Arizona republican., 1904-12-10

tune, strong force Of Japanese at
 tempted 10 pierce the line of works
 east of the fort, but they were unable
 to make progress. It was marvellous
 how the Russians were able to
 strengthen their lines of defense at
 points of attack.
 | Another attempt was made to pierce
 the principal line oT Notifications sur
 rounding the rear of the eastern part | of Panlung mountain where after four
 furious attempts a small body of Jap
 anese succeeded in getting through
 the wall and in establishing themselves
 on the lower slopes of Wantai hill. The
 Russians rushed supports with ma
 chine guns from the upper slopes of
 Wantai hill forts and the small party
 of Japanese was practically annihilat-
 ed. The most desperate fighting took
 place at this point.
 The last effort of the assaulters was
 made at midnight, assisted by artil-
 lery, which covered the slopes of Wan l tai hill with an avalanche of shells
 The Russians fought with tremendous
 courage, engaging the Japanese with 1 bayonets andgrenades when they came
 to close quarters. The Japanese fin
 ally established a trench line five yards
 in front of the line of Qualifications.
 which they now occupy. The forces are engaged in throwing dynamite gren- ades at each other.
 FORTS WERE CAULDRONS.
 In the first assault against the fort
 on the eastern part of Rihlr:ng noun tain the Japanese were unable to gain
 a foothold though their artillery made i the interior forts a seething cauldrCn
 of bursting shells. A strong force of
 Japanese worked from the parallels in the gorge between the fort hiil and
 Hachimakijma and entrenched on the
 hin in an effort to assist the assault
 CTS of the fort, who were attacking it
 from the rear, and met with a terri
 ble fire from the outer works and with
 shrapnei from the ridge in the rear.
 A small party of Japanese gained the
 roadway leading to the rear of the fort
 but were forced to retire.
 Attempts which were first made to
 rush the western part of Rihlung
 mountain, officially called Sungshu mountain, also ended in failure. The Japanese reached the parapets. The walls were black with assaulters. who were deluged with shells from the fort ; on Antse mountain across the gorge , of the Shishi valley between the two 2 fortified ridges and from the fort inn , mediately in the rear called the sup
 porting fort of Sungshd mountain.
 At o'clock at night a force of two thousand volunteers from the right di- vision, led by general, started from a point southwest Of Shishi village, } pushing up the gorge between two for ? tified ridges, and attacked the support | ing fort of Sungshu mountain, which } Is a short distance outside the western 2 confines of Port Arthur. with the in tention of enveloping the city from /, 1.-the west, and also for the purpose of !, assisting the assaulters of the two ? RIhluns mountain forfs.
 HAND ITO HAND STRUGGLES. The force reached the hill and en- | gagged a strong force of Russians upon . it's slopes in a hand to hand encounter, | which lasted for two hours. At the P same time the Japanese assaulting the l east and west Rihlung Iorts made des- , perate attempts to rush the interior :, Of the forts. They gained the ramparts g inside of which they established trench Q lines.
 g The interior defenses of both forts
 are the same as those on North Kek- D wan mountain, but the east Rihlung 8 fort is the largest and strongest of the q three forts. It has upper and lower x levels. The lower levels were the scene |, of a most awful struggle whicE lasted e from 10 o'clock until midnight. Under c cover of darkness the Japanese poured = over the ramparts and furiously at = tackled the first sections of bomb . proofs, the defenders receiving them ~ with bayonets and dynamite grenades, t while machine guns on the upper levels s poured a deadly hail into the ranks of = the Japanese.
 The struggle was absolutely hand to
 hand. The defenders of the greater f part of the bomb. proofs on the lower s levels of the forts were annihilated and . the sections and cross sections of the e bomb proofs were piled with corqses ! The Japanese gained practically the . whole of the lower section of 6he fort
 but were moved down by machine = guns and rifles when they attempted
 to mount higher.
 For an hour before midnight the Jap z anese artillery shelled the higher levels T while the Russian guns shelled the H lower levels A similar struggle was s3 going on all the time in the west Rih- # lung fort, where the arrangements oi Il defenses was the same.
 T At II o'clock a desperate effort was H made by the Japanese to push force .5 up the gorge between the east Rih- T lung fort and Hachinakijma to assis T the assaulters against the supporting .3 fort of Sungshu mountain, but agair Fl and again this force was repulsed b1 H the Russians behind the works and by 2 guns on the ridge behind the fort. THE MIDNIGHT ATTACK. Fl At midnight a column attacking the Fl supporting fort of Sungshu mountain Il was compelled to retire, having lost E half of its force. The struggle in the q two forts was continued until dawn S when the assaulters were compelled te
 retire to the trenches established in @ side the parapet walls, which they now & occupy. The fighting all the afternoon A and night was the most desperate and 4 sanguinary since the siege began. Int Il opposing forces were so close together S that only the fort walls or few yards H of level ground separated them. The A struggle from start to finish was al 2z close quarters with bayonets and gren