The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-01-28
IApAN AND PORT ARTHUR.

In the OrlSIl, do ~ was sSA
years ago. When the Japanese army
into Corea and Manchuria
and drove the Chinese army before
It. it was said that Japanese pro-
gress would be stopped at the great
fortressss of Port Arthur and Weii
Hai-Wei.
These were spoken of as the Glib
raltars of the Chinese empire. Port
Arthur, located at the southern ex-
tremity Of the Laotung peninsula be-
tween Corea bay and Pechili gull,
was the great arsenal and fortress
guarding approach to Pekin. Wei
Hai-Wei, across the gulf on the pen.
insula to the south, was the great
naval fortress of China.
the first Japanese army, after
driving Chinese troops out Of Corea
dese southern Manchuria, advanced
) II .se Nden and crineg notifies to tht
yand :; - $50 ~ aif6t
on Nuke. an
south. A 2csay thatga1iSo~s saEs rLo
ed early in September, 1894, on al
island forty miles northwest Of Por
Arthur, and a month later effected {
landing on the main line, sighty-flvt
miles northeast of Port Arthur.
The fortifcations at Kin Chat
We're captured Nov. 4, the six forts al
Talien Wan were captured Nov. 6
and the Japanese army, 10000 strong
invested Port Arthur Nov. Is. AL
the Notifications were in the hands
of the Japanese by Nov. %.
Early in 1895 the forts at Wei-Hal
Wei were captured in the same sor
OF campaign by the third Japanese
army, and the way was open to Pc
kin. The property, including public
works, military and naval supplies
at Port Arthur had value of $40,
100000, and when Wei-Hai-Wei wa:
captured the Japanese were in a pc
sition to dictate terms to China. Ii
the treaty ratified by both govern
ments Por Arthur and the create,
part Of the Laotung peninsula, witt
certain districts in Manchuria, wer,
coded to Japan. Russia, German.
and France protested, and they wer,
reeceded to China.
! A little later Port Arthur and
district with an area OF 800 squar'
miles was leased for term Of fift,
years by China to Russia. German,
/ leased Kiao Chau on the same terms
and England leased Wei-HaiWei o.
the same terms.
This arrangement put the strong
est fortresses of China in the hand
of Russia, England and Germany, bu
Russia, more than any other power
proceeded at once to improve an
fortify the territory leased to hel
Port Arthur was made a Russia
naval and military port and the tel
4 minus of the Trans-Siberian railwa,
The city of Dalny, thirty miles fror
Port Arthur, at later date wa
J made the commercial terminus {
i the great railway, and an open por
but Port Arthur and part of Talie
Wan bay were kept closed to all u
cept Russian and Chinese vessels.
1t is known that Russia has spen
hundreds of millions in improvin
and strengthening Port Arthur, an
Americans who have visited the cit
say that it is in fact the Gibraltar {
the East. The Japanese, howeve
know more than any other people e,
cept Russians, of these improy,
ments. They have had spies, probi
bly,, in Port Arthur from the begiI
ming. They know that such can
paign as they conducted against Poi
Arthur ten years ago could not b
successful now, because the Ian
d approaches are as strong as the sc
approaches.
: II they could make dash on Poi
Arthur and have such measure I
success as they had in their campaie
of 1894, they would injure Russia /
a most vital point In her stfateg
line in the East and gain an imnea
! urable advantage In war. but Russl
by the concentrations Of sifon
army on tne Corepn frontier BY n
masslpg az heavy bpdiss of troops
every point 81 the Mbnchuflan RAJ
4 way aecsssIble n attack and by Il