jealousy created
dissension among the Allies and
added to the confusion which
reigned in Peking for some time
after its capture. In contrast to
this, however, was the friendly
co-operation between the British
and the Americans. They were
more truly Allies than any of the
others and when the time came
for the evacuation of Peking the
British commander sent a detach
ment of Indian pipers to show
the Americans special honor by
“piping them out” of Chines*
capital.
FIRST-AID,
‘->/0
AILING HOUSE
*•
Roger B. Whitman .
(© Roger B. Whitman—WNU Service.)
Poor Chimney Draft.
Q UESTION: My smokestack
draws well when there is no
wind, but does not work satisfactor
ily on a windy day. The chimney
has been lengthened so that it is well
above the roof, but that did not help.
The location of the house may have
something to do with it. The house
is in a valley between two hills,
about 50 feet taller than the house.
Both hills are about 200 feet from
the house. I would appreciate your
advice.
Answer: The force of the wind
coming down from the hills may
cause a down-draft condition in the
chimney. A type of revolving chim
ney cap, made of sheet metal, with
a vane on top may help. The vane
will turn the open part of the cap
away from the wind, minimizing the
downward sweep of the wind from
the hill. Any sheet metal shop will
be able to supply it.
Disintegrating Bricks.
Question: The brick on my bunga
low seems to be disintegrating.
Many of them had scaled off to
depths of from one-eighth to one-
half inch. The builder claims that
all brick is more or less affected
this way by the frost. He says a
clear waterproofing brushed on the
wall will correct this condition. Do
you think this will be adequate?
Answer: A porous brick will ab
sorb moisture, which during the
winter may freeze, causing the brick
to chip or scale off. Waterproofing
the brick will most likely prevent
the absorption. If the brick is very
porous two coats may be necessary.
Sawdust and Cement Mix.
Question: I noticed in several rur
al publications a reference made to
a floor made of cement and saw
dust. What are the advantages oi
such construction, and what is the
formula?
Answer: This form of cement mix
ture is stiff in the experimental
stages. The purpose is to obtain a
concrete floor that may be some
what warmer than ordinary concrete
in barns and poultry houses. Fur
ther information can be had by writ
ing to the Extension Service Bureau,
University of New Hampshire, at
Durham, N. H., for Circular No. 217.
Rust Stain on Cement.
Question: Please let me know how
to remove rust stains from white
cement on a terrace; caused by iron
furniture standing on it.
Answer: Dissolve one part of so
dium citrate in six parts of water.
Mix thoroughly with six parts of
commercial glycerine. Mix a por
tion of this with enough powdered
whiting to form a paste, then spread
on the stain in a thick coat. When
dry, replace with fresh paste. Sev
eral applications may be necessary.
Bedroom Ceiling.
Question: I have the problem of
bad ceilings in some bedrooms. The
plasterer advised plastering on wire
lath, then applying some kind of
paper before painting. What is the
reason for this? There is no wall
paper on the walls now.
Answer: The plasterer had in
mind the application of “painter’s
cloth” over the plaster. This is a
strong fabric applied over plaster
surfaces to prevent the cracks from
showing through the paint.
Separating Rooms.
Question: My living room and din
ing room adjoin with a wide space
between the two rooms, so that they
can be used as one, when desired.
When privacy is temporarily de
sired, is there aay way the two
rooms may be separated without
destroying the present lay-out?
Answer: A set of folding doors
can be installed, if the space is too
wide for a pair of French doors.
Your only other alternative would
be to hang portieres.
Leaking Leaders.
Question: The outside leaders of
my house are leaking very badly.
Will this cause any damage to the
house? How could they be replaced
so I would not have trouble with
them again?
Answer: Leaking leaders should
be replaced as soon as possible. A
16-ounce corrugated copper leader
should give you long and satisfac
tory service.
Burst Boiler.
Question: When we closed our
house for the winter last faff, water
in the heater was not drawn off. This
spring delighting the fire, we found
that the boiler had been cracked by
the freezing of the water. Can this
be repaired, or must I get a new
heater?
Answer: Boilers are built up of
sections, any one of which can be
replaced. Any plumber should be
able to get new sections to replace
those that are broken. It will not be
necessary to get an entirely new
heater; replacing the burst sections
will be much less expensive.
Tarnished Brass.
Question: What can be done with
old brass fireplace fittings and grate,
which have become tarnished and
darkened through the years? I would
like to make it look bright.
Answer: The tarnish can be re
moved by washing with ordinary
vinegar in which has been dissolved
as much salt as will be taken up,
followed by rinsing with clear wa
ter. Use any good brand of metal
polish for polishing. Remove traces
of the polishing material by wiping
with benzine, (be careful of fire.)
Apply a coat of clear lacquer. This
will prevent the brass from tarnish-
ing.
Farm
| Topics [1
PASTURES AIDED
BY PROPER CARE
Turf Should Be Worked
Before Re-Seeding.
By C. H. FARNHAM
(University oi Illinois College oi Agriculture.)
Thinning hair is pretty hard to
stop, but thinning pastures can be
rejuvenated.
Since the seedbed largely deter
mines the success of a pasture, the
turf of old pastures should be sum
mer-plowed and worked down sev
eral times before reseeding in late
August or early September. In
some cases thorough disking will
help if existing grasses and weeds
won’t compete too much with the
new seedings.
Because continued pasturing or
cropping reduces the content of
calcium, phosphorus and other plant
food materials, most old pastures
need limestone and fertilizer. Need
of limestone, which can be deter
mined by an acidity test, usually
shows up first. Limestone should
be applied several months ahead of
legume seedings so it will have time
to sweeten the soil before seeding
time.
If the land is to be plowed, it is
best to apply the limestone after
plowing so it will sweeten the upper
portion of the root system as well
as the deeper soil areas. Lime
stone does not move up in the soil
but the solution goes downward.
Lightly working manure into the soil
before seeding pasture mixtures
also gives them a boost in establish
ing root and top growth.
On steep slopes, it is best to do
all the plowing and disking on the
level contour. He recommends that
any sod drawsr that have developed
should be left undisturbed to form
grass waterways.
Pasture improvement, contour
farming, seeding of legumes and
applications of limestone constitute
four of the five practices being
stressed in 1940 to achieve more con
servation of soil, water and human
resources. The other practice is
tree planting.
Good Pasture for Hogs
Will Reduce Pork Costs
Good pasture for hogs is one way
Of really cutting pork production
costs, suggests A. L. Anderson, ani
mal husbandry specialist at Iowa
State college.
Anderson points to the results of
18 swine feeding demonstrations
conducted on Iowa farms by Iowa
State college in which pasture was
used. Eight of these pastures were
poor to fair in quality, largely of
bluegrass. Ten of the pastures were
good, consisting of alfalfa, red clo
ver, and rape.
The same rations were used on all
pastures. The pigs on poor pas
tures fed corn and minerals made
an average gain of .76 pound, while
on good pastures the daily gain was
1.36 pounds, or two-thirds more.
Good pasture is one of the best
sdhrees of easily digested protein.
Rich in lime and phosphorus, the
legumes provide minerals which are
easily assimilated by young pigs.
Current Fencing Methods
Follow Farming Changes
Contour farming, high-speed high
ways and rotation grazing bring new
problems in fence-building which are
discussed and solved in a recent
publication written by engineers of
the U. S. department of agriculture.
A “bending fence” that won’t
“bend” over, when wires
stretched tightly, is needed where
hills are farmed on the contour.
Straight fences waste land under
such conditions.
Safe entrances on high-speed high
ways require proper choice of loca
tion and special construction, the
bulletin points out. Gates set back
from the fence line avoid sharp
turns with farm machinery, and en
trances on level ground give a clear
view up and down the road.
Agricultural News
Cows will drink as many as 25
times a day.
• * •
Horses will stand the heat better
if they have free access to com
mon salt.
* • *
Soybean oil meal made by the
expeller process contains 4 to 5.5
per cent of oil, meal made by the
solvent process had about 1 per cent
of oil, and meal made by the hy
draulic process retains from 5.5 to
6 per cent of oil.
• * • •
Steers fed on ground ear corn
tend to bloat less on legume pasture
than animals getting shelled corn.
* * •
When making large piles of hay
bales, scatter some loose hay or
straw over each layer or row, to
bind them together to prevent slip
page or overturning.
• * •
Green ash seeds may be prepared
for germination in the spring by
storing them over winter in a box
of moist sand which is kept in a
root cellar or other cool place.
Cute Sunbonnet Girl
Is Flower .Trellis
BESIDES being a most attrac-
tive addition to lawn or garden
in herself, this cute little sunbon
net girl has practical features too.
The parasol trellis she holds is
ideal for climbing flowers and
vines. Cut the girl from plywood
or other thin lumber with jig, cop
ing or keyhole saw, add the trellis,
then paint according to the direc
tions given on pattern Z9112, 15
cents. General cutout instructions
accompany this pattern. Send or
der to:
AUNT MARTHA
Box 166-W Kansas City, Mo.
Enclose 15 cents for each pattern
desired. Pattern No
Name
Address
CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT
HOTEL
Wabash Ave. Hotel, 27 E. Harrison, Chicago.
Near Barn dance. Choice rooms. Daily $1
up; weekly $5 up. Paul Marshall, Res. Mgr.
1 1 . 1 J
Harsh Words
A wound inflicted by arrows
heals, a wood cut down by an axe
grows, but harsh words are hate
ful—a wound inflicted by them
does not heal. Arrows of differ
ent sorts can be extracted from
the body, but a word-dart cannot
be drawn out, for it is seated in
the heart.—Mahabbarata.
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Choose Only the Best
Life is short—too short to get
everything. Choose you must, and
as you choose, choose only the
best—in friends, in books, in rec
reation, in everything.—Anon.
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