The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-09

was evident that the experiment of
taking Port Arthur by storm would not
be repeated. So the besieging army
settled down to sapping and making
parallels. For a fortnight the Rus
slams were unceasing in their efforts
to recapture the fortified ridge. They
bombarded and assaulted by day the
bomb proofs and trenches which the
Japanese repaired at night. Not an
inch of the desperately won ground
was retaken, but the Japanese lost on
an average 100 men a day for the two
weeks struggle. Then the Russians,
exhausted with their prolonged and al
most superhuman efforts to dislodge
their foes, ceased firing.
All this time the Japanese had been
working night and day at siege paral-
lels. Although they retained possession
of the outer fortified ridge, they were
prevented from advancing by the abiI-
ity of the Russians to turn a concen-
trated fire from the inner forts upon
their troops. The key to the situation
was q certain advance fort on Two
Hundred and Three Meter hill. Gen
eral Nogi believed that If he could get
possession of this point his artillery
would dominate the surrounding coun-
try to such an extent that his infantry
could approach Port Arthur from the
west, which was now its weakest side.
The Japanese were not blind to the
difficulty which faced them in their de-
termination to capture the coveted hill.
Its sides and summit bristled with
fortifcations, and it's batteries were
the most efficient of Port Arthur's out
er defenses. The approach to the hill
was guarded by a series of the most
perplexing entanglements ever devised
by human ingenuity. These were in
nf vi Wi
turned in every conceivable direction
and forming barrier SO impenetrable
that both artillery and infantry were
powerless to proceed farther. The Jap
anese pioneers suffered heavy casual
ties In cutting these wires. They were
so firmly placed that all regulation
means of removing them failed. The
pioneers tried to attach ropes to the
posts that supported the wires so that
the men in the trenches might pull
them from their mornings, but the
Russian fire made the work slow and
frightfully hazardous. All the time
there was no lack of volunteers for this
most perilous service.
While these operations were in prog
ress re- endorsements were added to the
existing units to bring the army up to
it's full strength, and it was announced
from headquarters that the siege would
be brought to finish by a general as
sault on Sept. 10. Punctual again,
General Nogi ordered the bombardment
to be commenced at dawn of the ap-
pointed day. The japanese made many
advances during the day, but were re-
pulsed with shocking carnage. Sew
eral attempts during the night were
equally bloody and unsuccessful. Ear
ly next morning the whole force was
concentrated in a furious assault on
what was regarded as the weakest SPOT
on the hill. The sappers had finally
managed to clear away the worst of
the entanglements, and the meats were
crossed by means of scaling ladders.
With hand grenades and dynamite the
Russian trenches and bomb proofs were
destroyed, and the outside works were
captured in twenty minutes. Both the
slopes of the hill and the ridge were
transformed into a veritable inferno of
fire and slaughter. The artillery duel
went on uninterruptedly all day. When
darkness came, very little had been