The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-04-01
REAR ADMIRAL JOHN 1NCLEs
SHOWS WHERE THE RUSSIAN
STRONGHOLD" II WEAK.
by Rear Admiral John Inslss.

Port Arthur has been shown on the
occasion of the recent attacks by the
Japanese fleet to be most difficult
place to defend unless protected by
friendly feet outside.
Once that fleet has to retire within
the inner basins of the waterway, it
become useless for scouting purposes,
and is only a source of danger to itself
within, as, in the event of lombard
ment, the want of space in the harbor
compels all vessels to lie close to one
another, making better target for the
high-angle fire of the attacking force.
Port Arthur is well defended if the
number of forts and their position
count for anything; but in the first,
place the guns are not heavy enough
to keep an enemy at distance, and
the weather is often too boisterous
to admit Of ships lying out far enough
to act as first line Of defense. The
high position of the shore batteries
admits of small craft coming up in
the darkness of the night under the
Russian fire, as doubtless the japanese
torpedo did in the first attack, with
perfect safety, for the guns could not
possibly be depressed sufficiently to
reach them.
Another defect in the defenses OF
the port is that the forts are too
close to one another.
Those inshore doubtless receive any
shells that are meant for those on the
immediate sea border, if the range be
too great. They are, moreover, placed
so close to the town, shipping and
harbor, that a ricochet from the fort
would probably land in the town; or
if the direction of the shell was correct
it might hit either the fort on one side,
the town in the middle. as did actually
occur, or the fort or railway on the
other side
1t was doubtless for this reason
that the viceroy did his best to remove
all business houses and shops of every
description to Talien-Wan. and is an
other reason, together with the food
question, for the exodus of both civil
ians and troops.
The Japanese showed great Judgment
in not pressing their recent attacks on
Port Arthur any further than they did
for to, endeavor to take the place by
assault of arms would be an impossible
feat; in fact, the only sides on which
an entrance could possibly be effected
would be on the north side, by which
the railroad approaches the town, and
on the west, owing to the nature of
the high range of hills on the other
side. 1t would be equally impossible
to make boat attack by the entrance
to the harbor, for there are small
batteries on either side which could
play a murderous crossfire on the en-
trance and be themselves quite under
cover.
The laying Of mines round the en-
trance to the harbor presents very
serious difficulties, as the passage is
very short, and you at once come to
open sea with strong currents and deep
water. So that, as has been proved,
the dangerous game of laying mines
would have been better left undone
by the Russians at Port Arthur.
Another great weakness in the de-
Tense, and point that all persons
having authority should look to when
choosing a position to defend-which
doubtless weighed heavily with the
japanese when they gave up Port Ar
thurs that, if the town were proper
ly invested from all sides, which could
be easily done, there would be no
means of beating retreat.
This is lesson the viceroy has
evidently taken to heart before it is too
late in moving his headquarters to
Hardin or Mukden. as he has been
reported to have done, and leaving
only few thousand troops in Port
Arthur; for if the defense cannot be
maintained by means of the heavy
guns, the small arms would undoubted-
ly fail as well.
The japanese having already taken
the place by assault with considerable
loss when held by the Chinese, are not
going to run their heads into another
moose by losing number of valuable
lives when they know well that the
fleet can both hold Port Arthur and
prevent the issue by land of large
bodies of troops, once the Russian feet
is locked mp in the harhor, by placing
their own fleet on either side OF the
peninsula along which the railway runs
is being possible to command the neck
of the peninsula from either side.
A peculiar feature of the Russian
defense of Port Arthur is the history
attached to some of the heavy guns
| which are at present in the forts.
These guns were sold originally to the
Chinese authorities by a German firm,
shortly before the Boxer trouble, when
the Chinese were buying arms on every
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