THE WAR. The Land Fighting.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12476, 13 September 1904, Page 3

THE WAR.

The Land Fighting.

THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR. PREPARING FOR ANOTHER ASSAULT. MODERN MINE FIGHTING. GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. United Press, Association—Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. ' LONDON, September 11. The Japanese who have reached Chifu ieport that an elaborate assault on Port. Ailhur is being prepared lor about- September 13th from the forts in the vicinity ,of Erhlungshan, captured in the last assault, • but which the Japanese were unable to occupy ow.ing-to the heavy bombardment.,, The -Russians have since remounted the guns. ilie mine. wMch recently killed 700 Ja.par.ese .at Port- Arthur was laid for a distance of; a mile along, the valley. Explosives were placed. at the bottom; rocks were placed next, and then clay. The Russians waited till the Japanese were well over" the mine. The detonation stunned the •whole garMson, and some rocks were [ hurled inside . the Russian lines. THE USE OF SHIELDS. USING INFERIOR POWDER, • And old Projectiles. . Received 9.40 p.m., 1 September 12th. LONDON, 'September 12. The Japanese are using heavy moveable shields impervious to gun fire, exssot from siege guns, to protect the assailaats at Port Arthur. The Russians, are using inferior powdf", their supply of smokeless being apparently exhausted; also, old vjhii'.se pro--jectiles after treatment had made tf era suitable for the Russian guns. . STRIKING MINES. LOSS OF A TORPEDO BOAT. i- Received 11.30 p.m., September 12th. LONDON, September 12. A Japanese torpedo boat struck a. mine on September 2nd, and sunk outside Port Arthur. The Satisshima. struck a mine at- Sakhe Bay, listed and caught fire. She righted herself and steamed away. THE DEFENCE ANT) ATTACK ON , LI AO YANG. THE FORCES ENGAGED. THE FIGHTING AT ZENTAI. RUSSIAN PLAN ABANDONED. • LONDON, September 11. The Moscow newspaper " Russkiya Viedomosti" states, that when General Kuroki had 35,000 men north and 90,000 south of the Taitse, General KuropatkiD left 30,000 to defend' Liaoyang, and sect 165,000 rapidly aoroffc the Taitse. General Kuroki expelled General Orloff's army of 12,000 from the Yentai mines, and threa- j tened the Russian line of retreat, but General -Stackelburg's 20,000 held the Japanese off. Meanwhile General Kuropat- ! kin, with 120,000 attacked and dislodged General Kuroki's main forces from Sikwan"tun heights, but General Nodzu, bringing up 70,000 combined' forces, recaptured the heights.

A Russian correspondent of Yentai reports that General Kuropatkin attacked General Kuroki's rear, from the east, and ordered General' Orloff to attack from the south, designing to march along the Taitse and cut General Kuroki's communications to the east. The Siberians on the left win 3 failed to withstand the Japanese, whereupon General Kuropatkin, to avoid bsing forced across the river, abandored his plan, and reformed his . front. The Japanese failed to push the victory home, and found the Russian bayonets an insuperable obstacle. General Orloff left 5"0 wounded prisoners in the hands of the Japanese.

THE REARGUARD SAVE TRANSPORT AND GUNS.

THE JAPANESE ADVANCE. HILL OCCUPIED NEAR MUKDEN. THE JAPANESE CASUALTIES. Received 9.28 p.m., September 12th. LONDON, September 12. A Mukden telegram dated September Bth states that the Russian rearguard, (ifter a week's fighting, saved most of their transport and guns. The Japanese are advancing along the railway, and General Kuroki has occupied a hill east of the town. General Kuropatkin reports that .the Japanese'have been inactive during the last threb days. , Heavy rains continue. An official statement of the Japanese casualties since August 26th shows a total of 17,539. General .Kuroki lost 4866, General Nodzu 4992, and General Oku 7681. The; casualties include 136 officers killed and 464 wounded. ' FURIOUS' FIGHTING AROUND SHUSHAN. . FORCING FAINTING TROOPS ONWARD. MAGNIFICENT DEFENCES TAKEN UNOPPOSED. RESIGNATION OF ALEXIEFF. Received 10.55 p.m., September 12th. LONDON, September 12. Reuter's Liaoyang" correspondent reports that the fighting around Shushan on the 31st was indescribablv furious. The dead lay touching each other for 100 feet, covering the approaches to the fort. The J.),panose officers with sword pricks forced the fainting troops to advance. The Russian rifle and shell fire were badly directed. Thousands of shells fell in the valley, where only the Japanese Red Cross camp lay. . General Kuroki was allowed to cross the Taitse and capture the magnificent defences of Pensihu unopposed. While' the main army • was retreating, General Kuropatkin sent fiesh tioops to hold Liaoyang. Their artillery having measured all the positions, wrought terrible destruction upon General Nodzu's troops. The fighting near Yeritai on the 2nd September was so fierce, that a precipitate Russian retreat was only averted by a recapture o» the hill, causing a. relaxation of General Kuroki's efforts.

The railway proving insufficient to supply the army, the Russians are much demoralised, officers especially plunging into dissipation at every opportunity, even on the eve of a battle.

Many famishing Japanese soldiers looted the food stores at Liaoyang. Some got out of control, and stabbed Dr Westwater, a distinguished Scotch missionary. Japanese reinforcements are hurrying north, including the Mikado's brother. It is understood at St. Petersburg that Admiral Alexieff has tendered his resignation. RUSSIAN RETIREMENT. ADVANCE OF JAPANESE.'Received 11.12 p.m., September 12th. LONDON, September 12. Marshal Oyama telegraphed to Tokio on Friday:—"The main force of Russians appeared and retired . north of Hunho. Some of the troops are still at Kuchiatsu, Pachiatsu, Lingchanggu, and Kuanglinpuo. General Kuroki's left occupied Lannipu on the sth, and his right occupied Yumenthushan after a fight." ACTIVITY OF KUROKI'S VANGUARD. JAPANESE -ADVANCE ON MUKDEN. Received 1 a.m., September 13th. LONDON, September 12. St. Petersburg correspondent's of French newspapers state that a telegram received from General Kuropatkin at midnight on Saturday mentioned certain activity of General kuroki's vanguard, but no serious attempt at attack "is considered certain at St. Petersburg. The Japanese are advancing north-east of Mukden.'