PORT ARTHUR'S DEFENDERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 14, 17 January 1905, Page 5

PORT ARTHUR'S DEFENDERS.

SENSATIONAL REVELATIONS.

INCAPACITY OF OFFICERS.

ABSENT DURING ATTACKS

HORRIBLE ORGIES ON VODKA.

EXTENSIVE RUSSIAN MOVEMENT.

TIMELY JAPANESE REINFORCEMENTS.

[NJZ. Press Association. — Cofybight.]

"The Times'" Port Arthur correspondent makes some remarkable revelations as to the conduct of both military and I naval officers during the defence of the beleaguered town. On presumably good ! authority he charges large numbers of them not only with showing common incapacity, but with being "utterly "useless." The commanding officers often preferred to give the worst of them leave of absence when a Japanese attack > was in progress. The naval officers, who had become demoralised after the death | of Admiral Makaroff. were "generally ; in a state of drunkenness," and we are i finally told that the capitulation of the town was celebrated by a wild orgie on , 5600 bottles of vodka. Full details are : given of the Russfan movement to the i south, which appears to have been an j affair of considerable magnitude, the j Russian front extending for a distance of five miles. Considerable damage was apparently done, at least one position was captured, and an immense quantity of Japanese stores was saved from capture only by the flaring of the enginedrivers of a Japanese transport train. General Nogi has despatched 8000 troops to deal with the raiders. RORT ARTHUR. SENSATIONAL REVELATIONS. OFFICERS HOPELESSLY INCAPABLE. ABSENT DURING ATTACKS. j WILD ORGIES ON VODKA. (Received 7.12 a.m.) LONDON, January Iβ. One of th* war correspondent* of ■ the Times now at Port Arthur , makes some sensational revelations about the Rnmian defence of Port ; Arthur. \ He states that many of the Russian officers proved utterly uee- j less, and incapable of preserving | discipline or of showing any sort ' of grasp of military routine. Num- i bers of them were so deplorably in- ' efficient that application* by them for leave of absence when an at- i tack was proceeding were readily i complied with, sergeant* being left j to command in their places. The Times correspondent goes on j to aay that the naval offioers j proved also to be useless during the I siege, and were generally in a state ! of drunkenness. The death of Ad- j miral Makaroff had completely do- j moralised the navy, rendering the officers markedly apathetic as to ■ the isaue of events. Some of the commanders of forts, j at a conference held before the j capitulation of the town, voted further resistance, but were over- , ruled by General Stoessel. ! When the decision to capitulate became known the soldiers made for a store in which were 5600 bottles of vodka. A terrible orgie followed, and the | troops sent to quell the disturbance j joined in the excesses of the revel- I Lett. NEW TOWN LITTLE DAMAGED. THREE MONTHS' PROVISIONS LEFT. (Received 7.12 a.m. ) LOtfDON, January 16. '"The Times' " correspondent at Port Arthur states that the New Town shows | but few signs of the Japanese bombardment. The same correspondent estimates that fully three months' food of all kinds re- j mained to the garrison, but that their L only meat was horses and mules. I A MEMORIAL SERVICE. 1 _____ I NOGI INVITES THE DEAD. (Received 7.12 v a.m.) LONDON, January 16. . * General Nogi held a pathetic memorial service at Port Arthur in honour of the dead, "who had sworn to have death or victory." ' The commander of the besieging forces, addressing hi* troops, said he had received the thanks of the Japanese Empire, but he did not desire to monopolise the glory. He invited the dead to ■kit in it

THE RUSSIAN WARSHIPS. CONDITION ABOVE EXPECTATION. - (Received 7.12 aju. > LONDON, January 16. Hundreds of fishermen from the coast of Japan have been sent to Port Arthur to keep vessels traversing the harbour dear of the mines, which are still numerous. A Japanese naval officer reports that I the condition of the Russian warships is : better than had been expected. I ___^_^______ I MOVEMENT TO THE SOUTH. A FIVE-MILE FRONT. THE COUNTRY SWEPT. JAPANESE COUNTER-MOVE. .. LONDON, January Iβ. The correspondent of the New York Herald with the Russian army accompanied General Mistchenko in his raid last week to the south of Llao-yang. He says that General Mistchenko had an enormous cavalry force under his command. There were three columns, commanded by Generals SamsonAf, Abramoff and Tyelschoff. The front of the force on the march extended for five miles, and it made a magnificent spectacle. The country was swept thoroughly of hares, fawns and other game. The Russians had several encounters with Chunchuses, of whom one hundred were killed. Japanese flags were captured in the village ooccupied by the Chunchuses. Shanteze, near the confluence of the Taitie and Hun Rivers, was captured in a night attack, despite the stubborn resistance of three hundred Japanese who held the place. Two Russian officers were killed when crossing the Taitse River. The Cossacks reached Old Niuchwang without opposition on Wednesday last. Fifty Japanese who were in a house refused to surrender, and some of them were killed. The Cossacks captured many large transport trains, and burned thorn. Of the railway north of Haicheng five hundred metres were destroyed, and a bridge at Tashichiao was blown up. On Thursday the Cossacks attacked Yinliow railway station, where the Japanese had nine million roubles , worth of stores. The Japanese engine-drivers, however, '. displayed the greatest daring, and under a heavy fire brought up one thousand riflemen. These poured such an accurate fire into the Cossacks that they were forced to retire. The Russians claimed they would have captured the railway station if they had arrived a quarter of an hour earlier. General Oku, on the raid being reported to him, despatched eight thousand from the Sanho to intercept the Cossacks. It was reported at Yinliow on Sunday that tlie Russians had been cut off. JAPANESE REGIMENT AM- , BUSHED. RETREAT WITH HEAVY LOSSES. (Received 7.12 a.m.) LONDON, January Iβ.' In their account of the recent raid the Russians claim to have ambushed a whole Japanese regiment at Tasaadiafu, inflicting heavy losses, and compelling them to make a preoipitaie Mtre**,

NEUTRALITY OF CHINA. Intention of Japan. LONDON, January 16With regard to Qeneral Mistchenko having in his raid entered the neutral zone, the Japanese newspapers say that Japan will not observe restrictions which the Russians have ignored. The opinion is expressed in Washington that the invasion of China by Russia is intended to pave the way for the Russian occupation of other Chinese territory if she is compelled to evacuate Manchuria. ANOTHER MOTIVE SUGGESTED. (Received 8.29 a.m.) PARIS, January 16. Advices received in Paris from St. Petersburg state as the main motive for the recent violation of neutral rights, that it was thought possible that the raids into Chinese territory would cause the Powers to intervene and finally to impose peace.

DETAINED STEAMER AT SYDNEY. SYDNEY. January IC. As the result of negotiations with the Federal authorities, the steamer Rockton has been allowed to'sail for Japan. The owners have given a bond of £10,000 that she is not intended for belligerent purposes. It was subsequently stated that the Rockton had been bought by an English firm in Japan. FRANCE AND NEUTRALITY. Japanese Press Irritated. LONDON, January 16. The Japanese newspapers complain that Fiance has allowed the Baltic fleet to remain in the waters of Madagascar for twelve days, and has permitted Admiral Roshdestvensky to use the island as a base of operations. They claim that Prance has committed a serious breach of neutrality. PRECAUTIONS AGAINST DISEASE. THOROUGHNESS OF THE JAPANESE.

In the "American Review of Reviews" Dr. Shaw remarks that one of the most remarkable tributes to Oie Japanese Government on its conduct of the present war was made at St. Louis recently by Dr. Louis L. Seaman, of New York, who was a volunteer surgeon in the Spanish war. In an address before the International Congress of Military Surgeons, on October 12. Dr. Seaman recounted his r&; cent observations of Japanese sanitary I and surgical methods. Dr. Seaman shows the consummate superiority of the Japanese to be in their employment of measures for the prevention of disease rather than in their ability to destroy their enemy. Never in the history of warfare, he says, has a nation approached Japan in the methodical and effectual use of medical science as am ally in war. According to Dr. Se:\man, Japan has eliminated diheasf almost entirely. Manchuria is a country "notoriously unhealthy"; yet so perfect have been the sanitary precautions of the Japanese that "the loss from preventable disease in the that six months of the conflict will be but a fraction of one per cent." The rule in war hn* lxvn four by disease to 6n<> by bullet. The medical officer is omnipresent during a Japanese campaign, Dr. Seaman declares. You will find him in countless places where In an American or a European urirv he has no place. He is as much at the front as in the rear. He is with the first screen of scouts, with his microscope and chemicals, testing and labelling wells, so the army to follow shall drink no contaminated water. When the scouts reach a town he immediately institutes a thorough examination of its sanitary condition, and if contagion or infection is found lie quarantines and places a guard around the dangerous district. Notices are posted so the approaching column is warned, and no soldiers are billeted where danger exists. Microscopic blood tests are made in all fever cases, and bacteriological experts, fully equipped, form part of the staff of every divi-ional headquarters. The medical officer is also found in camp, lecturing the men on sanitation and the hundred and one details of personal hygiene—how to cook; to eat, and when not to drink: to bathe, and even to the direction of the paring and cleansing of the finger-nails, to prevent danger from bacteria. Up to August 1. 9882 cases had been received at the reserve hospital at Hiroshima, of whom 0(536 -were wounded. Of thb entire number up to that time only thirty-four had died. Japan is certainly showing the world how to wage war under civilised, conditions. A Japurv'se officer, quoted by Dr. Seaman, really mado no vain boast when lie claimed that by sur-h a system of practical elimination of disease in war a Japanese army of hah' a million men is made quite the equal of two million Russians. Having destroyed the greatest enemy in war—disease —the Japanese need not fear the lesser enemy of a word and bullet.