The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-06-03
LOSS OF ARTILLERY CAD

the Prcponderancc of Power in
This Arm Overwhelmingly
With Mikado's Men.
st, Petersburg, May 31.-Thele is Nv
attempt here to disguise the fact that
the successful forcing of the neck of
the KWan Iung peninsula proper puts
a practical end to resistance to the
enemy until he reaches the actual for
titications around Port Arthur. AL
though there are many strong positions
in the more than twenty-five miles be-
fore the perineter of the fortress viii
be reached. the authorities admit the
Russians can offer little resistance and
u now retire within the fortress and
Undertake TO defend themselves against
n siege. Neither the admiralty nor the
general staff has n direct Informal
ton. Like the outside world they are
dependent entirely upon the enemy for
news.
Town Feels Bad.
While there is no disposition to cues
tion the main facts sent out officially
from Toxic, some of the unofficial re-
ports from Japanese sources are icing
received with caution. The impossible
ity of holding advance posi- ions Ground
Kin Chou in The face OF oVerWhclmiug
NNiN.N .ltN sii ttlblaS Dttll ,lQillitGI, blt
on account OF their character the posi-
ions We're only taken by a display Of
desperate courage and 1t lrigiltful
cost.
The earlier news was received in a
calm spirit by both the public and the
newspapers, but if the latest report,
that the japanese captured fifty guns,
Is confirmed, 1t is sure the effect will
be much deeper, ana it is certain to
be considered a severe blow. Until that
report arrived the feeling WAS that the
Russians had resisted To the limit OF
human endurance n had retired in
good order; but if this number of Guns
was taken it will out a different COM
pleXion upon things. though ii is con-
ceivable here that If the japanese CO.
operating fleet landed forces at San
Ii Phu and Talien Wan, and got
in the rear of the Russian positions,
the abandonment of the guns might
have become necessary. This View,
however, will hardly diminish the eX-
tent of the disaster.
Port Arthur a Hard Nut.
Capt. Jakovieff, former commander
of the Russian battleship petroDav-
lovsk, in AN Interview regarding the
possibility of the Japanese capturing
Port Arthur, declared it would take
10000 men. with magnificent artillery,
to accomplish the task. He said the
number OF men in the Port Arthur gar
rison is much larger than stated in tho
telegraphic reports ana much over
$4,000; but he declined TO state what
would be the enact number when the
defenders of the Kin Chou positions
had retired within the fortress.
He discussed with some detail the
difficulties of the approach. After the
outer line of Qualifications is reached q
number of detached positions must be
captured by the enemy before the en-
envy could even reach the inner ring
of d%efenses. The taking of each posi-
ton would necessitate a bloody battle,
and their capture would leave the cit
adel untouched and. to his mind, i'm
~pregnable.
A great deal, of course. would de-
pend upon the relative merits of the
artillery of the opposite forces. The
Russian guns could not be judged by
the results on the Yalu. where the Rus
slams had only light advance guards OF
artillery against the heavy siege guns
which the Japanese We're bringing up
for use in M%anchuria.
Port Arthur, Capt. Jakovlef said,
mounted numerous large guns land
ward, While Makaroff's system of range
finding is SO nearly perfect that the
Japanese never ventured within reach
of the shore batteries. AS illustrating
the fact that the Japanese artillery is
not necessarily invincible, the captain
said the battleship Pe~tropavlovsk was
struck by a 12-inch shell at a distance
OF two and th~ree-Quarters miles, and
her armor was penetrated to n depth
OF only two incnes. He declared Port
Arthur was provisioned for n year, and
said all the damaged ships there had
been repaired except the RetyiZan and
Czarevitch. The latter ought to be
ready today, the former in a week.
.