RUNNING' THE BLOCKADE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8315, 13 May 1905, Page 7

RUNNING' THE BLOCKADE.

HOW PORT ARTHUR WAS

FED.

*(Peanon'» Weekly.)

History will probably declare that Port Arthur's fine resistance to the Japanese should be credited not to the Russian Government, and not altogether to General Stoessel, but to a factor less 'visible on the surface — the cupidity of the heathen Chine^.

Within the ruined area of the Har-bin-Port Arthur Railway the Chinaman has suffered from the war. Everywhere else he has profited, whether '^s Hunghus, as Japanese, or Russian coolie, or as blockade-runner into Port Arthur. In the last capacity the Chinaman has done more harm to Japan than he has rendered service as Hunghus. The last Russian refugees from the fortress agreed that meat was dear, and that horses were being slaughtered- But grain, the one necessity of life to a Russian, who never eats meat at home, was plentiful. A big store, one refugee' mentioned, had lately issued a notice that it had a large stock of rice, which would be sold to civilians at 24 kopecks (6d) a lb

That the six months' feeding \pf 30,000 mouths, food should have been comparatively so cheap is one of the marvels of the siege. Plevna, after a five months'N siege, was starved into battle and surrender, although, for weeks after the first Russian attack, supplies came in freely.

WHEBE JAPAJf BLTJNDBKED

Japan blundered badly by showing her military qualities at Kiulencheng before investing Port Arthur. Before that battle there were only six weeks' stores in the town, and Alexeleff so despised his foes that he made no attempt to provision the town.

After the Japanese victory, Russia bestirred herself, and poured in supplies. But as the result, partly of the congestion on the railway, and partly of the St Petersburg War Office's confidence that Kuropatkin would relieve Stoessel by a " six weeks' march," the grain stores in the town at the date of t^e landing at Pitsfewp were only sufficient for five months.

Had Japan made a descent upon Port Arthur within two months of the beginning g of the war, all well-informed Russians 'admit she must have taken the town. : tjp to the last moment the supply of the -fortress from outsi.de was almost wholly in the hands_ of the Chinese, who received their instructions from the Russian Consul at. Chef oo.

BLOCKADES BTTIT EVERY NIGHT.

s<iie Consul, in turn, received instruq* tions from Stoessel and Smirnoff by wireless telegraphy. Stoeijsel estafc lished a. bureau of naval onioers . from the disabled warships, whose whbk it was to organise blockaderunning.

Jufcks arrived almost every night, the Japanese base at the Elliott Island* teing too distant to allow con-*

stant supervision. During the light summer nights, Japan's patrol destroyers made blockade-running dangerous.

In November and December, however, it developed to an extraordinary extent; and, according to the Russian Press, everything the garrison wanted, save ammunition, was brought in in plenty. On many of the Chinese junks were Russian officers, disguised, or in uniform.

The account of Naval Lieutenant Biriukoff is worth quoting: "We took in our rice cargo at Fu-lien, near Chefoo, and started, sighting no Jap ships until we were about twelve mileis S.S.E. of Liao-te-shan. There were seven or eight other junks in sight, all making west, as if bound for Niuchwang.

KEABLT CAUGHT

"In the distance, far to windward, we saw smoke, evidently from a destroyer, so we wont about, and sailed before the wind after the other Junks. When we were' about three miles off Golubinnaya Bay, it began to get dark, and I ordered my friend Huen-Ivanoff to make for the harbour..

" There was a strong wind blowing, and it got pitch dark. When we got off the harbour we could see nothing but the pre-arranged signal on Liao-te-ahan.

"We thought there were no Japs about, but suddenly a searchlight swept round the skyline, fell on us, and was followed by a shot, which went wide. The Jap ship was about a mile and a half away, and it poured in a storm of shots from machine-guns, but all went wide over our heads, owing to the rough sea making it impossible to aim "Huen got white, but the other Chinamen looked as stolid as if they were asleep. The Tigrovi Khvost fort fired four shots at the Jap boat, and there was a. tremendous roar and reverberation.

"I sent up a rocket, our pre-arrang-ed signal, and seeing this, the Jap again flasEed his searchlight, and fired, putting a shot clean through our sail. . , " Two of the Chinamen crouched down behind sacks of ricej and I never saw anything more amusing and piteous than their terror. When we got round the Tiger's Tail, the junk grounded, lurched heavily, and nearly capsised, owing to the sheet being fast. . . . We got in, nevertheless, and the Jap ship, after once more ita searchlight, ceased firing." Another officer, " Mitchman/' Khorvatoff, who ran the blockade from Chefoo with a similar cargo, nearly tell into Japanese hands, owing to the mutiny of the Chinese: "We kept down to windward, sailing north-west in the hopes of espaping the Jap cruisers by day, and having a clear run back to Port Arthur at night. This had been done by Malinovsky and others. • ■ ■ "However, the Japs had smelt a rat for at six in the evening we sighted a large cruiser and two torpedoboats, or, rather, their Bmoke, for it was not until after we had put the junk before the wind, and sailed for over an hour, that they got near enough to be distinguished. " At the first shot the Chinese skipper howled and ordered his men to lower the big sail as a sign of surrender. . ,■. f - TT« "I put my pistol to ms ear. Me howled again. I thought of shooting him as a warning to the others, who were beginning to look threatening, but he was the only seaman among the lot.

"The torpedo-boat was coming up rapidly, and I could distinctly see the men on deck getting ready their chine guns. . . • There was a rattle, and a volley of shots went clean through the junk, killing the skipper. "I shouted to the men to sail on, but two truculent-looking ruffians came up, one threatening me with an iron stanchion. Suddenly the torpedo-boat came to a dead stop, but continued to fire "I shouted to the Chinese that the < fire-ship ' had broken down, and we got out of range in two minutes. If the cruiser or the other, torpedo-boat had come up, we should have been done for. . .' ."

BLOCKA3JE-RT7NNING VERY PBOIiTABIB,

Blockade-running has its profits as well as its perils. "The more prices go up," wrote Captain Makovsky, ,of Stoessel's staff, to a friend in SJ Petersburg, "the easier it is to get Chinese to engage in running provisions.

.' ' " Two out of every three are captured, but, beyond confiscation, no harm comes to the Chinese. v The third, if successful, amply covers the Chinese losses, as most of the junks used are old, and Chinese food /in China is ridiculously cheap. ..." " The natives, at Chefoo have, established a sort of local Lloyd's, the risks being underwritten by Chinese' capitalists. One of these Chinese informed me that he made enough money by running one cargo of rice to live the rest of his days in comfort. . ♦"••' '• „ Tn ®F. e is one junk— we call her Matushka mtai (Mother China) — which has entered this port seven times. The- last time she brought fourteen live pig?, >nd