Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-28
RUSSIANS, WITH CALLING FIRE,
REPEL ALL BUT ONE
PARTY.
TURN THEIR GUNS ON
PONTOON BRIDGES

AOAI1 IL Hll VUlNE9 yin
PONTOON BRIDGES
Report Causes Joy Rather Than sor
row in st. Petersburg - No Con-
firmation Of Story That 1000 Japan.
ese Troops Had Been KiIledl
LONDON, April 27. "A dispatch from
NOPE, Japan, says that several vessels
oeneVed to be Russian, were aaain
sighted Oft Wanson, corea, today.
Port Arthur, April 27. - The stu.
alton In this vicinity today is unchana.
ST. Petersburg, April a7. -(6:27 o.
ND The admiralty has no confirnna.
e'on OF the current report that Wan.
son (Genson) corea, has been BON.
st. Petersburg, April 27. - The aen.
era' staff believes that one of the Jap.
anese columns, while attempting I'd
cross the YaIu river at Turenctef, sus.
tanned a severe loss, owing to the unexs
pected shelling by the Russian battery
from the opposite bank, which DESTROY.
co the Japanese pontoons.. The jap.
anese, the general staff says, tried 10
cross the river at six or seven different
points and succeeded only at one
point. s
Liao Yang. April 27. The Japanese
nave forced a passage of the Yalu two
companies crossing between Tchang.
dllou and Siaopoussikhe Heavy firing
was heard near Tatung Kau, in which
IL is believed the Japanese made a
RENT IN order to distract attention
from from the real point of passage. So
lar no bridge spans the river
1t IS believed the Russian fire sue.
ceeded in destroying the floating parta
OF the Japanese bridges. s.-,.1,r--
\ Russians Hear thg N eWs.
st. Petersburg, April 27.-The cross.
ing OF the Yalu river by the Japanese
did not impress the Russians. In view
OF the reports of the ensuing Japan-
ese reverse. These reports became
more persistent at noon and caused
an all round rise on the bourse, but so
1ar there has been no confirmation of
them officially.
Story Of Engagement Of April 25. t
Lao Yang. April 27. - On April 23
the Russians observed the Japanese
making preparations to cross the Yalu
river. The night of April 25 two
steamers and two torpedo boats were
noticed at the mouth Of the river.
They approached the shore at daNs
nght and the Japanese commenced to
Dulld pontoon on the left tributary.
A second pontoon was being prepar-
ed ten miles up the stream.
Used Pontoon Boats.
AT 3 O'Clock the same afternoon the
Japanese occupied the Island Of Samo.
Undo, to which they carried pontoon
boats, etc. Torpedo boats maintained
a watch In case troops on shore should
pc attacked, and examined the mouth
or the river by means Of searchlights,
4 Russian Guns Effective.
AT $40 the next morning the Japa.
nese crossed the river near Tchindia-
gon. The Russian advance guards
had been furnished with a small gun
and succeeded in destroying the pom
toon construction near Wiju The
wrecked pontoon was carried away by
the current and further Japanese
bridging operations ceased, but the.
Japanese continued to cross by am
other pontoon southwark of Will The
Japanese column with battery artil-
lery, approached Turenchen at mid
day, but the Russian skirmishers met,
them with sharp firing, evidently Civ.
ing them trouble as they retired with
the battery, which made no attempt to
answer the Russian fire
Paris April PA st. Petersburg
correspondent of the Matin says un-
der date of April 26:
Il learn from sure source that the
), Vlodivostok squadron yesterday sank
four Japanese transports which were
conveying 1000 men,
(This cannot be verified and is be-
lieved to be untrue in the light Of lat
er dispatches.)
skrydioff Starts For Front.
st. Petersburg, April 27. - Vice Adj
miral Skrydloff left ST. Petersburg for
Moscow today. His departure was
marked by scenes similar to thosrf
which accompanied the farewells of
the other commanders.
Russian Forces Complete Concentra.
tion.
: st. Petersburg. April 27. - Advices
from Mukden indicate that the Russi-
| ans have completed the concentration
} of their forces on the Mukden-Liau
, Yang-Yalu and Mukden-N Chwang
r lines. Forty thousand men occu-
pying fortified positions along the
i. Yalu river and 10000 are posted at
2 Taku Shan at the head of Corea bay
, where the Japanese have threatened
to make a landing. The Russians also
3 occupy the banks of the Tpnen river
t from the Russo-Corean fro tier to
. Take Tai Til (Paik Tou SAM, on the
Manchu-Corean frontier, near the
: source Of the Yalu. Detachments OF
! Russian cavalry and light artillery
Y hold the towns of Kio Lin, Musan
: and Zunduyan, along the river. and
Q points on the east coast Of Corea Of
o., 20 p>,. To-