Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-08-23
HAS A COMMANDING POSITION
It is Only Second Ia Importance to
The One Situated on Golden
Hill
PORT ARTHUR ITSELF is DOOMED.
Such Is the Popular Feeling in st. Pet.
crsbnrg- Great Losses of Japs Give
Russians Some encouragement

London, Aug %, 3:l5 p. m.-The
Evening News this afternoon published
a dispatch from Cheefoo under todays
date, announcing that the Japanese
captured q chain fort" of the Port Ar
thur defenses. yesterday, after tre-
mendous attack.
The Evening News dispatch from
Chefoo Is simply a repetition OF the an
houncement OF the capture OF ltshan,
or Etseshan, known AS a chain fort F"
Etseshan fort, according to the avail
able maps Of Port Arthur is almost i'm
tie center OF the chain OF forts OF
which II forms one. defending Port
Arthur from which II is only about a.
mile and "A half distant II occupies "A
commanding position and possibly is
only second I'm importance to the Gold.
en- hill fort.
II was announced from Chefoo Mon
day that the Japanese had swept the
Russians from Pigeon bay and had
captured the northernmost fort OF the
western line Of inner defenses. though
Antszshan fort. about a mile northeast
of Etseshan fort, might also be olassed
as the northernmost fort Of the western
line Of inner defenses az Port Arthur.
PORT ARTHUR is DOOMED.
St Petersburg. Aug. 20. 1886 pm
Despite the popular feeling that Port
Arthur Is doomed the success with
which Lieut. Gen Stoessel has been
beating or the Japanese assaults and
the heavy losses Sustained by the be-
siegers offer considerable encourage
ment 70 the war office.
There Is a limit beyond which troops
cannot go no matter how gallant"
said an officer OF the general STAFF this
morning "a nth OF the army before
Port Arthur is small estimate OF the
enemy's losses up 10 date If the
storming operation which we UNDER
stand is now progressing, fails to give
them a. foothold IN the ring of inner de-
lenses the Japanese viii be compelled
by sheer exhaustion to stop and recup-
crate, while awaiting additional rein-
forcements, ana | personally, together
with some Of my colleagues. believe
they will abandon the idea OF general
assault and settle down 10 regular
siege operations Starving out the gar
rlson Is less brilliant, but It Is quite as
effective a way OF reducing a fortress.
The Japanese purpose in rushing mat
tiers has doubtless been to release a
section Of the southern army and en-
able IL 10 cooperate with the armies
I'm Mauchuria"
The naval critic Of the Viedomosti
boldly expresses the opinion that the
Port Arthur squadron would commit
an act Of folly if Il went out now. He
adds
Although portion OF Admiral Ouk-
tomsky's ships are ia fighting trim. in
Guiding at least the peresvlet, PoltaYa,
Sebastopol and Pallada. II would be fu-
tile to attempt to break through Adj
ron would be lost without profit to
Port Arthur. Ouktomsky would do bet
ter to dismantle his guns and send the
men ashore. This would reinforce Gen.
Stoessel to the extent Of nearly seven
heavy and 400 light guns and 5000
men. Then. n the worst comes, the
ships could be sunk"
a semi official journal. while paying
a tribute 20 the heroic defenders Of
Port Arthur, does not withhold praise
for the extraordinary yalor Of the Jap
anese besiegers. IL says
Neither rain of cannon shots, walls
OF bayonets nor earth strewn with pu-
trifying corpses can arrest their stub
born assaults
There are number OF yelled intima-
tions I'm both the newspaper dispatches
from Lao Yang and az headquarters
here that Gen kurOpatkln is preparing
diversion against Gen, KurOki 20 pre-
vent the dispatch OF achievements to
aid the attackers Of Port Arthur.
The Novoc Nremya considers that the
question Of China's attitude Is very Sc
rious and contends that the Chinese
are quite incapable OF preserving nou-
trality. adding;
How otherwise could Jaranesc war;
ships enter Chinese ports at VIII: Tho
idea that the United States IS going TO
preserve the neutrality OF China ia an
Illusion The American torpedo boat
destroyer ChnunCays pursuit Of the
Japauele torpedo boat turns out to haYa
been a mere coincidence"