The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-25
Every Man Volunteered When
They Knew t Meant Death
JAPANESE ARE TUNNElLING
Plans Were Well Carried Out When
Attack on Walls of Fort at
Port Arthur Were
Made.

Headquarters of the japanese Third
Army, Before Port Arthur, December 20,
via Yin Kow.-(Delayed In transmission,
via Tien Tsin, December 2.)-Since the
general assault of November 26-27 against
the forts on Rihlung and Kekwan noun
tains, resulting in furious fighting and
great loss of life. and described at length
by the Associated Press correspondent in
a dispatch filed November 2s. the Japa-
nese have been engaged In tunnelling un-
der the north fort of Kekwan mountain.
Two main tunnels run under the north
wall of the fort from the moat for a
distance of forty feet and there were
four short branch tunnels.
On the morning of December Is seven
dynamite mines were laid. the object Of
which was to destroy the north wall and
so give the japanese access to the fort.
The fort had so long resisted the as
saults of the Japanese that 1t was con-
sidered necessary that the explosions of
the mines and the subsequent attacks
should be carefully planned. General
Samejima, commanding the left division,
asked for volunteers who would be pre-
pared to capture the fort or to die in
the attempt. The entire battalions answer
was as one man in volunteering and the
other division asked for the same SER
vice, being refused. however on the
ground that too many would jeopardize
the enterprise. The first battalion re-
mained in the capionier galleries during
the explosion of the mines, while the
second battalion was In a parallel close
to the wall of the countryscarp.
In order that the dark blue uniform of
the men might not show against the
brown of the soil, which would be turned
by the force of the explosion, all the at
taclkers wore brown wooden underdraw-
ers over their trousers and brown sweat
ers over their tunics.
Wooden Headquarters.
Instead Of a cap each man wore a brown
wooden headpiece, which extended to the
shoulders, leaving only the faces visible.
Every man carried rifle In his right
hand and dynamite granades In his left,
while a lighted slow match was attach
ed to his cartridge belt with which to
ignite the fuses from the granades. In
this peculiar garb with the lighted
matches at their waists. the troops pre-
scented a strange appearance. The sol
diers of the battalions in the capioniere
galleries who were distinguished by white
badges on their arms, were to make the
second assault. General Samejima per-
sonally conducted these assaults at ?
o clock on the afternoon of December 49,
after the explosions had taken place.
The first mine exploded without warn
ing, and the explosion was entirely sue
cessful owing to heavy concrete about
the mine. The explosion OF the second
mine followed Immediately, and this was
succeeded by five smaller explosions. The
sight was wonderful in the extreme.
Huge clouds of brown earth and debris
OF all kinds were thrown 200 feet in the
air, and It looked as If the whole Of tho
fort had been sent heavenward When
the clouds of earth had settled down
the snow for some five hundred yards
around the fort was covered with brown
earth. pieces of timber and blocks of
concrete.
Two Large Breaches.
The explosions made two large
breaches in the north wall OF the fort
through which the Japanese In moats
were encompassed. They charged SO
quickly that fifty Of them were either
killed or wounded by the falling debris.
The Japanese succeeded in gaining the
fort, but they were repulsed by portion
of the garrison from behind a wall at the
rear of the fort. which had not been
touched by the force of the explosion.
Behind this wall there were four field
guns and three machine guns.
In the meantime the Russians had
rushed reinforcements of some 300 TO the
fort through the covered wall at the
rear The second battalion of attackers
advance Immediately
the sapping trenches from the parallel
to the moat were filled with debris When
this dash had been executed the bat
TALON regained the moat and reached the
ramparts through the breaches that had
been made by the explosions.
Used Good Judgment.
The commander of this enterprise real
lied that any attempt to gain the interior
OF the fort would end In disaster II his
whole force advanced In one body, SO he
disposed of his men along the wall, ana
ordered them to gain the lower level ot
the interior of the fort by twos and
threes, and to find cover In the holes
which had been made In the surface by
the Japanese shells. IN the center OF the
fort, great holes had been torn by the
Japanese shells. and these offered good
cover for the rife and machine guns
In these holes one hundred and fifty or
the attackers had found cover by
O'Clock in the afternoon
Advancing carefully, the Japanese APP
,oroached the Russian defences In the
rear of the fort, and by working from
hole 10 hole under cover OF the darkness,
the entire battalion gained the interior
of the fort, notwithstanding the desper-
ate resistance made by the Russians The
wall while filled with sandbags afforded
small protection in the fierce onslaughts.
with the exceptions noted In previous
dispatches, the garrison died to a man
fghting like demons. The first charge
proved unsuccessful. but charge followed
charge until midnight. when the Russian
defences were captured.
The final rushes of the Japanese were
irresistible. Their wounded refused to re-
tire. and insisted on continuing fighting.
saying that they had vowed to take the
fort and that they must succeed
Four field guns and three machine guns
we're captured and over 300 Russians
were killed.
The slSilful manner in which the sec
ond assault was executed prevented
heavy losses and insured the capture of
the port which though not the largest
is one of the strongest OF the eastern
fortified ridges.
The fort is important to tho japanese