The Glenwood post., 1904-09-03
BATTLE STILL ON
DEATH eRAPPLE AT LAO YANG
May Prove the BIoodiest Battle Ever
Fought.-Russians Claim to Be
Holding Their Own.

ST. Petersburg, Sept. /, a. H.
With the knowledge that the Russian
and japanese armies about Lao Yang
are locked in death struggle the ten
sion in St. Petersburg tonight is
strained to the utmost. 1t is believed
here that the fight cannot stop short of
I the crushing defeat of one side or the
other.
All reports so far are favorable to the
Russians, though the suspension of all
news for many hours has been exceed
ingly trying and has given rise to sew
eral rumors somewhat tempering the
earlier enthusiasm.
1t is stated officially, however, that
the report that the railway and tele-
graph have been cut north of Lac
Yang is untrue. A member of the gen
eral staff said at midnight:
Il can assure you that up to this hour
communication with Lao Yang has not
been interrupted. General kuropatkin
has taken particular precautions
against any attempt to cut the railway.
While it is always possible that small
raiding party might slip through the
Russian patrols, or that hired Chinese
bandits might cut the telegraph, it is a
fair Supposition, in view of all the facts,
that this has not been done.
The highest military authorities here
consider that the most critical stage OF
the battle has not yet been reached
and they believe that the fight may con-
tinue for some time before either side
acknowledges defeat This is an i'm
portant consideration by the light of
which to interpret any immediate news.
1t is thought here that in view of the
numbers engaged, the desperateness OF
the assaults, and the length of the line
(about seven miles,, the losses in the
two days fighting cannot fall short
OF 10000 on each side
Both sides are straining every nerve.
realizing that the fortunes of war for a
whole year are in the scale, and neither
side is in the mood or the position to
spare men in the effort to achieve a
final victory.
The battle of Lao Yang will prabably
rank as one of the great sanguinary
battles of history.
1t is estimated by the general staff
that the Japanese armies engaged num-
ber seventeen divisions of $1,000 men
each, or, allowing for inefficients, about
100000 men.
Each division has thirty-six guns,
and there are two independent artillery
brigades of 100 guns each, making
total of about 800 guns The estimates
of Russian correspondents range from
600 to 1000 guns per side.
In the preliminary fighting of Mon
day the Russians captured 200 prison.
ers, who have already arrived at Har-
bin, and report persists that they cap
tured over forty japanese guns yester-
day. General Kuropatkin's effective
forces are variously estimated at from
10000 to 100000 men.
The Japanese Wednesday morning
attacked three sides of the Russian po-
sition. One of the Associated Press
correspondents also mentions a Jap
anese movement to the northwest OF
Liao Yang, showing that the Japanese
were undoubtedly trying to work
around Kuropatkins rear.
One of the surprising phases of the
situation is the endurance of the men.
They have been engaged desperately
for two days, after more or less severe
fighting under unfavorable conditions
every day since August oath 1t would
seem that human endurance could not
persist much longer without respite OF
some sort.
The Japanese are using balloons to
locate the Russian guns and trenches.
One of the Russian correspondents OF
the Associated Press points out that
the Japanese sent up balloon shortly
after daylight to the southeast of Lao
Yang. The Japanese are reported to
be using mortars to drop shells in the
Russian positions. These probably are
the high-angle howitzers which were
reported in action earlier in the week.
1t Is plain, however, that the Jap
anese are no longer enjoying the su-
periority in artillery which stood them
in such good stead in the earlier
months of the war. 1t was then hill
fighting and the Japanese mountain
batteries, in which arms the Russians
were deficient, told with deadly effect
Now the contest is in a comparatively
open country, where both the Russian
field guns and the Russian cavalry oSn