RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR

Bruce Herald, Volume XXXXI, Issue 1, 6 January 1905, Page 3

RUSSO - JAPANESE WAR

SURRENDER OF PORT ARTHUR,

•Seven dynamite mines were exploded at Er-lung shan on the morning, that, the Japanese charged through the ! breaches under cover of a tremendous j bombardment. .... They captureiti the first line of light guns. A bitter struggle ensued. The Japanese cap- 1 turedTour guns of large calibre, seven /small and 30 37-centimetre guns, and two machine guns— 43 in all. The mine tunnels at Er-lung-shah were cut in the solid rock. Two tons of dynamite - were used, and the spectacle of the successive explosions is described as magnificent, and. the infantry's storming splendid.. The first explosion killed- One-half of the garrison. Some j'Russian sailors assisted the. garrison. There were 500 at Er-lung-shan. The bulk of the garrison and- the sailors were -killed. The*~Japanese on occupied H Fort, also a new fort at Pan-lung-shan, and after an effective bombardment the : heights south of Hon-sangan-taOj despite a stubborn resistance. The Japanese stormed and captured Sung-shu-shan on Sunday. ' ' Seven junks attempting to provision Port Arthur were captured. V The Russians are endeavoring to purchase 100.000 tons of coal at Bombay. /;. - Mobilisation* in Poland is proving extremely difficult. Reservists are treated like criminals trying to escape, and forced into railway, carriages. General Stoessel, -in a letter, admits that further resistance is useless. The situation is equivalent to a surrender. The Mikado commands that General Stoessel aiid officers be granted full military honors, on surrendering. A large Russian destroyer, though chased; reached Chi-fu '.at daybreak on Monday. She was a- little damaged. The crew remain under arms, though the fires in the boilers have been drawn. Admiral Togo has diminished the extent of the Port Arthur blockade. He intends to open Dalny to foreign shipping.- . ,-. ' ' A Chi-fu telegram states' that.a heavy storm at Port Arthur completed the destrtictiqn of the Sevastopol, ; wh le other damaged Russian warships ; suffered. The New A 7 ork Herald reports that hundreds of JRussians ,at Sha-ho. died of the intense cold.' J / Japanese warships are searching the Strait of Sunda. J Thirty five sailors belonging to the" Black Sea fleet were - court-martialled ! for mutiny. ... ' The Russians have accepted the Japanese terms for . the surrender of Port Arthur, ahd arrangements have been made for the formal capitulation of the town. The Russians evacuated several forts, during the night/ and blew up the majority of the ships in harbor. Two torpedoers and a merchantman, with 800 of; Stoessel's soldiers, have arrived at Kiao-chau. J After Sung-shu-shan had been captured the Japanese stormed Wan tai on Sunday, rendering, further resistance impossible. At 5 p.m. a white flag 'was hoisted on South Shu-shi-ying. General Stoessel sent General Nogi a letter offering to negotiate for/surrender to. prevent a useless sacrifice of lives'. At dawn on Monday General Nogi appointed General Ijichi, Chief of the . Staff, to meet the Russian CommissionN cr and arrange for the capitulation. Meanwhile Marshal Yamagata cabled to General Nogi that the Mikado appreciated General Stoessel's self- , sacrifice and devotion to the Father- •'. land, and wished military honors; accorded to hira- After a four hours'

conference the Russians accepted the Japanese terms, which are believed to be lenient.

. Tokio,on receipt of General Nogi's telegram on Sunday night, went wild with joy, firing aerial bombs and rockets and engaging in processions through the/streets shouting " Banzai !"

An escapee describes Port Arthur as a living hell. Many of the hospitals were destroyed. There are 15,000 wounded, and many lay among the debris" in the cold streets. Some while delirious. returned to the front, hurling stones and defying the enemy until captured and killed. Only 5000 ablebodied convalescents manned the forts.

It is believed in. Tokio that Russian 'officers will be allowed to return home on parole, retaining their arms. It is thought possible the soldiers also may be released on parole.

Russian officers declare that for five days and nights the Japanese bombarded and iassaulted incessantly. The horrors of /the scene defy description. Not :.a spot was- safe from; shrapnel. Finding the situation hopeless, General Stoessel called a grand council. The meeting* was a pathetic, one. The officers, Overcome with erpotioiv decided to accept honorable terms, or die fight- < ing.. A-X ; _ .- '