Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1904-12-01
PORT AR1HUR'S FATE
HANGING IN BALANCE
Japanese Assaults, Begun on
Saturday, Continue and
Ground Is Gained.
CHARGE is YET TO COME
Sustained Attack Now Going on Prob
ably is the Most Fearful and
Determined That Has Been
Made During Siege.

Chefoo, Dec. 1.-Chinese ard Jap
nnese advices received here today,
while not beyond question. indicate
with practical certainty that another
general assault on Port Arthur began
on November "a and was continuing on
the 27th. 1t is certain there has been
severe fighting. The only question is
whether the assault was sufficiently
widespread TO be called general fight
! ing or is with the object of capturing
additional Russian trenches. The sum-
mits of the forts seemingly We're not
attacked.
Chinese say one train of thirty cars
recently arrived at Port Arthur with
wounded men, but'no prisoners We're
captured. AS frequently indicated, the
Japanese position is most promising at
Rihlung mountain and keekwan noun
tain, and the latest attack was designed
to further increase the power of these
positions. A detachment of the Elev-
enth division began the advance dur
ing the afternoon of November "a, fol-
lowing several days bombardment,
rushing against the trenches guarding
the approach to the southeast fort of
the Keekwan mountain group, the Jap
anese artillery in the meanwhile throw
ing all the metal possible against the
Rihlung mountain and the Antzu
mountain forts Possession of the
trenches was stubbornly contested, but
after five hours fighting and several
repulses the Japanese drove out the
Russians, destroyed their trenches and
succeeded lin entrenching themselves
behind the saiidbags, which the infan-
try carried. AT II i'm the evening the
Russians made sorie which the Jap
anese say they repulsAd after two
hours fighting.
Another line of trenches more for
midable than the ,es destroyed lies
between the Japanese and the forts.
The Japanese at Port Dalny believe the
attack became general, as the men re-
turning from the front. while not hav-
ing seen any fighting, reported that a
heavy small arm and machine gun fire
was almost constant at various parts of
the line till November 81. when the last
advices reached Port Dalny.
Toxic. Dee L.. Imperial head1uar
tiers tonight summarized the Port Ar
thur situation as follows:
with regard to the enemy's forts at
s;ungshu mountain and to the east
ward we have firmly captured the
crests. giacis and counterscarps and
their vicinities but the time to charge
has not yet come. Al present we are
destroying the casenates and other
caponiers At the 203 meter hill by sew
cral charges, we have succeeded i'm cap
turing the cnemy's shelter trenches
near the summit At present our force
is holding It's position and endeaS oring
to capture the whole fort"
Imperial headquarters today sum
maiized the Marchuran situation in
the following statements:
ION the evening of November 81 the
enemy made u dull bombardment
against Santa kuntZu, and the enemys
infantry from $50 attempted night
attack, which was rcpulsed ut $50
During tho attack the enemy's NOR
tars in the neigh loorhood of Weichia
lottzi ,olnla,de(l Santao Kuntzu,
Kanchawotzu and their vicinities, but
did not injure us
From sunset of the 9th the enemy I,
mortars and field guns west of the
railroad bombarCled necessarily the
neiehborhood of kuchiatzu. Stimuli
taneously the encmys infantry oc-
c,,n:cd a village northwest of Nan
~ atzu and fired III the direction of
s.; Chisftl. which is north of Nuch-
~, ne. The firing Was quoted at $50
~, same evening. AT 10:30 the enemy's
infantry west of the railroad on the
right bank of the Shalhe river and
northward of Sinchinpu. fired at us
tlesultorily and ceased firing at 80.
There have been several skirmishes be-
tween scouting parties. In other re-
spccts the situation is unchanged"