The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-26
Fort KuOpatkin is Captured After Desperate Hand to
 Hand Fighting
DOOM OF TIE FORTRESS
 ONLY QUESTION OF TIME
Russians Resisted BraveIy and All most the Entire Garrison Was
 Either Killed or Wounded
 During the Engagement.

| Che Foo. September 25, 1925 a. m.-As a result of the battle before Port Arthur, which began on September 1s, the Japanese succeeded in capturing several important positions, and today the Rus sian tenure of the big forts guarding the north. northeast and northwest sides Of the town is seriously threatened.
 Chinese information places the Japa- nese losses under 5000 for the three days fighting. and this comparatively small casualty list is due to the excessive care | used by the Japanese in making their preparations for the advance. Russian sources. however, claim to have informa- l tion that the Japanese losses were un- usually severe amounting to fully three | times the number mentioned above. Possibly the most important capture during the three days fighting was that of Fort Kuropatkin. which. while of minor value with regard to preventing the entrance Into the town of the Japanese. had been constructed for the purpose of protecting the source of the garrison's water supply. The control of this water | supply Is now in the hands of the Japa- nese.
 Began Before Day Break. | As was announced in these dispatches on September 20 the battle began before | daybreak on September 19 At this hour the citizens and the garrison of Port Ar thur, after the enjoyment of weeks of comparative security awoke to the thun- derous reports of artillery along the line extending from the western Itz noun tains to Rihlnng and Klkwan mountains
 This was the preface to the assault which was destined to result in the cap ture of three new and important Russian positions, together with six small but annoying forts lying between Shushiyen. and Rihlung mountain. During the day and night of the 18th, and until noon of the goth. the bombardment continued l without cessation, and the many shells falling from quarters which previously had been silent made 1t obvious that the Japanese had at last succeeded either in mounting many heavy guns in new positions or in strengthening their old positions. The infantry fighting during this period was comparatively trivial.
 At noon on September 20 the Japanese right and center, the former being to the west and the latter to the east of the railroad commenced the advance.
 
 The troops made use of the trenches and infrequent natural cover that lay in | their way. The small forts to the south | of Shushiyen resisted this advance, but briefly, their garrisons not being strong | numerically. Since the beginning of the bombardment the artillery from Fort Kuropatkin had been growing steadily weaker. and 1t having become apparent tha. 1t had been practically sienced, tho Japanese assaulted the fort. Fort Kuro- patkin Is situated to the south of Pall- chuang, and to the northeast of the pa- rade ground on a low hill
 It derives its name from the time when General Kuropatkin inspected it, pointed out the weakness of the position, and or dered that 1t be strengthened as far as possible because of the necessity Of pro- tecting the water supply While situated in the chain of main forts, Fort Kuro-
 patlkin never has been as strong as the , others and after severe fighting 1t fell into the hands of the Japanese This
 capture lessens further the security of the fort on Rihlung mountain. which is , now threatened from new quarter, as well as from Palichuang.
 At o'clock of the afternoon of the , goth, the Japanese captured a supple mentary fort which from the lower
 ground threatens the fort on ltz moun- , tain. This ended the heavy fighting for
 
 7 were compelled to resist several sortles . Fearful Assault Made. During the night the heavy lombard ment of the Russian positions continued, the Japanese fire directed with particular @ vigor agaiaet another supplementary fort s 3OOO yards to the west of the fort on Itz l mountain. and regarded as highly import ant because of it's bearing on the Itz ! and Anshu mountain forts. The next day after having pounded this position un-
 mercifully and until It's fire had slacken-
 cd visibly. the Japanese delivered their
 assault.
 They met with a stubborn resistance. They were exposed to the fire of machine guns and rifles, and they made frantic efforts to reach the crest of the slope. They leaped over trenches and embank- ments, and tore down the entanglements in their path until at length they entered the fort. The Russian troops there re- fused to desert their position even in tha face of the superior numbers which con- fronted them, and desperate hand-to-hand fighting occurred inside the fort. Even- tualy almost the entire Russian garri- son was either killed or wounded.
 The foregoing information has been ob- tained from a Chinese of unimpeachable trustworthiness.
 Capture Means City's Doom. | Military experts here are or the opinion that if the Japanese capture either Rih- lung or Kikwan forts. or the Itz and An- shu forts the doom of Port Arthur Is sealed, and for this reason the impor- tance of the results obtained by the Jap anese in their latest assaults upon the Russian position Is obvious.
 As the Chinese from whom the corre- spondent of the Associated Press ob- tained his inforamton left Port Arthur the night of September 21 he is unable } to say whether the battle was renewed on the 22d or not, although junks which have just come in here bring reports of , a light bombardment on that day. A steamer which has arrived here from Port Arthur confirms previous reports that there was heavy fighting at Port Arthur on September 2A