The Bourbon news., 1904-09-27
A FURIOUS ASSAULT.
japanese Attack Port Arthur on
Three Sides.
The 6esieged Forces Are Fighting az
in Furnace-A Perfect Storm
of Shells Is Falling on the
Town, Port and Fortress.

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general staff as yet have no knowl-
edge, reached the emperor Saturday
morning. 1 can affirm that they con-
cern Port Arthur, regarding whicn
place the greatest anxiety prevails at
! court. The Japanese are now engag-
ed in general assault, which is more
furious than its predecessors, attack
Ing the town on three sides simulta-
neously and employing their whole
forces, being determined to finish the
business. Russian, mines blew up
whole battalions.
Gen. Fock especially distinguished
himself, directing the fire from the
wall, which the Japanese reached aft
er indescribable massacre
The whole of Adm. Togo's and
Vice Adm. Kamamimura's squadrons
are aiding the struggle, which it is
feared here will be final. The besieg-
ed forces are fighting as in furnace.
A perfect storm of shells is falling on
the town, port and fortress from the
whole hill and roadstead. Gen. Stoes-
sci is going from fort to fort encour-
aging the defenders in their desperate
efforts.
Che Foo, Sept. 26-As a result of
the battle before Port Arthur which
began on September 10, the Japanese
succeeded in capturing several impor-
tant positions and Sunday the Rus
sian tenure of the big forts guarding
the north, northeast and northwest
sides of the town was seriously threat
ened
Possibly the most important capture
during the three days fighting was
that Of Fort Kuropatkin, which, while
of minor value with regard to pre-
venting 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 japanese
AS was announced in these dis
patches on September 20 the battle
began before daybreak on September
10. At this hour the citizens and the
garrison Of Port Arthur, after the en-
joyment of weeks of comparative se
curity, awoke to the thunderous re-
ports of artillery along the line ex.
tending from the west of Itz noun
tains to Riplung and Kikwan noun
tains. This was but a preface to the
assault which was destined to result
in the capture of three new and i'm
portant Russian positions, together
with six small but annoying forts ly-
ing between Shushiyen and Rihlung
mountain. During the day and night
Of the 18th and until noon of the goth
the bombardment continued without
cessation and the many shells falling
from quarters which previously had
been silent, made it obvious that the
Japanese had at last succeeded either
in mounting heavy guns in new posi-
tions or in Strengthening old ones.
At noon on September 20 the Japan
ese right and center, the former being
to the west and the latter to the east
Of the railroad, commenced the adj
vance. 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 ar
tillery fire from Fort Kuropatkin had
been growing steadily weaker, and it
having become apparent that it had
been practically silenced, the Japan.
ese assaulted the fort.
During the night the heavy lombard
ment Of the Russian positions contin-
ued, the Japanese fire being directed
with particular vigor against another
supplementary fort, 5000 yards to the
west Of the fort on Itz mountain, and
regarded as highly important because
of it's bearing on the Itz and Anshu
having pounded this position unmerci-
fully and until its fire hal slackened
visibly, the Japenese 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 embankments and tore
down the entanglements in their path
until at length they entered the fort.
The Russian troops there refused to
desert their position, even in the face
of the superior numbers which con-
fronted them, and desperate hand-to-
hand fighting occurred inside the fort.
Eventually almost the entire Russian
garrison was either killed or wounded.
Military experts here are of the
opinion that if the Japanese capture
either Rihlung or Kikwan forts or the
Itz and Anshu forts the doom of Port
Arthur is sealed, and for this reason
the Importance of the results obtained
by the Japanese in their latest as
saults upon the Russian positions is
obvious.
Peace In Uruguay.