The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-09-09
OPENING FIGHT OF
THE GREAT BATTLE
SERIES AT LlAOYANG


LIAOYANG. Aug 80. 10 "a m.--From
! nve o'clock this morning until O'Clock
lthoro has been an incessant shower Of
lshrapuol The heaviest cannonading i
looming from the southeast. whore the
lJapantse evidently have numerous
guns Deadly shells are bursting ev-
lcrywherc. their white smoke being dis
tinctly traceable against the dark foli-
age OF the mountain sides. The Japa-
nese are searching the whole country
side with their fire. selecting certain
squares Of territory on which for a few
moments they mass a hail of shot and
shell from all their guns. They then
pass TO another square, thus working
the whole field, with mathematical pre-
cision. from right to left. In this way
the entire Russian front has been sys-
tematically searched in the first four
hours of the cannonadlng.
Then commenced the general Japa-
nese advance along the whole line.
At this hour 90 a. m) the japanese
artillery fire has somewhat slackened,
but their infantry Is steadily pushing
forward.
The Russians have been holding their
ground gallantly and their losses are
small, considering the terrible nature
of the japanese fire.
DETAILS OF OPENING FIGHT.
ST. PETERSBURG, Aug. 80. 1882 p.
m.-The long-expected battle at Lao
yang has begun, and the two armies
are now fighting what probably viii
prove to be the decisive battle of the
campaign. The Japanese armies are
attacking General Kuropatkin's forces
upon his chosen ground and his friends
and admirers here are confident that,
having accepted general engagement,
he will defeat the Japanese
In brief telegram received this
morning, Kuropatkin says the general
advance of the japanese began yester-
day at noon, the Russian outposts fall
ing back upon the mainland. The
heaviet fighting was taking place,
when his dispatch was sent, from
point ten miles southeast of Liaoyang,
where the japanese seemed to be con-
centrating for their main battle. The
Russians suffered principally from the
shrapnel fire of the japanese artillery.
The Japanese selected the Mikado's
1t will not be surprising If today is also
signalized by grand assault on Port
Arthur.
The Russian forces are disposed at
Liaoyang to meet the onslaught of the
three Japanese armies described in
these dispatches yesterday. A telegram
from Kuropatkin, which gives this in
formation, together with the details of
the retirement of the Russian troops
upon Liaoyang, has not been out for
strategic reasons. The combined arr
mics of Generals Kuroki, Oku and
Nodzu probably exceed 100000 men.
Their forces are considerably superior
in numbers to General Kuropatkin's,
but the Russian chief
probably relies upon the strength and
character of his position to overcome
the disparity in numbers.
The War Office is waiting with
breathless anxiety for news of the
progress and issue of the battle on
which so much depends.
GERMAN ADVICEs.
BERLIN, Aug. 3O.-A dispatch from
Liaoyang to the Lokal Anzeiger, timed
1926 a. m. today. says:
what appears to be the deciding
battle began at a. m. Since then the
artillery has been laundering and rifle
fire has been rolling necessarily. The
encrcling heights resemble fire-emit-
ting mountains The Japanese began
the attack east of Liaoyang along the
Taitse rive, but We're repulsed.
The firing is now specially heavy