The Portland daily press., 1894-12-01

| In 1918 it was finally decided to con-
| struct a dock and refitt.ng basin. After
more than one failure it was decided TO
| give out the work to foreign contractors,
and in the early part of 1887 french
company secured contract to construct
the necessary works needed for naval
| dock yard At the end of 1890 the con-
tractors completed the task Entrusted to
them. This entrance to the port has been
| deepened and basin constructed inside
with depth of twenty-five feet at low
water. There are
| SPACIOUS WHARVES AND QUAYS
| (from which vessels can be commissioned
and troops and crews embarked, fitted
with steam cranes and connected by
railway with the workshops. There is
dry dock Of over four hundred feet in
length, having twenty-five feet of water
| on it's stills at low tide, which can be
emptied in few hours by means OF
steam pump There is also a smaller
dock, suita BILE for torpedo boats. The
| foundries and works contain the most
modern machineg, engines. go. The
dock yard can be lighted by the electric
! light.
Although the port is free from ice
| durna the entire winter, ships oannos
be docked for cleaning and painting par-
poses between the middle of November
and she middle of March, as the weather
then ia too cold for ordi1sgy pssss to
dry. The pert is defended from attack
both by sea and by land by dozen we'll
constructed forto, which are armed with
modern guns of heavy caabrs. The az
mament of the forts contested of about
fifty e-inch and 9-iaeh Krupp gums. sew
eral Held mostars or howitzers and
number Of quick firing guns. The port
| was also defended by Submarine mines.
and there are generally seven FIRST class
and six second class torpedo boats sta
toned there, On shere there is a small
but efficient torpedo depot, where tor
pedos can be tested and regulated and
defects put right.
The value of Port Arthur to the Jap
anese is immense. Tt gives it q place
where it's vessels may be repaired and
reftted right ON the grounds where they
must operate. 1t affords base of opera
tions against the vital parts of the
Chinese empire.
The Japanese army landed
ABOVE PORT ARTHUR
and approached it from the reaE. The
Importance Of the place led the Japanese
to conduct their operations against it
with every precaution to insure success.
Moreover, IL was necessary to make the
advance slowly, as the ground for miles
around had been filed witch powder
mines connected with electric wires run
ming into Port Arthur. 1t was neces-
sary to send ahead small scouting part
les to pick rout away from the mines
and wires. The regular road could not
be used for artillery. as it would have
been blown up, and accordingly the big
guns had to be moved through woods
mad swamps.
But by November 20 Count Oyama
was ready to begin the assaults. The
/ fighting was desperate, the Chinese army
being virtually destroyed. By the second
! day the entire line of forts was cap
tured.
The proceedings of Marshal .Oyama,
after the capture of Port Arthur, ihdi
Gates tn at the Japanese contemplate no
partial or half way method OF dealing
with China. On Friday after the place
was captured Wednesday, it was an
nounced that Oyama, having left
guard at Port Arthur, was marching
northward along the borders of the Gulf
Of Lion Tong. By following around to
the other side of this gulf he woIld
strike at Pei ta-ho, the terminus of the
} railroad which leads to Tien Tsin.
japanese army once on this railway the
fate of Pekin would be settled. OF
course General Oyama's destination can
only be surmised.
Meanwhile third japanese army has
been embarked from Ujini, port nea
Hiroshima, and is sailing for some place
in China. Some think the objective
point is Wei-hai-wei, Chinese strsng-
, hold south of Port Arthur, on the other
, side of the water.
So Japan is operating againts China
with three armies. The first under
Yamagata, started from Corea and has
: fought it's way towards Monkden. 1t is
not definitely known whether 1t has
captured that place.
The second under Oyama has taken
Port Arthur and is marching north to
some destination which can only be sur
, missed.
The third army has just left Japan,
and its objects are entirely in the dark.