Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-28
GOSSIP ABOUT THE WAR.
SideIiehts on the Campaign and the
Men Directing 1t.


Like the heavyweight champion Oh
the fistic arena. who scotfed at the pre-
tentlons of lightweight. ENCHANTING.
All, go get a reputation. just so ui''
the CossGcks look down upon the otAer
arms Of the Russian military tst''plisii-
ment. The rough riders of the s'ePi'eS
mad achieved a Worldwide reputation
for courage dash and skill, ana were
expected to live up to their reputation
in the present war. But the accounts
have not as vet singled them for sp"-
cial praise or distinction. Against
General kuroki." says the New YORK
Tribune. the CoSSack has Slgnally
1alled. Military critics assert tii'tt 'liis
is Tue in part To the vast line Oh COIL
municatiOnS General kouropatkln mas
to portect. to the immense transport
guarding necessary, and also 10 the
huge Russian army, immobile and en-
urely unlike that of the Beers, Tor
which the CSSackS must continually
act as a covering force III the endless
retreats. BE that as it may, however,
his gallantry ma- have persisted, but
the little Janarrs.4 cavclryman, mount
ed on his dinilutive pony, has not
been overwhelmed and destroyed, az
the world believed he would be, by his
huge Cossaok foe, WHO claimed klnship
long ago to the Rough Riders of the
Spanish American war
\ Toxic correspondent relates an in
stance of national patriotism illustrate
ing picturesque and noble traits OF
character linking old and new Japan.
Nearly 800 wears ago when ToguGawa
lScyasu captured the castle of Osaka
from the Tail,os widow Iodo. and her
son. Hideyori. he found there a large
part Of the treasure that the great cap
tain and Statesman had accumulated.
1t was in the form of gold horses. for
the Taiko's fancy had been thus 10
stamp upon the precious metal an indi-
GATOR of the warlike uses to which it
was destined.
The Tokugawa leader distributed a
great part of the treasure among his
chief retainerS, and to His second son,
Eorirao h. gave 300 ingots with an
injunction that TIE gold should be held
as a reserve for use in n national emer-
Sency. Norinio received in fief the
province of Dwarf, and in the vaults of
the cOlossel castle built by him at Ma
goNa the inGots lay Untouched until the
fall of feudalism. in 1874.
The feudal chiefs were then reduced
to the position of simple gentlemen,
with incomes representing Il mere frac-
ton of their previous revenues. But
no official scrutiny WAS made into the
contents Of their strong rooms. and
thus many emerged from the debacle
III mTch better financial position
than the bal. figures of the states
communication scheme suggested.
The Dwarf ingots, however. being
reserved from ordinary uses by the in
junction of lyeyaSu-an injunction of
absolutely binding force III the eyes of
his descendants Remained inviolate
until Il few days ago. when their owner
Marquis Girei. present representative
Of the Dwarf family, decided that the
national emergency contemplated by
his illuStrious ancestor had come. The
1ngots have value of 1.JVU,VUO yen-
100000 in modern money.
The gift has not evoked much COM
ment in Japan. 1t appears to be con-
sidered too appropriate to be eXtraor-
binary. But it constitutes an inter-
esting link between the old and the
new.
Thomas f. Millard, writing in Serb
ner's Monthly on "Why General
kuropatkiE Failed" describes the
destructive fire of japanese artillery as
follows:
Shortly before Q o'clock occasional
impact shells began to fall upon the
RUSSIAN center, and the Russian bat
teries sent back a few in reply. This
was merely a preliminary exchange of
courtesieS, for the purpose of getting
the range. The Russian gunncrs in
the redoubts were given the range at
$500 yards. which shows approximate
ly the distance between the lines.
About ?.2O the Japanese batteries be-
gan to fire salvOs, also of impact she'll
This was for the purpose of finally cor
recting the ranges, but they needed
little correction. for it was remarked
that nearly all these salvos. which
We're fired at short intervals, burst al
most directly upon the Russian re-
doubts. At $50 the Japanese artillery
opened all along the line, and at the
same time the CONTEMPLATING move
ment started.
Eyewitness Of this fire agree that
1t exceeded in intensity. accuracy and |
execution anything of the kind they
had ever seen, and many of those ex-
pressing this opinion We're officers of |
experience in former wars. A perfect |
rain OF shells this wellwOrn simile is |
literally true) fell upon the positions
occupied by the Russian batteries, kill /
ing and wounding hundreds of the
artillerists and dismounting quite a
number of the guns. Fifteen minutes
after the Japanese fire opened not a
single Russian gun fired another shot.
Within that brief time from ten to1
ffteen thousand shells fell upon the
RUSSIAN positions. making it "a bsolute-
~ impossible 10 work the guns. The
Japanese used both shrapnel and i'm
pact shells, and both We're terribly eff
fectlve. The Russian redoubts. which
were OF the old-fashioned kind, offered
any protection from the
While the new high explosive
frst used in this war by the Japanase
l.