The San Francisco call., 1904-08-09
japanese Advancing Their
Trenches Nearer to
Port Arthur.
Losses in Attacks on Forts
Thus Far Have Been
Enormous.

ChEFU, Aug. 8, IL p. m.-The fr1ng
of heavy guns at intervals of one
minute has been distinctly heard in
the direction of Port Arthur since 10:30
o'clock tonight, the acoustic condi-
tions of the atmosphere being unusual
ly favorable.
During the last twenty-four hours
200 Chinese and fifty Russian refugees
nave arrived here from Port Arthur.
They left there on August 4. 1t has
been impossible to obtain confirmation
of the report of the sinking off Port
Arthur of Japanese cruiser, but that
this occurred is not improbable, as the
vessel is said to have sunk in place
where mines were recently laid.
Inc french newspaper correspond
ents who made an attempt to reach
Port Arthur by junk saw the Japanese
fleet on August 6. They were twice
arrested and turned back. They heard
nothing of the alleged sinking of the
Japanese cruiser. They counted twen-
ty-four vessels Of the Japanese fleet
ranged IN double selmi-circle In front
of the harbor
The refugees report that the Russian
cruiser Bayan was struck by a frag
ment from one of the mines which
the Japanese constantly send in toward
the harbor entrance The explosion oc
CURED at the spot Just previously va
Gated by the Russian gunboat Giliak,
which had been in that position for
months, acting as guardship. The
Bayan bears marks of projectiles of
various sizes, showing that she has
been hit 21S times since the beginning
of the war.
MOOSE SLOWLY TIGHTENS.
This last party of refugees, several
of whom witnessed part of the three
days fighting of the week before last,
deny that the Japanese were one verst
(.66 of a mile) from the Russian fort
ress. They say that the Japanese
troops are from ten to fifteen versts
from the inner forts.
The japanese are busy endeavoring
to work their trenches nearer to the
fortress. The Russian resistance to
these efforts is confined to the use of
artillery, which ceaselessly harnesses
the diggers. The Japanese are said to
have sixty guns in position on VOLTS
Hill and vicinity, and it evidently is
their intention slowly and surely to
tighten their moose around Port Ar
thur
A refugee who witnessed the fight
ing at VOLTS Hill of July 26 and July
q declares that 1000 Russian troops
defended the position, all approaches
to which had been protected with ter
races at angles of forty-five degrees.
In many instances the Russian soldiers
dropped their rifles an rolled rocks
down, upon the enemy. 18th effect more
fatal than their bullets.
The Russian mines were cleverly
concealed in an open field. The ex-
plosion of these mines threw the rocks
for a distance of one or two versts 1t
is alleged that with the exception of
Nxrnn
squadrons of Japanese cavalry were
annihilated by the explosion of such
mines.
The witnesses confirm previous
statements that the Japanese losses in
this fighting were severe. The Japa-
nese soldiers advanced to Wolf Hill
over ground thickly strewn with their
dead. They occupied the hill. BY the
third day the stencil from the decom-
posing bodies, which were not inferred
for lack of time, became intense. Jap
anese prisoners are quoted as saying
that one of the narrow streets of a
Chinese village, which was made the
target of Russian batteries, was
packed with dead and wounded men.
BICYCLES CONVEY LITTERS.
The vehicles used by the Russians
in removing their wounded included
bicycles, used in pairs with a litter
of six cabs was also sent out on July
26 to bring in Russian wounded. On
the 9th these cabs returned for more
wounded to a place they had visited
the day before. It was found, however,
that this place was then occupied by
the Japanese, who captured the outfit
of, cabs.
On July q two detachments of ma
rines and soldiers, numbering 260, lost
every commissioned officer as result
of the first volley fired by the Japa-
nese. The men of this detachment
thereupon sent a delegation to Major
General Kondratenko and requested
that he send to them the officers under
whom they had previously performed
exceptionally brilliant services, and for
which General Stoessel had sent them
special thanks.
BY the night of July 27 the Russian
soldiers had been fighting for forty
eight hours with minimum of rest,
food and water. They were then re-
lieved by reserves, who arrived at the
lines led by bands playing the ma
tional anthem. At the conclusion of
| the anthem cheers were given along