Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-22
GARRISON IS CHEERFUL
RUSSIANS AT PORT ARTHUR FULL
OF CONFIDENCE.
Report Of the Only Woman Who Has
Bun the Blockade-Apparent
Aim Of tho Japanese,

at Chefoo the night OF September IT with
Lieutenant Prince Radzivil. from Port Ar
thur. Is the first woman to run the block
ade from the Russian stronghold since the
Japanese increased their vigilance to pre-
vent egress from the port. Her trip was
rendered extremely perilous because she
came out with the prince and his compan-
ION. Lieutenant Christof6roff, who carried
messages from Lieutenant General Stoessei,
the commander at Port Arthur. to General
Kuropatkin. Both these. officers were dis
guised. and had they been captured by the
Japanese they certainly would have been
executed.
She gave the following account of her
I'VE left Port Arthur at O'Clock on the
night of September Is. There was a good
wind and the moon was bright. We were
successful in avoiding the danger of the
first Japanese blockading line. We came up
to the second line when the moon was un-
der cloud. Searchlights were flashing on
all sides, but our junk was not discovered.
I'VE suddenly discovered ourselves close
to another junk with japanese crew on
board They presumably were pirates. but
we outsailed them and drew away. At q
o'clock the next morning we saw a steamer
coming in our direction. She had the APP
pearance Of a cruiser and I was terribly
frightened. When we saw the cruiser
Prince Radzivil and Lieutenant Christo-
forof went below. I stretched myself out
on deck and covered myself with dirty blan-
kets. Chinese were lying at my feet and
at my sides. and for nearly an hour. al
though nearly smothered. l kept my posi-
ton. I never uttered a more thankful
prayer than when I was informed that the
steamer we had seen was Red Cross ves-
sci and that her captain had no intention
OF overhauling us.
Work in the Hospitals.
Wonderful things are being done by the
STATS of the different hospitals at Port Ar
thur. who are assisted by ladies. There are
thirty nurses for each thousand patients.
The ladies devote most OF their time to the
making of clothes for the soldiers. The
laundry work is done by the poor women
and the wives of the enlisted men, The sick
and wounded are thus kept supplied with
clean clothing. The laundry work has to be
done In dreadful heat.
There are no contagious diseases at Port
Arthur, but many deaths are resulting
from the bite Of a large red-headed fly.
which feeds on the decomposing corpses
scattered over the battlefe DIS. A doctor
who was bitten on the thumb by one of
these flies instantly severed that member.
He then had his arm amputated but not
before the poison had reached his heart.
The result of the bite was fatal
Every day in the week the band plays
at one of the hospitals.
t'The wounded men recover quickly from
the wounds inflicted by Maxim projectiles
and by the bullets OF tne OSAKA fHe Out
the wounds resulting from explosive bullets
are awful and recovery Is Impossible.
Little Loss Of Life.
1.-The Old town of Port Arthur is almost
entirely wrecked. The streets are filled
with holes made by exploding shells. The
loss of life in Port Arthur from the bonn
bardments has been remarkably small.
Once 1 counted Afty-seven japanese shells
of hat Of w
reached its mark.
THE Russian garrison is cheerful 1t
would be impossible to Imagine Drawer or
finer set of men. They return from their
days duty in the trenches with songs on
their lips. Although many places in the
ranks are vacant, all the men have I'M
limited confidence in thefF@poWer to hold
the fortress against the enemy:-=----=-s
81 assure you,' Mrs kravtchenko said to
the correspondent, that believe Port Ar
thur Will stand against the Japanese. 1
don't think the stronghold Will fall
Aim of the japanese.
According to the London Morning Posts
Japanese informant, two of "kurOpatkin's
forts" which the japanese are said to have
occupied in the vicinity of Shuishiying. are
Nantsai and Changkiatun. and their value
to the besfegers consists In the former be-
ing close to the Antsusnam forts and the
latter to the Dragon Hill forts, the object
of the Japanese being to thrust a powerful
wedge in the gap between the eastern and
western fortiticationS. through which the
railway passes to Port Arthur from the
north. Antsushan overlooks this gap, and
though the japanese failed to penetrate
1t sufficiently in the assault of three weeks
ago. the persistency with which they re-
turned to the charge is held to prove that
the taking of the gap is as essential to the
Japanese plan of campaign as 1t was a
decade ago.
A of more or less reliable reports
emanate from Chefoo or elsewhere. Ac-
cording to the Daily Mails Chefoo CORE
spOndent. the Japanese at Port Arthur have
mounted additional guns on positions cap
tured in the last assault An attack from
sea- the correspondent says. is now less eff
fective owing to the continual high-angie
fire having seriously affected the heavy
guns of the bIockading fleet.
The correspondent at Tien Tsin of the
London Daily Telegraph says that Japa-
nese gunboats have left Yinkow prelimi-
nary to a renewal and. 1t is expected, nnai
attack on Port Arthur.
The Telegraph's Chefoo correspondent
says that japanese official circles had
thought that the fall of Port Arthur would
be coincident with the mikado's birthday
November 81. but that they admit IT has
been postponed until spring.
Winter Quarters at Dalny.
1T is significant" the correspondent adds.
that winter quarters are being prepared at
Dalny. When Niuchwang is frozen up
Dalny Will De tne main base OF the WnOle
operations
'It Is reliably stated that General Nogt,
In command Of the Japanese forces about
Port Arthur. is preparing a new scheme of
attack, involving an assault, not upon the
whole line, but upon the comma nding POSI-
lions. 1t being essential to speedily secure
more forts in order to enable the Japanese
to hold their present advantage.
Foreign correspondents and attaches are
under strict supervision and are not allow
ed to witness important movements. Rus
sian merchant Of the name Of Kratz es-
caped from Port Arthur and was captured
by the Japanese. Afterward he was lib
Grated and was told by the Japanese off,
GERS that he was fortunate in escaping. be-
cause heavy bombardment was immi-
nent."
ments in the newspaper dispatches. 1t Is
impossible to get an idea of Port Arthurs
resources In ammunition and food. 1t Is
alleged that foreign refugees are purpose!y
given supplies of good clothes and food IN
order to deceive the outside world.
A Chinese who left Port Arthur last Mon
day is reported as saying at Shanghai that
owing to the incessant bombardment from
the harbor by the Japanese. the Russian
feet is determined to break out this week
and endeavor to reach Tsingtau, the Ger
man mort on the Shantung peninsula