The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-21
FOG LIFTS.
Russians Immediately Begin
Firing on Japanese Positions.
Fire Is Not Returned for Reasons
Not FathOmed.
ROADS ARE DRYING UP.
Important Events Are Looked
for i'm a Short Time.
Armies Still Face Each Other
Across the Shakhe River.

Mukden, Oct. Eli a. m.-Towards
evening yesterday the fog lifted and
some of the Russian guns at various
points opened fire against the Japanese
defenSes. but they did not respond
either from scarcity of ammunition or
the desire not to reveal the location of
their batteries. The weather and the
condition of the roads have made ex-
tensive operations impossible, but the
roads are now drying hard, which fore
casts events in the near future. The
war correspondents in the field are kept
in the dark and it is difficult to say
when and how this dreadful slaughter
will end.
Huansian, Manchuria, Thursday, Oct.
20, by Courier to Mukden, Oct. 21.-
Wednesday passed quietly. Along the
Russian center there was some deSul-
tory post firing but nothing serious.
Last night also was without incident.
This morning the plain was covered
with a blanket of fog as thick as the
darkest night. In the afternoon the
weather cleared. The chief obstacle to
a resumption of the advance continues
to be the bad state of the roads.
Deadlock Continues.
ST. Petersburg, Oct. 21-1:45 P. NJ
The two armies face each other across
the Shakhe river, but operations con-
tinue at a standstill. The hvavy fog
which hung over the plain was burned
up by the sun yesterday afternoon and
there was some desultory artillery fir
ing from some of the Russian batter
les, but nothing important.
One of the. Associated Press cores
pondents says the Japanese did not re-
ply indicating a possible shortage OF
ammunition or a desire to conceal the
location of their guns.
The war Office has no fresh news this
morning except list of losses OF Gen.
Ekk's seventy-f1rst division of the
Fifth Siberian corps and General
Morazoff's first division of Lieutenant
General Dembowsky's corps. Each lost
half a dozen officers. The official lists
of officers killed and wounded between
October II, and october 13, totals 1f2,
including Major General Rabinsky and
II field officers killed. The wounded
are in. the proportion of one to six
The list for the heaviest days hghting
is still unrepOrted, and doubtless VIII
exceed the losses at Lao Yang, when
500 officers were killed or wounded The
losses among the men are not report
ed, but they are thought to approx
mate not much over 10000.
News from Port Arthur brought to
Chefoo by a junk which left there Oc-
tober 10 says a fierce bombardment
began October 16, and was still pro
crossing without interruption. Many
buildings had been damaged and ships
in the harbor had also been hit by
shells, but the character and extent OF
the damage are not stated. The Japa-
nese main forces are now posted at
Liudziatung. They have placed guns
of large calibre on Iunjida mountain
The Russians continue making sorties
successfully and infiicting heavy losses
on the besiegers whose losses since the
OF the siege are said to
have been 80, 600.
Into the North Sea.
Fredericks Haven, Denmark, Oct
21-All the vessels comprised in the
Russian Baltic sea squadron passed
into the North sea during the night.