Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 116, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1904 — DROGRESS OF THE EASTERN WAR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DROGRESS OF THE EASTERN WAR

In some respects the strategical, situation of the armies In central Manchuria Is now similar to what It was six or eight weeks before the battle of Liaoyang. Tiding and Mukden, the Russian positions, now’ correspond to Llaoyang, Haicheng and Tatcheklao then. The Liao valley and the Mongolian frontier He to the west of the Russians, as before, while to the east are the same mountain ranges with the Japanese forcing one after the other the passes that command the most important roads. We still have the great weight of Oku’s and Nodzu’s armies grimly astride the railroad, preventing any possible expedition to “the relief of Port Arthur,” and at the same time ready to deal the sledge-hammer blows that will force the Russians still farther northward when the time comes. We still have Kuroki in touch with the Russians on the east and doing the most important work over the mountain trails. During the week General Kuropatkin has reported In repeated dispatches the progress of a part of Kuroki’s force along the roads from Bentslaputze to Fu-ling and to the Fushun mines, which He respectively ten and thirty miles east of Mukden. Kaotou Pass, where there was a skirmish, seems to be on one of these roads, while an official Russian dispatch from Harbin reports a fight on the south bank of the Hun River on the road leading to Fu-ling. The Japanese are said to have had two divisions here, rather a large number of men, and to have been repulsed. Farther east, on running northward from Salmatse, the Japanese advanced to an attack on Da Pass. An official telegram given out at Tokio tells of the Japanese capture of Tlellng, which may be one of the passes just mentioned, or some other, as it clearly cannpt be the City of Tieling nortlr of Slukden.

How far and how fast these movements will progress cannot be told, as that depends on factors of weather, transport and men, concerning which we are but poorly informed. We may expect, however, in due time to see Mukden abandoned without hard fighting, much as Haicheng was abandoned when the Russians were concentrating on Liaoyang. If this Is not the case it will probably be because Kuropatkin sees hope of retaining for a while longer his control of the important Fushun coal mines. The opening of the clrcum-Balkal railroad during the week will mean much for Russia, as her re-enforce-ments can now be sent forward teethe full capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and not merely to the capacity of the steamers and ice-breakers across the lake. If we had any solid facts to go on the news from Tort Arthur would probably be vastly more interesting and important than that from the armies farther north. But we have still nothing but rumors gathered at Chefoo from refugees from Port Arthur and Dalny. The accounts agree that another general assault has been begun, with Japanese successes at several points, and we are also told that Port Arthur is iu desperate straits for food, for water and for coal. But what weight to give to the reports we do not know. For some reason the Japanese government has thus far declined to publish any account of the fighting at the southern tip of the Liaotung peninsula. So what is happening must be pieced out from the story of Lieutenant Radzlwill, who reached Chefoo with dispatches from Stoessel, and from “reliable Chinese,” who, in mili-

tary matters, are the most unreliable people on earth. There is no one so afraid of powder and ball as the Chinaman. When he sees or hears an outpost skirmish it seems to him like the last desperate general assault, and when he reaches Chefoo he reports of “halls of shot,” “cyclones of shell.” and ‘earthquaking mines.” In the latter part of August the Japs took four outlying forts in front of Rihlung and Kikwang. They immediately set out to strengthen these places, and made them into most respectable fortifications. When the next general assault starts, these forts will try to silence the guns of their Russian opposites before the infantry come info’operation. If the new Japanese forts can obtain a preponderance over Rihlung and Kikwang those places may possibly fall to general assault. But the -whole operations at Port Arthur up to the present date merely confirm the old lesson that defenses adequately manned by resolute troops cannot be taken by frontal attack. The Japanese are desperately brave; they are especially good on the offense. They started at Port Arthur flushed with victory. They considered the place as holy and and went at it like crusaders. But they have come nowhere near storming It. Strong forts containing good men cannot be stormed. The fall of Port Arthur Is evidently one of the vital links in the Japanese chain of strategy. Time and again have the Japenese movements been evidently thrown out by the persistent and unexpectedly successful defense of the Russian fortress. In their Intended calendar of war the fall of Port Arthur -was set for a date some months back —probably in June. Then from this June fall they educed a long train of consequences, such as the destruction or capture of the Russian fleet, -which would allow part of the Japanese fleet to go home, repair, take on new guns in place of those worn out by constant firing, rest up its men, while the remaining ships sealed up Vladivostok. Meanwhile Nogi and his 80,000 men would be released for other work—perhaps at Vladivostok. Kuroki and

Oku obviously tarried long waiting for Port Arthur to fall. And by their tarrying they wasted much valuable time and probably inflicted a less severe whipping on Kuropatkin than would have been possible earlier. Stoessel remains a great big spoke in the Japanese wheel.

The wide sweep. of the Japanese eastward turning movement Is Indicated In the map. Using the Taitse River as a means of transit, Ovama is dispatching troops to Sianchan, thirty miles northeast of LiaoYang. The appearance of Japanese near Kaolau Pass also is significant, and might be taken as a design to cross the Hun nt the Fushun ford. At Port Arthur the line of Investment is drawing closer. The location of Fort Kouropatkln, which is reported captured, is pointed out. Almost directly eastward and westward are Rihlung and Antseshan forts, the loss of either one of which would be a serious blow to General Stoessel.

SCENE OF PANIC IN PORT ARTHUR.