The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-04-24
VLADIVOST0K A PROBLEM.
Impregnable From the Sea, ard
Capable of Withstanding Almost
ANY Attack on the Land Side

On the east OF the theater OF opera
tons lies that part of Siberia in which
Nladivostok Is situated, the Sea of ia
pan and northeastern Korea. Vladivos-
tok, of course, Is the chief military de-
pot The city is situated at the south
ern end of the MuravevAmursld PENN
sula. which projects from the mainland
in a southwesterly line in TO the Bay
Os Peter the Great. This peninsula,
which varies from seven 10 ten miles
in width. is billy and rough Of surface
Just south of the end of the peninsula,
and separted from # by a channel vary
ing from a breadth of half a mile at the
wes' end TO a mile at the east. lies
KozESeviteh Island, as rugged and billy
az, the peninsula.
The inner harbor Is an arm Of the
sea extending from this cross-channel
into the end of the peninsula. OF near
ly uniform width throughout it's whole
curving course, this inner harbor leaves
only a narrow tongue of hilly land on
the western side Of the man peninsula,
this narrow tongue being the Shkota
peninsula. Leading northeast for about
three miles the inner harbor then turns
10 the right. not quite at right angles
with its first direction. forming deep,
and three-quarters Of mile wide; this
is the famous Golden Horn of the
Pacific. The inner harbor is surround
ed on every side by hills from 200 to coo
! feet high; on the northwest land side
! thev protect the town from assault in
that direction On the north of the Col
den Horn they slope gradually toward
/ the water. and on this slope, along the
| no har Ill of he he Xpy
The Port Well Defended.
| Across the Horn. to the south, are
abrupt. thickly wooded hills, the only
buildings dpon them being magazines
/ and storage places for explosives of one
kind and another The railway enters
the town al its west end. running a lit
! tie way down the inner shore OF the
/ Shkota peninsula. This peninsula Is
defended by at least three forts along
/ Its summit and the channel TO the west
| between It's point and KoZakevitch Is
! land Is narrow and dangerous because
| of reefs and sands. The island TO the
! south is cut into by Novik Bay "a long,
narrow arm of water entering from the
northwestern coast, and reaching near
~ over TO the eastern coast OF the IS
land. The hilly peninsula which is thus
| formed OF the nOrthern-eastern part Of
the island ends at its western end in q
| squarish headland named Point Lario-
nov, which is just across the mario wei
nov. which Is just across the narrow
channel from the end OF the Shkots
peninsula. and is provided with forts
and heavy guns.
The cross-chaunel, called the Eastern
Bosphorus Strait, extends from this
narrow western entrance in south,
easterly line between this hilly coast Of
Kozakevitch Island ara the equally hilly
and much indented coast of the mair
peninsula end. Both OF these hiIlN
shores bear several forts. The eastern
line of the main peninsula IS prolonged
TO the southwest in a high spit of land
answering which from Kozakevitch Is
land comes a similar spit extending to
ward the northeast In the middle of tn,
narrowed Bosphorus Channel between
these splits is Skrupley Island, heavily
fortified. The passage into the Colder
Horn, therefore, is long. is easily ap
proachable only through the eastern
channel. and is so set about with hills
that a hostile fleet could hardly d,
enough damage by a bombardment L
and west entrances are presuma bi,
protected with mines. The armament o
the forts is not definitely known Outsidt
OG Russian official circles. There hav'
been in the forts considerable numbe
of heavy Krupp guns, but il rs reported
that some of these. as well as othe
parts OF the armament have been takei
TO Port Arthur within a few months
} pa st.
Impregnable From the Sea.
From the sea VladivOstok is now prac
tically impregnable. What has beei
done against the possible attacks of tn
japanese is well enough indicated b.
what was actually done some years ago
when there was "A Russo-British wa
scare over the Indian frontier. At tina
time the lights al the east and ives
entrances were put out; the western en-
; ! fr-arra xvag wholly closed with fYafpas