Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-11
RUSSIANS HEAVY LOSS
REFUGEES REPORT BIG BATTLE
BEHIND FORT ARTHUR.
800 Reported Dead in Desperate Fight
Advance on Yinkow Kaiser
Sends a Significant Message.

A cablegram from Chefoo last night
says: Chinese junkmen. who arrived here
today from Port Arthur, say that on Tues
day, July g. the carriers brought into the
town more than 800 Russian dead. two of
whom were high officials. They state that
a part of the Japanese force advanced to
within six miles of the besieged town, TAX
ing another eastern fort.
A fair wind brought fleet of junks from
Port Arthur today, carrying both Chinese
and Europeans Reports which they bring
of conditions at Port Arthur are contra
dictory. but they all say that a Japanese
division from the northward Is intrenching
seven miles from the marine camp, while
another division from the eastward is fight
ing continuously and, with the aid of the
fleet, is endeavoring to gain position COM
handing the town and naval basin.
A Russian says that the Japanese occu-
pied the summit of Ta-ku-shan Mountain,
which is about three miles from Port Ar
thur on the night of July 6, with mount
ed battery of artillery.
The fighting to the eastward of Port Ar
thur had been very heavy since July i. The
Japanese ships along the shore are Smelling
the Russian position in the hills. TIE
smoke from the artillery the hills
around Port Arthur is seen almost contin-
uously. Dead and wounded are being
brought in at all hours, and many private
houses have been turned into hospitals.
Only skirmishes have occurred to the north
ward
The main Japanese force is ten miles
away. but Japanese scouts have been seen
in the vicinity of the main camps, which
command the principal pass to 'he hills d.
rectly back of Port Arthur. On the nights
of July 2, 3 and the Japanese fleet bonn
barded the roads from the south o. the
town. The forts were not damaged. No
further night attacks have been made since
July 4.
Chinese mechanic from Port Arthur
dry docks says that two large three fun
neled ships have been missing from the
Russian fleet since the fight off Port Arthur
on June Y. The battle ship Sevastopol Is
still undergoing repairs. and four torpedo
boat destroyers are in dry dock.
Russians Claim Japs Are Losers.
The Russians. on the other hand, say that
their fleet is intact. and that as a matter
of fact the Japanese have been the losers
in the fights off Port Arthur. The Russians
assert that the Japanese have lost no less
than ten torpedo boats in their attempts
to reach the Russian guardship which was
protected by the stone-laden ships sunk by
the Japanese in their effort to block the
entrance to Port Arthur. The g,Iardship
anchored behind the wrecked vessels. An
entrance was opened around the foot of
Golden HILL but the rest Of the channel
was closed with booms, making it inpos-
sible for. tOrpedoeS to pass. Several hun
dred Russians and 100 Chinese mechanics
are still at work In the dockya-dS at Port
Arthur.
A dispatch from Chefoo, dated July 7.
stated that in the fighting which occurred
on July over the possession of one of the
lost according to Chinese 100 men killed
and fifty men wounded. Fifty Chinese car
riers were sent out to bring in the Russian
dead and wounded.