The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-10

Headquarters of the Japanese Third |
Army before Port Arthur, Nov. 2S, via
TENT sin, Dec. 1O.-(Probably held at
headquarters for censorship -The gen
eral assault on Port Arthur which be-
gan at noon Nov. 26 is still in progress.
In the first series of assaults an at
tempt was made to capture the forts at
Rih-lung and Kee-kwan mountains by
penetrating the principal line of fortl-
fications surrounding them, and to Gu
velop the city from the east. At the
same time a strong force pushed up the
gorce of Shi-shi valley between two for
tilted ridges and attacked the support
mountain, officially called Sung-shu
mountain, with the intention of en-
veloping the city from the west.
The attempt failed after, the most
furious fighting that, has been wit
messed since Port Arthur was invested.
! The fighting lasted from noon Of Nov.
| 90 until after dawn of the following
| day without CESSATION. r. l'...".
| A Hell of shrapnel. -,
The assault began in the early morn
ing with tremendous bombardment
of the forts on the western half Of the
eastern fortified ridge, by battery
the crest of ridge to the rear For
hours the whole western half Of the
fortified ridge was deluged with heavy,
shells. At noon the principal line OF
fortiAcations was a perfect hell Of
bursting shrapnel, and the spectacle
was more wonderful than anything pre-
viously seen.
The front lines of infantry, having
been strongly reinforced, began an at
tack simultaneously along the entire
line from East Kee-kwan mountain tc
West Rih-lung mountain. Thru the
haze caused by the smoke Of the burst
ing shells, the assa1lters could be seer
EMERGING from their cover OF the par
allels. as we'll as swarming up the for
tilted ridge, at half a dozen different
points.
swarming Japs Mown Down.
Rifles, rapid fire guns and machine
Guns blazed from the Russian position
Where dash was made in the open
The men went down by hundreds. TIL
forts were belching smoke and burst
black with the assaulters, who, o.
reaching the crests, met with an awful
fire from within the forts which swep
down line after line Of Japanese.
AS fast as the assaulters were re
pulsed, more Japanese swarmed up, onl.
: | to be moved down in turn.
The determination and fury OF tn
,JaDanoSo assaults were SQu dllou ny
stubbornness of the resistance OF tn
Russians. >.
on the eastern extremity Of the line
the Japanese made an assault IN a
attempt to capture the Russian trenche
situated midway up the slope of Eas
Kee-kwan mountain.
Trenches Taken and Retaken.
The Japanese paralleled some 80
wards of the Russian trench lines an
an entire regiment charged across, tn
men falling by hundreds before the aW
full fire of the Russians. But still NOR
!: men came on over the bodies of thos
who had fallen, and by sheer weight
numbers they reached the trenche
which they captured at the point OF tn
i bayonot.
: The Russian shrapnel fire made tn
captured Dol ton of the trenches a pc
( feet hell, while the Japanese shrapn
8 fire assisted the captors to push cal
- and west along the trench line.
At clock in the evening furiol
Russian counter attack drove the ia
anese back to the parallels with gre;
ID loss.
At 8 o'clock the Japanese again ca
tured tho same portion Of the trent
and made desperate but unsuccessf
IS efforts to cross the piles.
4 \ Fought Upon Bodies Of Dead.
The awful struggle continued until