The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-04

Captain Baldwin stated tonight tnat ne
expected to have the airship in readi-
ress for a flight by Saturday afternoon.
eral assault along the whole line would
take place between midnight and O'Clock
In the morning. For hours after the omin-
Gus darkness, silence was broken py an
occasional shell from the Japanese bat
teries while the Russians burst many
star lights over Shush village. where
they made a feint to sortie Immediately
after furious fusiade In the rear OF the
captured forts. Here the Russians, an
ticipatng an assault, made a strong
counter attack. The Japanese advance
lines were driven from the forts and were
furiously attacked by large bodies of Rus
slams, who also worked down on either
side of the east Banjusan forts to the
valley, in an attempt to cut Off the re-
treat of the Japanese from the forts. Inc
Russian move was cleverly planned anu
their artillery commanders were well IN
formed for they opened fire with shrap-
mel on the advance of the Japanese sup
, port In the valley using starlights ana
| searchllghts with good effort IN the
counter attack on the Japanese.
The assault then began, and for twenty
minutes the whole Japanese line was en-
gagged The left division from the trenehes
In front of the Kekwan forts charged the
| fortified hills. Part of the advance hau
| gained the crests and shouted 'banzal,
when their trump was cut short. Sud
denly the two powerful searchlights OF
the east fort lighted up the Japanese lines
and Russian rifles and machine guns
poured a deadly hail into the clearly VS.
ible ranks of the attacking troops. Despite
the awful process of unequal annlhailauoh
the Japanese stubbornly held the posi-
| tions gained and their machine guns
ouiclsIv located and routed the Russian
| quick1rers.
Slowly Forced Down Slope.
Finally the Japanese were slowly forced
down the slopes to the trenches below
On the west flank the searchlights of Etz
and Tai Yangkow directed fire along
the japanese trenches preventing the
forward movement of the troops. Inc
Japanese artllerymen concentrated their
fire on the searchlights, shells continually
planketing the lights. Suddenly the light
| of Etz disappeared and the light of Tai
| Yangkow followed. The Japanese infan-
| try on the right flank advanced on the
| trenches closed the Russian lights, but
the Etz light was flashed out In the
face of the advancing troops, and tine
Russian machine guns, previously well
placed, swept their fire along the lines
while rifles blazed with continuous rattle.
/
| into action they were located by the Rus
sian starlights and made more distinctly
visible by the searchlights, but they ST.
! enched the Russian quick-firers. In the
meantime the fight was fiercest In the
center of the Shuishi valley The Japan
ese captured the Banjusan forts, out
! thanking the Russian forces and slowly
forcing their lines back to the foot of the
| fort of hills. Though the Japanese plan
| u sim
counter attack, the japanese fought with
splendid determination. Slowly the Rus
slams were driven back up the slopes,
fighting desperately with rifles.
Russians Very skIlIfuI.
The skillful working Of the Russian
starlights and searchlights were utterly
unexpected and bewdering. They never
failed to locate the Japanese lines, which
offered splendid marks for the Russian
rifles and machine guns and rendered the
Japanese machine guns of little use. as
they were locates and sllenced by quick
frers before they could do any execu-
ton.
The Russians along the whole Inns
fought in the blacklist darkness and the
Japanese with the most dazzling light in
their faces The rattle of musketry, the
laundering Of the Russian guns, the purr-
ing of the machine guns, the bursting OF
starlights, the flashing of searchlights
along the whole line was a wonderfully
impressive sight.
The fighting continued for six hours
till dawn when the outflankers who were
forced back over the captured fortified
hills followed by the Japanese. who des-
} pite the fire of the forts captured the
forts.
Before dawn on the 22nd, the center
division had made a third attempt 10
capture the higher fortified ridge OF ASH
Hill the new Banjusan forts on the hlgh-
er ridge and the rear forts. the BAN
tusan forts were stormed and captured.
The Japanese captured a fort where they
entrenched themselves and remained un-
der an awful concentration OF shrapnel
: fire from the forts with dayugbt the
Japanese artillery started terflHc pohl-
, bardment Every gun from the extreme
) Jararese left 10 the center concentrated
( he f,re ON the eastern fortified ridge.
Al avalanche Of shells swept down on the
fortified ridges. quieting the Russian
: forts guns The storm of bursting smells
: lasted for half an hour, during which
! time the awful concentrated fire swept
the ridge from end to end.
Four Hundred Guns Were Roaring.
over 400 guns roared in rapid succession
until the entire ridge was enveloped in
a cloud of smoke. For time every Rus
sian fort was silenceu. When the smoke
cleared away 1t was seen that the left
division had advanced through the forts.
During the night Of the 4th the ranks
of the japanese were so decimated by
the shrapnei fire of the Russians that
they were forced to retire to the valley
before the Scared forts and what might
have been d successful general assault
with the carture Of the fortified ridge
| east of Port Arthur were converted by
the Russian tactics into a repulse The