THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12726, 1 December 1904, Page 5

THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR.

JAPANESE CAPTURE IMPORTANT POSITIONS ■'■" ;■• (■ DESPEHATE TRENCH FIGHTING. FIGHTING UP TO THE RAMPARTS. RUSSIAN. SORTIES REPULSED. N ; ■-'■: '■' "•■■•. : ' ■ '' : ■ ■•*' ;:: . ', :'■:'.'■■ " ■ % GENERAL ASSAULT STOPPED. ■.:.■' ,: ,*■ •■ t • • ,■-... !:,■■■ ■.. ■■■■. . .;.-_■. -v. ■'■; '■ ■ , ■ / By Telegraph , j A siociation.—Copyright.

THE GREAT ASSAULT.

THE OFFICIAL REPORT,

STATEMENT OF POSITION.

MANY OUTWORKS CAPTURED.

(Received November 30, 0.18 p.m.)

K London - , November 30. The following official statement has been issued at Tokio with reference to the position at Port Arthur:— "With regard to the Russian entrenchments at " Sungshushan and eastwards, we have firmly occupied the top of the counterscarp (slope opposite the rampart) and the adjoining works. The time to storm the fort has not yet come. <( We are now destroying the casemates (loopholed shelters) and other capionieres (covered passages)." "In the attack on 203-Metre Hill several charges enabled us to capture the shelter trenches near the summit. We are holding the position gained and are endeavouring to capture the whole fort."

ATTACK ON ERHLUNG AND

KEKWAN,

'DESPERATE EIGHTS FOR*'

TRENCHES.

(Received Norember 30, 9.18 p.m.)

a London", November 30.

Advices received at Cliifu say the positions captured by the Japanese on Ei'hiungshan and Kckwanshan are .most prominent.

After a bombardment lasting for several days a detachment of the 11th Division advanced on the afternoon of Thursday last and rushed again and again at the* trenches guarding the south-eastern Kekwanshan forts.

JAPANESE TURNING MOVEMENT.

CHECKED BY A SNOWSTORM.

London, November 29'.

The Russian Chief of Staff, General Sakharoff, reports that the turning movement of the Japanese has been suspended by a blinding snowstorm. They had got to within 600 paces of the Russian position at Siau kutun when the movement was thus stopped. Subsequently the Russians checked the Japanese advance. {Beceived December 1, 12.50 a.m.) London, November 30. General Kuropatkin reports that General Rennenkampf repelled a fresh attack by the Japanese on Monday and again foiled their turning movement. His troops found 230 Japanese dead and many rifles and entrenching tools. General Sakharoff reports that th© Japanese on th© Russian left have slowly retired. . y

JAPANESE WATCHING, RUSSIA BECOMING ANXIOUS. (Received December 1, 12.50 a.m.) ; t , > ....,- London, November 30. It is "reported that the Japanese fleet is now beginning to watch for the Baltic fleet, and in consequence there is much anxiety in Russia, THE SUPPLEMENTARY SQUADRON. . London, November 20. Several vessels belonging to the supplementary squadron of the Baltic fleet have passed Prawle Point, in Devonshire, bound westward.

The Japanese artillery at the same time poured a heavy fire into Erhlungshan and Antzeshan to protect

the assaulting parties.

The possession of the trenches was stubbornly contested by the Russians for five hours.

After several repulses the Japanese finally got possession of the benches. Many of the assaulting Japanese carried sandbags, behind which they entrenched themselves in the captured positions.

A sortie made from the East Kekwan fort was repulsed after two hours' desperate fighting.

THE ASSAULT STOPPED.

SAPPING OPERATIONS.

(Received December 1, 12.50 a.m.)

London, November 30. The correspondent at Tokio of the Daily Express says that the general assault has been stopped by General Nogi, and that the sappers have resumed operations.

THE JAPANESE REINFORCEMENTS,

RAW RECRUITS BEING USED.

London, November 29.

Advices from Mukden say that many of the men being sent to" reinforce General Kiiroki are raw recruits, and that the garrisons at Tak.usb.a-n, Fenghuancheng, and Yinghow, and also part of the gamffbn of Liao-yang, have been replaced by less efficient troops. These changes have been made, it is stated, because Japan requires her superior troops for the great effort she is making at Port Arthur.

CONTRABAND QUESTION, JAPAN'S GAIN. London, November 29. The Times says that Japan has gained more than Russia from the willingness of British shipowners to undertake the risk of carrying contraband goods. The above cablegram must have reference tc Japan's protest against the British supplying coal to Russia. .

(Received December 1, 12.50 a.m.)

London, November 30.

The Russian destroyer Frouzetelni was badly damaged in the recent gale. She has been placed in dry dock at Brest.

• THE CONTENTION.

SUGGESTED SECRET PRO-

VISION.

London, November 28.

The New York correspondent of the Times says the American newspapers, commenting on the AngloRussian convention, assume that there exists a secret article providing for the punishment of the officers responsible for the Dogger Bank attack.

MEMBERS OF THE COM* MISSION,

ADMIRAL DEWEY DECLINES

INVITATION. j (Received November 30,, 10.10 p.m.)

London, November 30.

Admiral Dewey lias declined Britain's invitation that be should act as a member of the International Commission appointed to deal with the Dogger Bank incident, on the ground that as he would be superior in rank to the other officers on the Commission he would have to be president and give the deciding vote.

Admiral Founder is the French commissioner nominated by Russia.

Admiral Dewey is "Admiral of the Navy," rank equivalent to "Admiral of the Pleat" in the British navy.

RUSSIANS AT SHANGHAI.

FREQUENT DRUNKEN BRAWLS.

(Received December 1, 12.30 a.m.)

London, November 30.

MOTES ON THE WAR,

SIEGE OF TORT ARTHUR.

. MANGHURIAN CAMPAIGN.

THE BALTIC FLEET.

DOGGER BANK OUTRAGE.

The Daily Mail says that the Russian sailors who are interned at Shanghai are giving great trouble to the authorities. The regulations for their control are not well enforced, and drunken brawls among them are of frequent occurrence.. ' ./.

The information to hand is definite that the Japanese have made distinct progress at Port Arthur.' They have fought their way to the'counter-scarps of the forts on East wan, Erhluhgshan, and Sungshushan. ■-.' The; counter-scarp is equivalent to the outer slope of the ditch surrounding a rampart.' At every point the Japanese seem to be ready for the final assault.. While the assaulting parties are attacking tho Russian trenches on the north-eastern; hills, the Japanese artillery are keeping down the fire of the western forts, Antzeshan ani Etseshan. It is a great struggle. The. Russians have made sorties to recover trenches, and that means that the besiegers are nearly within the fortress. The assault began apparently on Thursday last, and it was continued until" Tuesday, and then stopped. :

The point at which General Nogi has ceased operations is critical for both sides. The Japanese hold the outer works of several forts, and are not yet within. According to the official report, the time has not yet com©'for the final assault. That final assault cannot be far off. There will be constant fighting at close quarters for a while, through the garrison seeking to recover the positions lost. The issue, however, lies now with the sappers. Close to the permanent defences they will be able to undermine the Russian works and blow them up. This will Be a cheaper method of capture for General Nogi, than sending his men at the ramparts.

If ' . probable that both sides in Manmum a.-.e awaiting the issue of the great struggle at Port Arthur. , The Japanese began a turning movement, held on for three days, and were then checked by a blinding snowstorm. The troops must be suffering from the climatic conditions —the Russians, probably, more than the Japanese. We were told the other day that the Japanese soldiers wer-s provided with charcoal fires, and that they live in earth burrows and cornstalk shelters. It is not likely that the Russian soldiers are given charcoal for fires. Living in such conditions the troops may veil be expected, to welcome a resumption of ''■ ';ive operations. There can be ho prospect of comfortable winter quarters being reached until the clinch in which the armies are now, has been determined by a decisive battle.

WAR ITEMS. *"""""*""'

The cupidity of a Russian sapper at Port Arthur led to his own destruction, and at tht. same time to the foiling of a Japanese night attack upon,"' Svei-tsi-ying redoubt. The etory is told in the Manchurian Army News:—"Owing to an.alarm being sounded, Michael Rnizhkoff, a sapper engaged in laying ' iougasse mines, left his tunic, containing 20 : roubles odd, at the end of the gallery. The electric connections were not established, and the mine was useless, but Ruizhkoff lamented that if the Japanese made a counter-mine and exploded it his money would bo lost. When the Japs retired a sapper named Rosenberg offered to steal down and get the coat, if he was given half the money. It was pitch dark;' and as the electric lanterns had. all been stored, Rosenberg insisted on "'taking matches, though he would have been shot if. he had been caught. He had not returned before the Japs made a surprise attack, relying on the darkness. A company of them passed over the mine field, ■ and the engineers were groaning that they could not explode it, and about to ask for volunteers, when there was a terrific roar, and the hillock swarming with Japs shot into the air. Rosenberg never came back. It is supposed that he got into some of the cross galleries, and, either through using a match or some other act of carelessness, exploded the fougasse. His death and disobedience to orders were well paid for by the destruction of half a Japanese company and the foiling of their attack."