GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8052, 4 August 1904, Page 3

GENERAL TELEGRAMS.

■■' ■ ■■♦■ " ■ INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION. [PKBSS ASSOCIATION. J WELLINGTON, August 3. The Premier informs the Industrial Association that the fact of the British Empire Exhibition having been postponed will not alter the intentions of the New Zealand Government to hold an inter* national exhibition in New Zealand. Had the Government postponed its exhibition, the Association intended opening the Wellington Exhibition in November of 1905. Th« position how is that the local exhibition is postponed definitely. THEATRICAL DIVORCE. DUNEDIN, August 3. At the Supreme Court to-day, Ida Lilian Dobson sued for a divorce from Collet Barker Dobson, on the' ground of desertion. The parties belong to the theatrical profession. "' They c were married in Christchurch in 1886. Three children were born, all dying young. The petitioner became a teacher of elocution in Dunedin, the respondent going to Australia against her desire in 1898. The petitioner wrote regularly, but received no reply. A friend cabled when she was ill and a reply came, a letter being promised, but none came. In 1901 she received a cable asking for £100, which she sent. She had since heard that respondent was living with another woman. A decree nisi was granted, to i be made absolute after three months. MANAWATU POULTRY SHOW. PALMERSTON~NORTH, August 4. The Manawatu Poultry Show was continued to-day. The poultry societies competition in trios' of Orpingtons, Leghorns, Wyandottes, and Minorcas was won by the Pahiatua Association with 1056 points, Manawatu Association was second with 1042 points. The judge finished this morning. R. H. Whalley and J. T. Watson are the biggest winners in the canary classes. INQUEST. WANGANUI, August 4. At an inquest held this morning on the body of Richard .Hammond, who was found on the railway line at Wangaehu on Tuesday. Just as the train whistled, and was approaching the crossing deceased fell, apparently startled by the whistle. He was pulled up in time to save being crushed, but expired while being taken to the hotel. Deceased was an old age pensioner, and would have been 78 yesterday. The verdict was that death was due to heart disease. SUBSIDY TO FREEZING COMPANIES. WELLINGTON, August 4. Mr Seddon told a large Taranaki deputation to-day that he would recommend to. the Cabinet a continuance of a subsidy to freezing companies for' this year. He suggested lid as the probable amount. ■ MISCELLANEOUS. ) -^_ WELLINGTON,/ August .3. The arrivals at .New) Zealand ports during last June numbered 1886; thfe departures 202. The figures for the same month last year ware 2047 and 1583 respectively. DUNEDIN, August 3. The election for the Bell Ward to-day excited some interest. Cr A. Tapper had resigned, the City Solicitors having expressed the opinion that he had contravened the Municipal Corporations Act by subletting a portion of his bond to an em- ' ployee, the latter making terms with the City Corporation to store' tramway material. Tapper sought re-election, and was opposed by Mr R. Brinsley, on behalf of the Ratepayers' Association. The result of the poll was— Brinsley 572, Tapper 353.

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General Oka's report it is gathered tha the Fourth Division formed th I right wing; the First Division the centre ■ and the Third Division the left, and tbe; advanced in extremely unfavorable weathe ) and through a violent thunderstorm tc 1 wards Nanshan, taking en route tho towi ) of.Kinchau. j OPENING OF THE BATTLE, j At 4.30 o'clock on the following 'morn 1 ing a heavy fog overspread the field, and though the artillery was ready to opei j the general attack, firing could not b commenced until 5.30. Russians coul< I be seen on the heights of Nanshan, an< I the whole park of Japanese artillery open ed fire on the position. The Russians re plied with every gun they had available 1 and a heavy duel resulted. Without inter I . mission for three hours shells and shrap I nel shed death on both sides, and aftei I that time the Russian fire slackened per coptibly. The lull was taken advantagi of by the Japanese to rush to withir about 300 metres of the foremost trench, and there they took cover, waiting an op portunity to charge the position. A heavy rifle fire was directed upon them bj the Russians, who could scarcely be seen, and men dropped out of action in large numbers. The artillery kept pounding away, however, and by 11 a.m. all the Russian puns that were mounted in the open had been silenced, but -two batteries of quick-firers retreated to Nankwanlin, and, taking un a position on tho high land there, maintained a persistent fire. In addition to the firing by the field force, the Japanese had to encounter that from a Russian gunboat, which steamed to the m east of Hoshanton fort. Fire was kept up m by the gunboat, on the rear of tho Third Division, until two p.m., and, at times, made excellent practice. An attempt was also made by the Russians to land a force from four or five transports in tho vicinity of Hoshanton, but a detachment of' Japanese troops succeeded in frustrating the movement. The Third Division also r had to bear the brunt of continuous can- '» nonading from four 9-centimetre guns, posted at Tafangshan, on the south of Nanshan. For some time the artillery of the Japanese left wing was bent upon thcs« gun 3, but owing to the long ranges the Japanese firing was ineffective. MINES AND BARBED WIRE. The ground occupied by the enemy had very steep approaches, and was fortified almost in a permanent manner. There were 'about seventy pieces in position, an< these wars supplanted by eight machine guns, and round these several lines of entrenchments had been erected with shelter trenches, affording complete cover for riflemen. In front of these again were lines of mines and barbed wire entangle } ments, the intervals between these Jjeing occupid by numerous machine guns. Th« Japanese artillery ( directed its whole strength towards the demolition of these obstacles, but failed. The positions of guns were changed repeatedly, and by shortening ]the range every possible assistance was given the infantry, who were being shot down in the tracks in largo numbers. But no effect could be produced dn the Russians, for they fought stubbornly, and would not budge, giving no opportunity for a charge. They pressed the Third Division very hard, a heavy fire being directed upon them from the left flank, and also from the batteries at Kankwanlin. Further, the Russians strongly reinforced their right, so as to press back the Japanese left. By this time the ammuntion that the Japanese guns had brought into action was nearly exhausted, and it, therefore, became imperative, in spite of the prospect of heavy losses, to push forward by way of preliminary charging, the artillery meanwhile using" all its remaining ammuntion for the purpose of a final and vehement cannonade. IN THE TEETH OF HOWLING BULLETS. As the evening was rapidly giving way to darkness the order was sound'3d to advance, and the First Division sprang to its feet and rushed forward with great gallantry in the teeth of a shrieking hail of bullets, which howled upon them from overhead and from the flank to such an extent that the advance was irresistibly checked. But at this moment the situation was saved by the squadron in Kinchau Bay pouring a heavy fire upon the Russians' left. Tha Fourth Division of Artillery co-operated with their last lot of ammunition, and the concentrated fire so distracted the Russians that the Fourth Division took immediate advantage of it, and rushed the heights. Some men cut the entanglements with axes, and others threw their bo.lies against the network in order to break ifc. With thrilling yells the advancing division fixed bayonets, clambered over piles of dead and dying, and ultimately leapt into the trenches. Hundreds of men fell dead in their shoes in the charge, but the force was so great that the Russian fire could not stop it, and upon seeing the gleam of cold steel the Slavs jumped from their entrenchments and fled in disorder towards Port Arthur, exploding the magazine at Tafangshan station while retreating. A BIVOUAC AMONGST THE DEAD. A part of the Japanese 1 force went in pursuit, but the remainder bivouacked on the field of battle, being in high spirits, and constantly shouting out in chorus "banzai." Fopj food they ate dried boilad rice, having no time to «•• boil the grain, and this they ate in the midst of dead men, and on blood-soaked ground, or on the tops of trenches which flowed red like a shambles. Though the Russians declare that they only held tno place to make a demonstration, they did everything in their power to check the Japanese in order to cover Dalny and Port Arthur. Thero were evidences about that they contemplated further defences, and it is certain that had the Jap 3 not forced them from the position when they did th>3 mount would not have been taken for some time, and then only at the expense of many more lives than were given up in the attack. Over 500 Russians wera left dead on the field, as well as 68 cannon, ten machine guns, and numerous rifles and mines. The Japanese casualties totalled 4204, and they were as follows :— - Killed: Officers, 31; sergeant-majors on special service, 5; rank and file, 713total, 749. Wounded: Officers, 100; ser-geant-majors, 12 j rank and file, 3343.