destruction
of defense works. Bombs were dropped also upon ships in the harbor.
Occasionally the Japanese flyers scattered circulars calling upon the
defenders to surrender and pointing out the uselessness of further
resistance.

The first serious losses on either side were naval. On August 28,
1914, two days after the first bombardment a typhoon swept the
Japanese fleet, causing havoc among the little destroyers and sending
one to the bottom. Five days later another destroyer ran aground in
Kiao-chau Bay. A German merchant ship in the harbor was set afire by
the Japanese aerial bombs and destroyed. The greatest naval losses
suffered during the whole engagement were the destruction of the
Austrian cruiser _Kaiserin Elizabeth_ and of the Japanese cruiser
_Takachiho_. The _Kaiserin Elizabeth_ was sunk by the naval
bombardment; but the loss of the _Takachiho_ was due to the German
torpedo boat _S-90_.

It was September 26, 1914, before the floods subsided sufficiently to
permit the Japanese to resume their advance. On that day they drove
the Germans from the high ground between the rivers Pai-sha and
Li-tsun, and next day they pushed forward to a point seven miles
northeast of Tsing-tau, between the Li-tsun and the Chang-tsun. The
following morning found them established within five miles of the
fortress. Their casualties were reported as three killed and twelve
wounded.

These two days saw the heaviest fighting thus far during the siege.
While the land forces were pushing up to the main German forts the
fleet carried on a general bombardment, having by this time moved in
close enough to make gun fire effective and having learned the range.
The Japanese warships were assisted by the British battleship
_Triumph_, which had joined them a short time before with the British
destroyer _Usk_. These British boats remained throughout the
investment, the _Triumph_ was a favorite mark for the German gunners,
but escaped with comparatively slight damage.

By September 30, 1914, the Germans were driven in from their outer
fortifications and Tsing-tau itself was completely surrounded. On that
day the defenders made a desperate attempt to regain some of their
lost positions, but they were repulsed, and the Japanese settled back
for a few days to await the bringing up of their heavy siege guns.

It is said that the failure of this assault, in which the Germans
apparently concentrated all their resources, convinced General Kamio
t