The Bourbon news., 1904-11-08
THE EARTH TREkBLED.
Terrific BOmbardment of Por
Arthur by Japs.
Their Losses Were Very Heavy-The
indications Are That the Final
and Successful Engagement Is
About to Take Place.


London, Nov 4.-The Daily Tele-
graphs Che Foo correspondent, tele-
graphing Thursday, says that the Jap
anese losses during the last assault
on Port Arthur were heavier than on
any of the previous attacks. The
bombardment, he says, was so fierce
that the streets of Dalny were said to
tremble as though from an earthquake.
The same papers correspondent with
Gen. Oku, under date of November 2,
says that the indications are that a
terrific engagement is about to COM
mence.
London, Nov. 5.-The Daily Nails
Che Foo correspondent has obtained
a letter from Russian in Port Ar
thur dated October 27 in which the
writer declares that it would need the
pen of Zola or the brush of Haerest-
chagin to picture the awfulness of the
siege. The letter continues:
"The uncanny part of it all is that
men meet death in utter silence. One
sees the fiercest of fights but hears
no sound. One moonlight night at
Else mountain watched an assault of
a ghostly> mass of moving figures,
through which continual lanes were
made by our guns, admitting glimpses
of scenes behind These gaps were
closed up as if by magic, and the
masses surged onward while our men,
forsaking the trenches, sought the
shelter of the forts. On they came
until, when they were close up to us,
the mines exploded and the earth
opened. Bodies were hurled high in
the air. and then sank again to earth.
Hands clutched rifles, and in the
moonlight the bayonets looked like
fire works shooting upwards and as
cending point downwards into the
bodies Of men. dream of the sight
even now.
''All the inventions of military geni-
us are not able to daunt the Japan
ese, who fight with Titanic energy.
Our soldiers are gladiators and great
hearted heroes.
''The last sortie of the fleet failed
previously damaged We have not a
single bottle of anaesthetics left. Just
think what agony the wounded must
endure. The food is of the coaTsest
and even that is becoming scarce,
while disease is rife and sanitary con-
ditions are deplorable. 1t is impossi-
bic to repair the ships with out scant
resources; but we are all determined
to hold out, come what will, in the
hope of relief. For every man we
lose our foes bemoan the loss of a
hundred"
Che Foo, Nov. 7.-As the result OF
months of preparation Vladivostok is
ahow strongly protected, according to
Capt. Halversen, of the Norwegian
steamer Tungues, which arrived here
five days out from that port with 700
Chinese refugees who were unable to
live at Vladivostok any longer owing
to the high prices of food and other
necessaries due to the war
Capt. Halversen says the Vladivo-
stok system of Notifications begins
1hohS OuCO1OC Iu0 CITY DIODSI
and grows stronger as the city is ap-
preached.
Ships laden with food, cannon, am
munition and all sorts of military sup
plies frequently arrive at .Vladivostok.
The European residents of Vladivo-
stok show their confidence in the Sc
curity of the city by evidencing an un-
willingness to leave it.
If the Japanese make an attempt to
capture Vladivostok it is the belief of
Capt. Halversen that they will find it
to be second Port Arthur.
The harbor of Vladivostok, he says,
has been mined for a distance of some
seven miles. In four miles of this
area, contact mines have been laid
while in the remaining three miles
electric mines have been planted,