The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-06-03
FAMOUS SIEGES
| OF MODERN TIMES
The investment Of Port Arthur
Adds interest to Historic
Beleaguerments.
HOW GERMANS TOOK PARis
Ctarved the People and Almost Destroy
cd the Great City-Santiaeo Fur
nishes Closest Parallel to
Port Arthur.

Chicago Chronicle: The siege of Por
I Arthur by the Japanese troops, now il
progress, promises to be one of the
! most notable occurrences of the kinG
| in modern military history. If reports
| are true that the Russian garrison is
| provisioned for n year the place will
not be easily taken for its defenses are
| wei night impregnable to assault.
In shortness and decisiveness it will
be difficult to beat the record of Alex
andria, ever gun of which was eff
fectually silenced within ten hours by
! the British fleet under Admiral Sey-
lnour. But these few hours witnessed
such n destructive deluge of shot and
shell! as might well have land a big
city in ruins. No fewer than 10000
projectiIes were hurled against the
forts of Alexandria. many of them
monsters of ,700 pounds weight, fired
from 8l-ton guns. Singuarly enough.
this murderous hail of iron did little
damage to the Qualifications, the major
ity of the shells burying themselves
harmIeGsIy in the parapets of sand
which had been raised to protect the
batteries.
But so terrible was the havoc and
slaughter wrought among the adher-
ents OF Arab Pashn by the flying frag-
mcnts of tho shells which exploded that
the forts were quickly evacuated, while
some of the shells started It fire which
destroyed almost the whole of the town.
Held for Many Months.
Sebastopol, with its grim, massive
forts, was c::ickly evacuated, while
some defended by 700 guns, and many
Or mem rt hcaVy caiiber, held out
aS5 r., ca po7 a. nv h h
a,'n,, 10 ,,l,no :.
ronnd th ~ ,, 49,, -, IL w., w..
70 non,,,e,a - ,as.,,t .i',,
s1,ch dnr,ts ,nn fo,.ts Nc s+i,l ron,ni,nh
standinn "era bInu.o IN Nv thn on
pinner, ~ 10 olIiaI fornes
n tno,y 100 49,, for ~ corr,,,, 10
bring Pnris 70 ho, lynaaa !, gann,,pion
ngo Durinr 1nn,,,rv 1871 NO ra,ror
than 10. 600 shells were rained onto tho
doomed town every dav and of those
SEQ fell into Tho civ nronar Turing a
single day. January 2. the Prussions
hurled Is 200 proiectiles ut Paris at a
cost OF 5000 900, The havoc they
wrought was fearful, and the resultant
fires Threatened TO destroy whole dis
tricts. During the siege no fewer than
40, 900 of the Inhabitants succumbed to
disease and hunger.
For ninety four DAYS Pleyna dcfied the
pick of the Russian army, although It's
defenders were hopelessly outnumbered
and on December 10, 1877, after the
last grain of rye had been eaten the
indomitable Turks sailed forth and
tried to hew their way through the
Russian leglons. Osman Pasha com
handed his gallant remnant in person;
.hree lines of trenches were pierced, but
the odds against them were too great
A c,u+ Dofo,
~ 1919
SURROUNDED ny almost countess
uoiue' VI t'iS I'ei's no ''eri ny" II
and shells tho brave leader AT last
Welded to fate and allowed the White
dag to nutter from the roof of the INT
near which he was living mutilated and
In agony.
Khartounm withstood the mahdi and
his hosts for 341 DAYS under the brave
direction OF Gordon, and In Kars Cen
visions for three months and ammuni-
ton for three days, kept an investing
army of $4,000 at bay from June to No
vember. General Williams" wrote
Mouravicfr, the Russian general to his
gallant foe. "you have made yourself a
name in history, and posterity will
stand amazed at the endurance, the
courage and the discipline which this
Siege has called forth in the remains of
an army. Let us arrange IL capitula-
ton which will satisfy the demands Of
war without disgracing humanity"
Gibraltar, as all the world knows
stood impregnable against all the as
saults of Spain and France for STA days
although week after week 5000 shells
were hurled at 1t every day, and in
spite OF the combined attack of forty
six sail of the line n countless fleet Of
gun and mortar boats and floating bat
teries which had cost G500.0OO to con-
1truct.
Notable Modern Sienes