The San Francisco call., 1904-10-17

Ing to the southwest is less violent. The
men are tired out and food has been
insufficient. Every available gun and
man are being used. The troops have
behaved most gallantly, hurting them
selves repeatedly against impregnabls
positions. The heavy storm of Octo-
Der IA added to the misery of the men.
There is great depression, but stolid
tenacity, among them.
There has been great sacrifice Of Of
ficers. The plain occupied by the re-
firing Russians is covered with burst
shrapnel The gunnerS shoveled shells
into the breeches of the guns as stok-
ers shovel coal into furnaces.
HoWltzerS are used by the Eastern
army The Russian guns have supe
rior range and burst shrapnel at 5000
yards.
There is a scarcity of reliable maps.
Two divisional commanders have lost
their chief staff officers, one of them
being killed and many commanding
officers met death heroically leading
their regiments.
Shrapnel fell near General KurOpat-
kin. He showed desperate energy, and
even in the darkest nour remained
hopeful.
The Japanese must feel the strain.
There was d cessat ton of hostilities on
NGlIliCI SiuC Cdl4 SldllQ llldIJ
such contests, the ferocity of which
was frightful
The Russians are now fighting as a
matter OF pride. ManchuIia is forgot
ten. They feel that they cannot stop;
that they must win one battle.
This evening the japanese seem no
nearer. Fires are burning to the south.
About twelve miles from here the east
ern army is retiring without fighting.
RAIN CAUSES BRIEF CESSATION.
MUKDEN, Saturday, Oct. 15.-Desul-
tory cannonading is heard, but there
is not likely to be any important
lighting to-day as both armies are
stuck in the mud.
The Russians achievements along
the railway yesterday were not suffi-
cient to enable them to maintain their
position along the line where yester-
days fight began anu the Russian
forces are now in the plain ten miles
north of the point where they attacked
the Japanese on October 8. They are
fighting hard and stubbornly, but are
in retreat.
One newly arrived Russian corps
gave a good account of itself. The
Japanese successfully enfiladed three
places where the Russians had made
a heroic, but frutless, stand all dur
ing the past week.
On account of the prowess of the
japanese in the mountains the chief
interest will now center there, unless
the Japanese should persist in their ef-
forts to insert a wedge in the center
of the Russian lines.
The infantry, which for two days
has only been supplementing from
the trenches the work of the artillery.
is now scattered all the way to Muk-
den and is frequently seen marooned
in the flooded fields.
RUSSIAN LINES BROKEN.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE RUS
SIAN WESTERN ARMY, Friday. Oct.
1.-THE weeks fighting in its bloody
results has exceeded that at the bat
tie of Liaoyang.
There was a tremendous Russian
artillery fire to-day on positions which
the Japanese took on October 3. An
attempt was made to hold Shakapo
and for a few hours there was d blis-
tering fire equal in its fury to that
in the battle of the 18th at Tousanpu.
The Russians continue to retire.
Their lines, while in contact, are ir-
regular and broken, and the Japanese
are now wedging into their center.
Japanese hussars made a brilliant
attempt TO break the center of the
Russian left forces late to-day, but
failed.
1he engagement yesterday was an
artillery duel. Few were wounded.
The Japanese guns began firing along
the hills three hours before dawn to-
day.
Chinese refugees are pouring up
the Mandarin road toward Mukden.
The forces east of the railway con-
tinued to fall back to-day though the
Japanese batteries in their direction
almost ceased their fire from o'clock
this morning, giving the impression
that they had been silenced.
The Russian guns, from a position
across the railway, rained shells un-
brokenly for twelve hours, drowning
the noisey fusillading in the trenches
east and west.
PLIGHT OF THE WOUNDED.
storm of rain and hail broke at
noon. eliminating at o'clock i'm the
afternoon, when numbers of wounded
from the trenches were seen passing
the Russian headquarters.
The scene is now dramatic in the
extreme.
Japanese artillery sent one bomb
into a village behind the Russian
headquarters at noon and some hours
later began to shell with lyddite from
the west.
Amidst the storm the wounded, wet
and cold, arrived either in litters or
on foot, struggling through the mud,
while at the same time the artillery
was seen flashing with an expenditure
Of ammunition which seemed beyond
all reckoning.
Ammunition trains and transport
wagons, which had been alarmed into