Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-06-09

St Petersburg, June y, @;US y. H.
The war office is in possession of in
formation which the officials declare
warrants a contradiction of the re-
ports brought by Chinese fugitfves to
Che-Foo of four days land and sea
attack on Port Arthur and Of extensive
damage to the forts. An official dis
patch from Rear Admiral Wittsoeft,
dated June Z, reports that the enemy
has been bombarding Port Arthur In
termittently from the sea but does not
mention serious operations from the
land side. The general staff seems
certain that the enemy,s guns have not
vet been brought up.
Discussing the Chinese reports
brought to Che-Foo a member of the
general staff said
1--WE have had our own experience
with the unreliability of Chinese re
ports The idea of the explosion of
mines by thunderstorm is absurd, and
the Chinese statement that the whole
garrison has gone to the front is wild
nonsense, betraying the deepest ignor
ance of the conditions governing the
safeguarding of a fortress. The troops
contesting the advance upon the fort
ress are a few regiments of rifiemen
which have all the time been on the
Kwan Tung peninsula for this pur
pose.n
In this connection an official dis
patch from Port Arthur to one OF the
ministries, not the ministry of war nor
the ministry of the navy, says that
only one regiment of infantry, the
Fifth, participated in the defense of
-kin-Chou.
The admiralty is not disposed to
credit the report that the Port Arthur
squadron has left Port Arthur or the
rumor of its juncture with the Vladi-
.vostok squadron, although this is evi-
IDENTIFY part of the program. If it
comes to the worst the Port Arthur
squadron will go out and give battle.
At the admiralty the reported action
of the Japanese warships in shelling
the coast near Kai-Chou will be inter-
preted If confirmed as demonstration
to discourage the sending Of a strong
force south against General Oku's
rear.
The mystiicatio concerning the
strength of the force sent south contin
ues. The war office, which seemingly
is not fully advised in regard to Gen
eral Kuropatkin's plans, says the com
mander in-chief's ability to detach an
adequate force will depend upon the
number of troops at General Kurokis
disposal, concerning which, APPARENTLY,
there is no accurate information here,
although the belief is that the Japan
ese commander has about 4S battalions
at Feng Wang-Cheng and SO in the
vicinity of Taku-Shan. The latest in
telligence received at the war Office is
to the effect that the Japanese have
abandoned their advance north of
Feng- Wang Cheng and west of Stu
Yen. The Russians are holding Stu
Yen and Siamatsza
While declining to furnish spe-
cific information on the subject it
seems certain that the Russians are
now in wireless communication with
Port Arthur. BY no other way could
the receipt of Admiral Wittsoeft's dis
patch of June Z, reporting the inter-
mittent bombardment of Port Arthur
from the sea be accounted for.
While the above represents the Off
cial view regarding the reports and the
nature of the fighting around Port AR
thur, this city is full of all kinds Of
wild stories and the public is inclined
to credit the idea that the enemy has
already begun serious work against
the fortress.