RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10038, 3 May 1904, Page 2

RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR.

« DECISIVE LAND ENGAGEMENTS. RUSSIANS FORCED TO RETREAT. JAPS CONTROL YALU ESTUARY. 1500 LIVES LOST* IN SUNDAY'S BATTLE. Press Assn.— By Telegraph.— Copyright LONDON, May 2. Reuter's Tokio correspondent wires that after five days' fighting, largely with artillery, Genenal Kuroki forced the crossing of the Yam, and on Sunday, with a gallant infantry charge of over four miles of front,. expelled the Russians from Kiuliencheng and the heights on tlie right bank of th<eVAiro river, turning the Russians' left' flank and sweeping away the new front interposed to check the onward movement. The Japanese) present . position is a dominating one, and likely to compel the abandonment of. the Russian /defence at Antung and elsewhere lower down the river. , General Kuroki began this movement on the 26th, ordering a detachment of Guards to seize Kurno, an island above Wiju, and a detachment to seize Kinttito Island, below Wiju. Reuter's Tokio correspondent,' continuing, states that the Guards, after resistance., occupied Kurito, killing an unknown number. Twenty-five were wounded. Kurito was abandoned when attacked on Tuesday. On Wednesday the Russians, with nine luilf -centimetre guns and two Hofchkiss guns, bombardid Wiju, the Japanese not responding, as the fire generally was ineffective. General Kuroki on Thursday sent two companies of Guards to reconnoitre the left bank of the Aiho and ascertain the nature of the Russian works on the rijrht bank. j The Russians made a shell reconnaissance, which was met, and killed a party of five Russians. ■■'.'■ V' 1 '- '■ - All Thursday: and Friday the Russian artillery at KTuilencheng continued high angle fire on Wiju, i Kurito, and Seikodo, without drawing a reply from the Japanese. , : . The twelfth .division, dn Friday, after ■'*, driving the Russians from the bank op ■■' posite Suekochin, eight miles above Wiju, constructed a pontoon, and the passage commenced at :3 on Saturday morning, the entire division crossing during the day, and occupying by 6 m tlie evening the positions assigned to* theiri for Sunday's battle. A vigorous excliange of artillery fire took place, chiefly to the advantage of the Japanese. - '- General Kuroki considers his shelling very effective. /<-.; Two Japanese were killed and five officers and 22 men wounded. During Saturday's bombardment Admiral Hoysoya's flotilla of gunboats participated, scattering a. _nb_d' force of artillery and -cavalry below Ariturig. The second bridga just above Wiju was completed on Saturday evening. The second division and Guards crossed and occupied hills at the ' back of Taosan, where the Russian headquarters were located. All night regiments poured across, and by daylight General Kuroki had concentrated all his artillery on , the Russian position between Kuilienchemg and Koshoke, the Russians vigorously _. replying., ; -v A By 7 o'clock the Russian battery at * Koshoke* was silenced, and half an hour later General Kuroki -attacked "along the entire line. ,The, lnfantry charged across the Ahio river, and, wading breast ! deep, began storming the /, heights. By^ 9 they liad swept- the Russians back across the plateau. .. ."'..'; / • , ' . It is anticipated the losses are heavy, especially, during the charge. It. fs unknown whether the Russians retired down; the river or towards Fenghungcheng. . ;.'■'• / Correspondents report that the heavy, artillery fire at first foiled the Japam_V ; efforts to bridge the Yalu, but many*, waded across, and ultimately 40,000 got across, culminating m a bayonet charge of a heroic dinracter. A high ; bluff, strongly entrenched and stubbornly defended, was carried with an immense dash:; General Inouke' commanded the earlier movements, and General Kuroki personally commanded later on. ' The Russian losses exceed those of the Japanese, besides loss of guns and material. General; Kuroputkin telegraplis :-— "TheJapanese probably on the 28th crossed the Yalu, and? occupied the villages ?of Khussan and Luzavan. The Russians on ' the 29th expelled the Japanese, tlie fourth regiment of Guards, supported by moun-tain-guns -from these; heights,' driving the enemy back to the Yalu, killing. 10 and wounding 30. The Russian loss was - two .killed .and 13 wounded. Tlie Japanese pontoon bridge was-; dismantled. • The same, morning 1500 Japanese infantry, with 12 guns, crossed the river near Ambikhe, and after a fierce! , artiJ/lery fire, forced two companies of Rm^ sian infantry and tliree southnias, of cavalry with two mountain guns to retire to the fortified positions' at the rear. ' There were five wounded Russians. The fruns were out-ranged. On the 30th the Japanese, with 34 field guns, and several 4.7 siege iguns, mounted within cleverly masked earthworks, on tlie south . Yflln, sheMed i "the Russian entrenched position, firing two . thousand , projectUefi. The . Russians stubbornly defended. It is admitted thatthree privates were kill-, ed 'and ' 19V wounded/ b_ides seven officers disabled. Colonel Lakaloff was killed. . On the 30th the Japanese re-crossed war Sindroges, and attacked the heights of Khussan. They turned '_ the y left flank, compelling the Russians to retreat to' the village of Potiemntzy.' (Received May 3, 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, May 2. Russian official despatches report that' tliat Japanese opened a terrific artillery fire on the positions at Twientchen; and Potienintoy at four on MonfoyVmorning. The overwhelming superiority of the- enemy's artillery or heavy . losses convinced General Sasaii tch that , it was impossible :to hold Twientchen and Schakliedzy, ; cony sequently he retreated m good : order to second positions :at Potienintzy :■ and . Tchingu. ■ General Kuroki reports that 30,000 Russians held a fpur-mile . front. • There was. three-quarters ol an hour of severe fighting before the heights, from Kuilien'cherig to Makou Kushduku were stormed. .-/ A dense fog frustrated the Japanese . naval movements at Vladivbstock. r ST. PETERSBURG, iMay 2. Tlie' battleship Orel, which was just being completed, grounded on a sand- , bunk m the Neva. The Erinak has been sent to assist the tugs to get the vessel afloat. , (Received May 3,, 9.8 a.m.) LONDON, May 2. (The Japanese casualties on Sunday amounted to seven hundred, Vand the Russians. to- upwards of eight' hiihdred. „ Generals Sassulitcli and K__oalin^k» were wounded. The Japanese captured 28 qtiickfirers, numerous rifles, -twenty officers, and many men. V '.. '■,';' - : y ■' The Russians were forced to -abandon Antung, which tliey burned. They re- . treated to Tehghengcharig.'j ;.' The Japanese now control the estuary _ the Yalu. General Kuroki reports that the Russians made two; stands on Sunday, their strength including all the third division and two regiments of the sixth division, -the cavalry brigade, '.forty quickfirers, and eight machine ■ guns. .; 'Tlie whereabouts of Baron Okas, with the ; second Japanese army corps, also, the third army corps, are -unknown. ■ ,'.• A large Japanese fleet is off Takustan.' ■'' ■-„■ ./' ■■/■/•*•■*■■-.'■ ,V '