Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-23
Gordon Around Port Arthur
Drawn Tighter.
AWAITING ITS FALL
RUSSIAN WAR OFFICE REMAINS
HOPEFUL.
Reports of the Capture Of Itseshan or
Chair Fort Confirmed by
Latest Dispatches.

1ONDO :, August o3-The Evening News
this afternoon published a dispatch from
Chefoo under today's date announcing that
the Japanese captured Chair Fort" OF the
Port Arthur defenses, yesterday, after a
tremendous attack
The Evening News dispatch from Chefoo
Is simply a repetition of the announcement
of the capture of Itshan, or Etseshan'
known as Chair Fort.
Etseshan, according to the maps of Port
Arthur is almost In the center Of the chain
of fortS of which it forms one. defending
Port Arthur, from which it is only about
mile and half distant. 1t occupies
commanding position and Is possibly sec
ond In Importance only to the Golden Hill
forts.
1t was announced from Chefoo yesterday
that the Japanese had swept the Russians
from Pigeon bay and had captured the
nOrthernmost fort of the western line of
inner defenses. though AntsZshan fort.
about a mile northeast of Etseshan fort,
might also be classed az the northernmost
fort of the western line of inner defenses
at Port Arthur.
CHEFOO, August 23.-According to ad-
vices brought here from Port Arthur by
junk, the Japanese are hotly pressing the
Russian center along the railway and the
Russian right In the vicinity of Golden
Hill. These advices are brought by Chi
nese who departed from Taipangtze, which
Is one mile from the city near Golden Hill,
between the city and the forts of the Rus
sian right wing. The Chinese declare that
the Japanese occupied Tapangtze and
penetrated along the railway to General
Stoessels residence August 81
AS this report would Indicate that Port
Arthur had all but fallen no Japanase
expert attached to the local consulate re-
ceived the information with great reserve.
The information Is accepted, however a
confirmation of previous reports that The
Russians have been driven from Itzshan.
and that the Japanese very close to
the southern forts and the eastern de-
fenSes
The local Japanese under the leadership
of their consul, are subscribing money and
preparing 10 celebrate the expected fall Of
the fortress.
These Chinese who arrived today :urther
report that a Russian warship hit ty
shell recently and sunk in the harbor.
report was cabled several days ago
that a gunboat Of the Otvajano type had
been sunk. This is probably the vessel
referred to.
Russian War Office Encouraged.
ST. PETERSBURG. August 23-Despite
the popular feeling that Port Arthur is
eoomed. the success with which Lieutenant
General Stoessel has been beating off the
Japanese assaults and the heavy losses
suffered by the besiegers offer considerable
encouragement to the office.
There is a limit beyond which troops
cannot CO. no matter how gallant" said an
officer of the general staff this morning.
"A fifth of the army before Port Arthur is
a small estimate of the enemys losses up
to date If the storming operation which
we understand is now progressing, fails to
give them foothold in the ring of inner
defenses the Japanese will be compelled
by sheer exhaustion TO stop and recuperate
while awaiting additional reinforcements
and |. personally. together with some of
my colleagues believe they will abandon
the idea of a general assault and settle
down to regular siege operations. Starv-
ing out the garrison is less brilliant, but 1t
is quite effective a way of reducing a
fortress. The japanese purpose in rushing
matters has doubtless been to release a
section of the southern army and enable it
to cooperate with the armies in Man
churia."
Proposed Sortie of Ships.
The naval critic of the Viedomosti boldly
expresses the opinion that the Port Arthur
squadron would commit an act of folly if it
went out now. He adds:
although a portion of Admiral Ouk-
tomskys fleet are in fighting trim, In
Guiding at least the Peresviet, Poltava,
Sebastapol and Pallada, it would be futile
to attempt to break through Admiral
Togo's strong lin. The :quadron would be
lost without profit to Port Arthur. Ouk-
tomsky would do better to dismantle his
guns and send the men ashore. This would
reinforce Gen. Stoessel to the extent of
% heavy guns and 400 light guns and 5000
men. Then. If the worst comes, the ships
could be sunk"
semi-oficial journal. while paying a
tribute to the heroic defenders of Port Ar
thur. does not withhold praise for the ex-
traordinary valor of the japanese besleg-
ers. IL says:
Neither a rain of cannon shots walls of
bayUuetS nor earth strCwn with putrefying
corpses can arrest their stubborn assaults
There are a number of veiled intimations
in both the newspaper dispatches from
Lao Yang and at headquarters here that
Gen. Kuropatkn is preparing a diversion
against Gen. kuroki to prevent the dis
patch of reinforcements to aid the attack
ers of Port Arthur.