Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-12-27
WAR In THE ORIENT.
COLD WEATHER PREVENTS
ACTIVE OPERATIONS.
Both Armies Occupy Substantially the
Positions They Have Held for Weeks
Progress of the Baltic Fleet-Next
Battle May Be on the Sea.

AhoiC eAC 4SPO1lS VI INV CAhShNS VI
Russian and japanese flying columns,
particularly on General Kuropatkin's
left flank, but both sides occupy sub
stantially the positions they have held
for weeks.
If it be the intention of the japanese
to take their time henceforth about
the reduction of Port Arthur il will
be in their power to send Marquis Oya-
ma a strong reinforcement The low
est estimate of General Stoessels force
is 4,OG2 men. That probably is too
low, but if he should have three times
as many the japanese can safely send
away & considerable portion of their
Port Arthur army.
In the opinion of the Chicago Trib-
une, if Marquis Oyama, after having
been REINFORCED from that quarter,
does not take the offensive speedily he
probably never will. His army win
have reached the highest point of eff
cheney after the arrival of the trained
soldiers who have been fighting under
General Nogi. The men whom he may
receive from Japan will not be of so
good quality. On the other hand, the
troops now reaching General Kuropat-
kin are drawn from the garrisons on
the western fronti-r of the empire and
are superior to many of these previ-
ously sent to him. Before long Gen
eral Kuropatkin should have at his
disposal all the troops the carrying ca
pacity of the Transsiberian railroad
will permit him to keep supplied with
provisions. The road is constantly be-
ing made more efficient by the con-
struction of new sidings and the sub
stitution of iron for wooden bridges.
1t would not be surprising to hear
that the Japanese have given up the
plan of assuming the aggressive for
policy less prOdigal of the lives of the
soldiers. In that event Marquis Oya-
ma could choose between holding his
present position after terrifying it
more extensively, or he could fall back
upon some point nearer his base and
await his enemy there.
1t is admitted that the Russian ships
az Port Arthur are destroyed, or are so
badly damaged as to be unserviceable
The Japanese ships which have been
blockading Port Arthur have gone
home to refit and get ready to meet
an advancing Russian fleet, which,
though superior on paper, certainly is
inferior in personnel Naval officers
of all nations have turned their eyes
to the orient and are waiting eagerly
for the result of the impending con-
test between great fleets of armored
vessels. They have a professional in
terest in the matter aside from the
general interest felt by all.
General Stoessel has given General
Nogi map showing the positions of
the hospitals in Port Arthur so that
they may be safe from Japanese fire.
Progress of the Baltic Fleet.
1t is almost three months and a half
since the Baltic fleet was officially de
clared to have sailed from Cronstadt
for the far East. However. the fleet
fingered at Reval and Libau for over
a month after that, and the real be-
ginning of its voyage must be dated
from Oct. 1G.
1t covered the first 2,20O miles of
its 17,o00-mile journey at the average
speed of about four miles an hour.
Then. at Tangier, it divided into two
squadrons, one of which under Vice
Admiral ROjestvensky, started around
the Cape of Good Hope and the other,
under Rear Admiral Yoelkersam, went
by way of the Suez Canal.
Rojestyensky's squadron is now
coasting along German Southwest At
RIGA. In forty days, since leaving Tan
gier, it has covered about 5000 miles,
at the average speed of five and half
miles an hour. Voelkersam's squadron
has left Jubutil, in French Somaliland.
with a speed record up to date of
about three miles an hour.
The Chagos Islands in the Indian
Ocean are generally assumed to be the
rendezvous for the fleets. At the pres
ent rate of speed Admiral Rojestvens-
ky should be there about the 18th Of
January, the distance he has to cover
being something less than 1000 miles.
Then, assuming that the second squad
ron has arrived and that third squad
ron which left Libau in November has
caught up, he will be ready to take up
the serious part of his adventure.
1t is $500 miles from the Chagos
Islands to Vladivostok by way of the
Tsugaru Straits. or, for a fleet aver.
aging five and half miles an hour,
about fifty days steaming. The fleet
ought to cover this distance, it is true,
in thirty to forty days, but experience
up to date is sufficient to show that if
it ever approaches Vladivostok at all
it will not be till the month of March
at the earliest.