Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-23

Sel has been beating off the Japanese assaults and the heavy losses suffered by the besiegers offer considerable encouragement to the war office.
 There is limit beyond which troops cannot go, no matter how gal lant,'' sa d an officer of the general staff this morning.
 "A fifth of the army before Port Arthur is a small estimate of the en- erny's losses up to date. If the storm ing operation, which we understand is now progressing, fails to give them a foothold in the ring of the inner defenses the Japanese will be com pelled by sheer exhaustion to stop to recuperate, while await ng reinforce ments, and I personally, together with some of my colleagues, believe they will abandon the idea of gen. eral assault and settle down to regu- lar siege operations. Starving out the garrison is less brilliant, but it is quite as effective way of reducing a fortress. The Japanese purpose in rushing matters has doubtless been to release a section of the southern ar my and enable it to cooperate with the armies in Manchuria."
 The naval critic of the Viedmosti boldly expresses the opinion that the Port Arthur squadron would commit an act of folly if it went out now. He adds:
 Although portion of Admiral Ouktomsky's ships are in fighting trim, including at least the Peresviet, Poltava, Sebastopol and Pallada, it would be futile to attempt to break through Admiral Togos strong lines. The squadron would be lost without profit to Port Arthur. OuktOmsky would do better to dismantle his guns and send the men ashore. This would reinforce General Stoessel to the ex- tent of ninety-seven heavy and four hundred light guns and 6,000 men. Then, If the worst comes, the ships could be sunk
 A seni-official journal, while paying tribute to the heroic defenders of Port Arthur, does not withhold praise for the extraordinary valor of the Jap Rnese besiegers. It says:
 ssNeither rain of cannon shots, walls of bayonets, nor earth strewn with purifying corpses can arrest their stubborn assaults.
 There are a number of yelled inti- nations in both the newspaper dis patches from Liaoyang and at head quarters here that General Kuropat- kin is preparing diversion against General Kuroki, to prevent the dis patch of endorsements to aid the attackers of Port Arthur
 The Noyoe Vremya considers that the question of China's attitude is very serious and contends that the Chinese are quite incapable of preserv- ing neutrality, adding:
 How otherwise could Japanese warshfps enter Chinese ports at will? The idea that the United States is going to preserve the neutrality of China is an illusion The American torpedo boat destroyer Chauncey's pursuit of the Japanese torpedo boat turns out to have been mere CO Incidence
 Chefoo. Aug g (noon). According to advices brought here from Port Ar thur by junk, the Japanese were hotly pressing the Russian center along the railway and the Russian right in the vicinity of Golden hill. These advices are brought by Chinese who departed from Taipangtze, which is one mile from the city, near Golden hill, between the city and the forts of the Russian right wing. The Chinese declare that the Japanese occupied Taipangtze and penetrated along the railway to General StoesseFs resi- denee on August 21.
 AS this report would indicate that Port Arthur. had all but fallen, the Japanese expert attached to the local consulate received the information with great reserve. The information as accepted, however, as confrma- tfon of previous reports that the Rus sians have been driven from ItzSh;th and that the Japanese are very close to the southern forts and the eastern defenses.
 The local Japanese, under the lead ership of their consul, are subscribing money and preparing to celebrate the expected fall of the fortress
 The Chinese who arrived to-day further report that Russian warship was hit by shell recently and sunk in the harbor.
 A report was cabIed several days ago that gunboat of the Otyajann type had been sunk. This probably is the vessel referred to.
 shangai, Aug 23.-The finding of the naval court of inquiry i'll the case of the British steamer Hipsang was delivered this morning. The Hipsang was torpedOed and sunk July 16 while passing Pigeon bay. The findings of the court are as follows:
 "A Russian torpedo boat destroyer now Identified as the Ratstorppuy came up at daylight with Hipsang whose lights were burning brightly and who had the British flag flying The destroyer fired shells, killing and maiming passengers. The Hipsang stopped directly. but the Russian yes vel fired a torpedo, sinking her. There was no contraband aboard her, nor any Japanese. Her captain was ex perieneed and he acted perfectly cor rect. The court desires to draw the attention of the board of trade and the foreign office that the steamer while proceeding with due caution and on her correct course was tor. pedoed and sunk without any just cause or reason The loss of life was due to the shell fire. previous to tile torpedoing of the vessel. These acts were done by the Russian destroyer No ("
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