Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1904 — THE WAR IN THE EAST [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE WAR IN THE EAST

LITTLE REAL FIGHTING DURING THE PAST WEEK. Numerous Alleged Bombardments of Port Arthur Can All Be Boiled Down Into One Single Attack—Vladivostok Fleet Puts to Sea. There appears to have been little real fighting during the last week. The numerous alleged bombardments of Port Arthur can all be boiled down into one 'Single attack. This bombardment was Served up fresh by the refugees arriving at Yingow, Newchwang, Tien tsin, Che: foo and Shanghai to tho correspondents in those towns. And the correspondents, thinking they had new stories, promptly cabled the refugee tales home. So the story kept drifting in all through the week.

It has become evident that.- all reports to the contrary notwithstanding, the Japanese battleship squadron is quite intact up to date. A Mtikdeu correspondent of a French paper visited Port A rth u r and was there info rated that: -according to Russian advices the enemy’s

Tr<lir?^ : tTTTfTTOftTeSlnps Shikishima, Yahinia, Mikasa. Asahi, the Matsusc, which must mean the Hatsuse, .and the Fudashi.. which must mean the Fuji. These six battleships are all that the Mikado has ever had. The dash of the Port Arthur squadron to unite with the Vladivostok-cruisers came to nothing. The sjjips crept out at night, but soon encountered the Japanese scouts and returned. On Tuesday till? Russian squadron, with the aid of ice-breakers and dynamite, forced its way out of frozen Vladivostok harbor, and afterward was reported at- rest in Possiet bay, about ninety miles to the .south. ..

A Tokio paper which has hitherto receiied a great deal of accurate advance information about military movements -printed a statement that a Japanese army division had crossed the Tumen river between Hyeisan and Musan. If this news be true it is likely that the division's objective is Vladivostok. Hyeisan and Musan (they arc marked only on the larger maps) lie on the boundary betwpen Korea and Manchuria. The two towns are about 150 miles apart by road. Hyeisan may be found on large maps by taking a line from Kilju slightly north of due west. Where this'line Intersects the boundary is Hyeisan. Mu-

san lies to the -northeast about 100 miles ns the crow flies or due. west of Dukuga. On tho Manchurian side of the river there is fairly flat country between Hyeisan and Musan. To the northeast —that is, in the direction of Vladivostok —the flat country continues. To the southwest—-that is, in the direction of the mouth of the Yalu and the SeoulPekin road, along which another Japanese army is known to be operating—the flat country is broken by a series of precipitate mountain, ranges. In other words, it Would be exceedingly difficult. for an army in -the position described by the Tokio paper to move southwestward toward the mouth of the Yalu or the Liaotung peninsula, whereas it would bo comparatively easy, so far as the configuratiofirof the ground goes, for such an army to march northeast, toward Vladivostok.

The inference is strong that if the division has crossed the Tumen river, as reported, its objective will be that town. That will give two or perhaps three distinct One will be against Vladivostok. Another will be against the Russian forced near Wiju, at the mouth of the Yalu. A third may be made by an expeditionary army debarking from ships behind Port Arthur and raking that place in the rear. It is reckoned dangerous to divide forces too greatly. Possibly the Japanese fear a threefold division, and prefer to make their fight in two sections only. If such is their intention it goes to explain why

the Jnps have hitherto neglected what every “military expert’’ who has appear,ed in an English speaking newspaper has termed an obvious piece of strategy —namely, the landing of an expedition behind Port Arthur.

JAPANESE VESSELS GOING INTO ACTION.