The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-25

concrete above the mine The expIo-
sion of the second mine followed imme-
diately, and this was succeeded by
five smaller explosions
The sight was wonderful in the ex-
IRENE. Huge clouds of brown earth
and debris of all kinds were thrown
two hundred feet i'm the air. and il
looked as If the whole fort had been
sent heavenward. When the clouds of
earth had settled down the snow for
some five hundred yards around the
fort was covered with brown earth.
pieces Of timber and blocks of con-
crete.
Made Large Breaches.
The explosions made two large
breaches in the north wall of the fort
through which the japanese in the
moat swarmed. They charged so quick
~ that fifty of them were either killed
or wounded by the falling debris. The
japanese succeeded in gaining the ram
parts and charged the interior of the
fort. but they were repulsed by a DOR
ton Of the garrison from behind a wall
at the rear of the fort which had not
been touched by the force of the ex-
plosiOn. Behind this wall there were
four field guns and three machine
guns
In the meantime, the Russians had
rushed reinfOrcements of some 200 to
the fort through the covered wall at
the rear.
The second battalion of attackers
were not able to advance Immediately.
as the sapping trenches from the paral-
lei to the moat were filed with debris.
When this debris had been excavated
the battalion gained the moat and
reached the ramparts through the
breaches that had been made by the
explosions
By Twos and Threes.
The commander of this enterprise
realized that any attempt to gain the
interior Of the fort would end in dis
aster if his whole force advanced i'm
one body. so he disposed his men along
the wall and ordered them to gain the
lower level of the interior of the fort
by twos and threes, and to find cover
in the holes which had been made in
the surface by the japanese shells. In
the whole center of the fort great holes
had been torn by the Japanese shells
and these offered good cover for the
rifle and machine gun fire directed
from the rear of the fort In these
holes $50 of the attackers had found
cover by ; o'clock in the evening
Advancing carefully the japanese ap-
preached the Russian defenses in the
hole b hole under cover of the dark
ness the entire battalion gained the in
terror of the fort, notwithstanding the
desperate resistance made by the Rus
slams.
Charge Followed Charge.
The first charge made against the
wall of sand bags proved unsuccessful,
but charge followed charge until mid
night, when the last corner of the Rus
sian defenses was captured.
The fighting was desperate in the eX-
treme, with bayonets and dynamite
hand grenades, and the entire garrison
was killed with the exception of a par
" of twenty, who escaped through the
covered WALL which they destroyed be
hind them by exploding four mines, and
thus prevented the japanese from pur-
suing them.
Though the numbers engaged and the
area Of the fighting were small, both
assault and defense. were more furious
than any in the previous history OF the
siege of Port Arthur. With the eXcep-
tiOns noted the garrison died fighting
to the last man with wonderful deter
minatiOn.
Could Not Be Resisted.
The final rushes of the japanese were
irresistible Their wounded refused to
retire and insisted on continuing the
fighting. saying that they had vowed to
take the fort and that they must sue
coed.
Four field guns and three machine
guns were captured and over 500 Rus
SLAMS were killed.
The skillful manner in which the sec
ond assault was executed prevented
heavy losses and ensured the capture
of the fort, which, though not the larg~
est, is one of the strongest Of the east
ern fortified ridge. The fort is impor-
tant TO the japanese, as it opens a
way up the gorge between il and the
eastern part of Kekwan mountain,
and is the easiest point at whiea to
pierce the principal line of Notifications
for the purpose of gaining foOthold
on the higher hills Of the ridge.
The stubborn resistance made by the
Russians was due TO the fact that the
captured fort was the key of the posi-
ton at this point of their western flank