The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-25
THE CAPTURE OF KEKwAN.
Tunnels Driven, Mines Exploded
Desperate Fighting in the Fort.
INV the Associated Press.


Headquarters of the Japanese Third
Army before Port Arthur, December
20. via Yinkow.-(Delayed in trans
mission VIA Tien Tsin, December
24.-Since the general assault of NO
vember 26-27 the Japanese have been
engaged in tunnelling under the fort
of KekWan mountain. Two main tun-
nels ran under the north wall OF the
fort from the moat for 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 assaults of the Jap
anese that it was considered necessary
that the explosion of the mines and
subsequent attacks should be care
fully planned. General Samejima
commanding the left division. asked
for volunteers who would be prepared
to capture the fort or die in the at
tempt. Two entire battallonS an
swered the generals call, one from
the left division and the other from
the general reserves. The first pat
TALON remained in the caponiers gal
leries during the explosion of the
mines, while the second battalion was
in a parallel close to the wall OF the
counter ScdFp.
Preparing for the Attempt.
In order that the dark blue uni
form of the men might not snow
against the brown of the soil which
would be turned by the force Of the
! explosion, all the attackers wore
brown wooden under drawers over
their trousers and brown sweaters
over their tunics. Instead OF q car
each man wore brown WOODEN heaC
riece.. which extended to the should
eIs leaving only the face visible
Every man carried rifle in his righ'
hand and dynamite grenades IN MS
left. while q lighted slow match was
attached to his cartridge belt WIN
which to ignite the fuses of the dyna-
mite grenades. In this peculiar gart
with the lighted matches at theil
waists the troops presented StfanSt
anpearance. The soldiers of the bat
! talions in the capioniers galleries, Who
were distinguished by white badges OF
their arms. We're 10 make the secoI ,,
assault. General Samejima personally
conducted these assaults at O'Clock
on the afternoon of December IL,
after the explosions had taken place
The first mine exploded without
warming and the explosion was not en-
tirely successful. owing to the heaVy
concrete above the mine. The expo
sion of the second mine IoiloWeu III
mediately and this was succeeded py
five smaller explosions.
Walls Preached Attach and Repuise
The sight was wonderful in the
| extreme. Huge clouds of brown earth
and debris of all kinds Wer thrown two
hundred feet in the air, and 1t looked
as if the whole fort had ben sent
heayenward 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 con-
crete.
The explosions made two large
breaches in the north wall of the fort,
through which the Japanese in the
moat swarmed. They charged so
quickly that fifty of them were either
killed or wounded by the falling de-
bris. The Japanese succeeded in gain
ing the ramparts and charged the in
terror of the fort, but they were re-
pulsed by a portion of the garrison
from behind 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 three
hundred To the fort through the COW
cred wall at the rear.