Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-12-15
WAR IN THE ORIENT.
JAPS STILL POUNDING AWAY AT
PORT ARTHUR.

Little Yellow Men Are Straining Eve, y
Nerve to Capture the Ru ssian Strong
hold - Mikado's Army Making Pro-
Eress-Genera1 News of the Conflict.
The Japanese soldiers are straining
every nerve to get into Port Arthur
before the Baltic feet shall arrive
there. That fleet Is slowly moving
eastward. 1t was reported last week
that Admiral Rojestvensky's division
was coaling off SwakOpsmund, in Ger
man Southwest Africa The division
which went by way Of the Suez Canal
has passed out of the Red Sea, and
before long will be in touch with the
division which is circumnavigating
Africa. Some of the vessels which
left the Baltic last of all have coaled
at Tangier and are on their way to
Port Said.
The Japanese have made progress
at Port Arthur. They have gained the
eminence called Two Hundred and
Three Meter hill and the fort which
crowns 1t. That hill is dominated by
others Of which the Russians retain
possession, but the japanese think it
Is worth the price paid for it, which is
said, though the figures probably are
exaggerated, to have been 5000 in kill
ed and wounded.
The seizure Of the hill is a breach
in the inner line of defenses Of Port
Arthur. The desperate and unsuc
cessful effort Of General Stoessel 10 re-
gain it shows how much Importance
he attaches to its possession. 1t is ad-
mitted at st. Petersburg that the loss
Is irreparable and the fall Of the fort
ress only a question of time. But
while the advanced position held by
the Japanese commands the town and
harbor Of Port Arthur. the Russians
can fall back to the forts on the Liaoti
promonotory south of the town, and if
they hold on to those forts as stub
bOrnly as they have to the others it
may be weeks before General StOes-
sci hoists the white flag He may be
relied on not to do so till the last mo-
ment.
General NOgi made the last day Of
November memorable in the history Of
the siege Of Port Arthur by capturing
Two Hundred and Three Meter Hill.
overlooking the Etszhan and Antsz-
shan forts. Once before, in the middle
Of September, he had succeeded in
placing q company of his men we'll up
toward the summit, but after a day
and night without food or water the
company was driven off by the Rus
slams. The all-day fighting of Nov. 80
followed several days OF premilinary
attacks. Repeated charges were re-
quired before the fierce Russian resist
ance was overcome, and it was not till
late in the evening that the entire
summit was in Japanese hands.
1t speaks we'll for the indomitabe
courage Of the Russian soldiers. both
officers and men, that in the face of all
their losses and discouragements they
were keen enough to attempt a sortie
the following day to recover the hill
So reduced are the Russian soldiers in
number that they are not sufficient to
man even the short line of forts on
which the fighting has now conferred
Port Arthur will have place in
history as one of the most famous Of
sieges. The japanese assailants will
be remembered for their cheerful in
difference to death in their terrible
charges, but the Russian defenders
will make an even stronger appeal to
the fmaginations Of men in the future
AS far as is known the situation on
the line of the Shakkhe River is much
what it was a week ago. There have
been Russian reports of movements in
which the Japanese got the worst Of
it and Japanese reports in which the
Russians came off second best. It is
intimated that General KurOkl is NOV
ing around the Russian left flank, but
there is no evidence Of it.
Nearly all the correspondents and
military attaches have left the Rus
sian army. This is an indication that
no great battle is looked for during the
winter But it is hard to believe that
the two huge armies will remain
where they are until spring. 1t is said
that the Russians are suffering for
lack of fuel and are thinking Of a for
ward movement to get possession Of
the Yentai coal mines, of which the
Japanese have the benefit. If so It
VIII be the first battle On record for
the possession of a coal mine. The
question Of water supply may become
a serious one now that the streams
are frozen up. The epidemics which
come from the drinking of polluted
water may break out.
The Japanese diet has met and Ia
preparing to vote the money needed to
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