The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-07-14
STOOD
IN The SEA
HOW FORTY THOUSAND JAPAN
EsE MADE A LANDING AT KIN
CHAU BAY.

The following is an account of the
Kiu-chau engagement from the London
Times war correspondence steamer
Ha1mun.
l have just returned from cruise off
Kin-chau Bav, and l have been able
to CLEAN some further particulars by
approaching the vicinity of the en-
crossing operations in Liau-tung.
Eye-witnesses say that at midday on
the 26th the Kin-chau Isthmus present.
ed an Unprecedented military spectacle
with 10000 japanese troops massed be-
hind, the western spur of Mount Samp-
son, and under such small cover as
was afforded by the Suchiatun twin
peaks actually on the isthmus within O.
600 yards of tie Russian works.
There was so little room to deploy for
attack that battalions of Japanese in
fantry had to stand waiting in the sea.
The whole time a veritable inferno of
fire of all arms and shells from the
Russian batteries ploughed into the
serried masses around Kin-chau, the
japanese guns replying as battery after
battery came into action from Chilli
chwane and Kauchiayan flats, while
sustained fire from the gunboats kept
the line of Russian works fringed with
bursting projecties.
About midday the energy of tie
Russian defenders in the works in front
of Mauchiaying village seemed exhaust
ed by the gunboat fire, which had
driven the gunners from their pieces.
Two Japanese battalions appeared over
the saddle between the twin peaks.
They were to make a desperate effort
to carry the nearest Russian works. At
fiSt the struggling walls of Bauchia-
wing gave them some cover under
which they had a moments breathing
space. Then the gallant little infantry
pressed on again up the breast of the
slopes of the Russian position. 1t was
an impossible task. AS yet the de-
tenders were not sufficiently shaken. An
avalanche of concentrated fire from the
infantry in the trenches, the machine
guns in the Russian work and the
quick-fring field artillery supporting
the defenses struck the Japanese full.
They melted away from the glacis like
solder before the flame of a blow-pipe.
A few who seemed to have charmed
lives struggles on till they reached the
wire entanglements. 1t was a vain, if
heroic effort. Wasted within 10 minutes
these two battahons caused to exist eX-
cept as a trail of mutiated bodies at
the foot of the Russian glacis.
See the failure of this attack the
gunboats and supporting artillery con-
centrated their whole fire on one point
where Oku determined to drive horne
his wedge, and by evening the works
Wera practica bile fOr, "A General who had
such infantry as the Japanese and who
was prepared to take the responsibility
of such fearful losses. 1t would seem
as if the actual carrying of the works
had been another Alma. One work
gave after waiting for a bayonet at
tack. Then the whole Japanese front
surged forward and the moral balance
went over to the side of the Japanese,
the Russians retiring before them.
From inside Port Arthur l have gath
cred the following information from re-
fugees. All the available foodstuffs
have been requisitioned by the military
authorities, the native and civilian po-
pulation have to do their best with
what comes by junk from China or
what they have themselves secreted. 1t
is estimated that on half ratiOns the
garrison have five months foOdstuffs.
The refugees report that five damaged
warships have been moored to the jet
ties, everything movable having been
removed from them. General Stossel
retains a large number of junks in the
roadsted. The object of this measure
can only be conjectured.