Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-13

distance from shore ana resume ''e
tourney on sleds. This means great
loss of valuable time, not ohly III ,he
movement of the men, but In the trals-
for of guns, ammunition ana pro-
y;sions No one knows what the Rus-
slams have SO far accomplished III me
WV of mobilization of troops since the
var becan. but it is imagined that they
could hardly have greater loi'e 'i'i
3o, 900 in Manchuria, and II they nave
s,,pported themselves to that extent
ihev are considered to have prepared
themselves for almost any form Oh a.
t,cll the Japanese may direct against
them.
Some information has also reached
Washington of the Russian system ol
subsistence in Manchuria. IL is copy
of the German plan of estibiinhl"S
-four mills and large depbts or cereals
bscuitr, etc, which may be drawn up
,,h daily, and as constantly repienishcd'
SO as to keep the foodStuitS always
fresh. In addition, grain, preserved
meats and vegetables, or the iron
rations. are also stored. Each case OF
metal. which Il sOldrred and closed
with an India rubber band. con-
tains one ration. The iron" ration is
plunged in boiling water when full and
finished to see if any air bubbles es-
cane, in which case the ration Is reJec-
ted. The compressed vegetable rations
are made up in tablets weighing 90
pounds avoirdupois.
>-a~n.-S-
American military attaches with the
Russians have been instructed TO Cd
serve closely the commissary arrange
mentS and other features which are
new to warfare. Among the latter is
the new field gun, of calibre 1862 cent?
metres, with a rapidity of fire from i'll
teen to twenty rounds Il minute. It's
only projectile is the shrarnel, and the
fuse is of aluminium. Another device to
which the attention of the Americah
officers will be directed is an apparatus
constructed by the Russian Lieutenant
Polyonski for crossing streams. This
consists of hollow cylinder of welded
aluminium with oval transverse section.
on the march some of the soldiers
clothing may be carried in the cylinder.
A greater Or less number of the cylin-
dcrs tied together with tent ropes can
be. assembled into raft. 1t is esti-
mated that four cylinders will carry one
man. n raft being stcered by the men
on ii with their intrenching spades. 1t
is claimed for the invention that the
cylinder can be used as solid rest in
firing; on marches it protects the cloth
ing from dust and rain, and it may be
used as n water bucket. Still another
subject likely to engage the notice of
the attaches is the plan of introducing
barley coffee as breakfast drink, in
the preparation of which beverage the
battalion tea-cooking utensil will be
used. a package of 205 grains of bar
ley coffee sutfices for one hundred men.
1t is claimed for the drink that it is
very nourishing.
"Just as we have had to retreat be-
fore the Russian advance" said a rep
rescntativc Of one of the largest Amer
lean establishments in the Orient, quot
ed in the Booklovers' Magazine. 80 our
branch offices are slowly but surely be-
ing forced out by the Japanese, aided,
we fear, by favoritiSm in high places.
AS is known by all shippers, we have
W bcItliu Scly oil NeSStiS,
both i'm importing from America and in
consigninG cargocs home. as there are
| comparatively few American ships in
| commission on the Pacific. We have in
Japan some Japanese firms competing
with us. We are convinced, although
| we cannot prove it. that these cstab-
lishments obtain rebates from the ia
panesc lines for all goods shipped both
ways. 1naSmuch as we make our mon
ey in commissions, we cannot success
fully compete with firms enjoying pre-
ferential rates with steamship lines. OF
course we have no way of proving this,
nor could we remedy the situation if
we could find out the facts. 1t is true,
| however, that we have had to abandon
some lines of trade. Nearly every
American and other foreign shipper
will tell you that the business methods
of the people of this empire give album
dant evidence that the whole scheme IF
operations is on the principle, Japan
for the Japanese The only secret of
our ability to remain in business at all
in Japanese ports is that these people
have not yet, for the most part, learned
the value of integrity as business as
Japanese houses cannot do a direct
business swith American firms. The
average Japanese merchant considers
1t reputable cunning to give short
weight or scant measure. The first
one or two orders will be faithfully
filled, and when the confiding customer
gives big list of commodities desired,
he is incontinently victimized. Such
practices, as any shipper will tell you,
have given to the Japanese question:
able commercial reputation in all the
markets of the world"
"The Moltke of JAPAN" as he is called
by Harper's Weekly-"a man whose
name is rarely heard, whose face is
never seen, and whose web is spinning
on all sides of the Russian forces. as
was that of the illustrious Danish STRAIT
egist when he locked Napoleon in Sc
dam" such is General F'ukushima. Mr..
Bigelow met Fukushima while the lat