Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-25
HARBOR IS BLOCKED
Japanese Sank Seven Steam
 CTS as Channel Shoppers.
RUSSIAN FLEET NOW POWERLESS
Strong Fortfhcations at Harbfn and LtaOyang -Japx Reported About . to Invade Chinese Neutral Ter-
 ritory-Togo's Report.

-- to Invade Chinese Neutral Ter-
 ritory-Togo's Report.
 LONDON, March 25. - A dispatch from Tokyo says:
 '|On the night of March p the Japa. nese fleet renewed the attempt to bot tie up Port Arthur. Sixteen warships escorted seven merchant steamers to the mouth of the harbor, and under cover of the bombardment the steam CTS ran in and were sunk in the de- sired positions. Three thousand Japa- nese officers and bluejackets volun- teered for this duty"
 A great Japanese force has been massed for an advance on Harbin, starting from the mouth of the Tument river below Possiet bay. This is at the northeastern junction of Korea and Manchuria. t..
 Heavy columns are also concentrated north of Pingyang for an offensive move on the Yalu river.
 A St. Petersburg report says that the Japanese deliberately contemplate a violation of their pledge to respect neutral Chinese territory and will land troops at Shanhaikwan, according to reports received by the minister of war here. The presence of disguised Jap anese soldiers acting as spies along the Shanhaikwan road has been establish ed, and Russian agents report that there is every indication of an intend ed landing on the west coast of the gulf of Liaotung. The information conveyed by these agents seems to CO., incide with other information indicat ing complete change in the Japanese plan of' campaign or of its entrance into a second stage practically involv- ing the abandonment of further heavy landings of troops in Korea.
 According to advices received by the government there are only about TO-, 900 Japanese troops i'll the Hermit Kingdom at present. It is considered possible that the Japanese reckoned on complete mobilization there much sooner, but that the difficulties met with in transporting troops from Ja- pan and over the roads in Korea proved more serious than expected, and the Japanese found themselves unable to
 
 before the Russian troops arrived in sufficient force to check them. At any rate the latest advices indicate that the Japanese will not send many more soldiers into Korea. They may make a diversion at Possiet bay in the direction of Vladivostok, but their main objective henceforth will be in the gulf of Lfaotung.
 The Russian military authorities have felt themselves compelled to con- sider the foregoing possibility and to take the necessary precautions. The international complications which might arise out of Japanese landing on neutral Chinese territory have also received careful consideration, for, al- though it is specifically declared that 1t is not believed Japan would dare to violate the agreement made in re- sponse to the note of United States Secretary of State Hay as well as in Japan's other public professions, there is reason to affirm that the Russian line of conduct in such contingency has already been decided upon in prin-. ciple. The assurances obtained from Picking require that the Chinese au- thorities should oppose with their ar my such step on the part of Japan.
 A high Russian official states that "it would have worse consequences for other powers than Russia if Ja- pan should enter neutral territory, for such step would obviously be for the purpose of fnveigling China into the fight. If Japan should be successful in this there would be an uprising against foreigners which would be ten fold greater than the Boxer affair. The mere possibility is pregnant with all sorts of dangers, but we can hard ly believe that Japan will venture to violate the neutrality of China as she did that of Korea"
 It is learned that the Russian mili- tary attache at Picking is now at New chwang watching the movements Of the Chinese troops.
 Strong Qualifications have been erect ed for the defense of Harbin and Liao- yang.
 The construction of batteries at Newchwang. continues to be feverish- ly pushed, and it is believed that that place will shortly be in a condition to resist even a determined assault by the Japanese. +s
 Nuropatk1n nt ErISutsk.
 vTTyySc SR