Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-10-18
STILL IN THE BALANCE.

would meet with rebuff.
 STILL IN THE BALANCE.
 St Petersburg, Oct IS (2:O8 p. m, )-- The issue of the bloody drama below Mukden is still in the balance. There is no attempt to minimize the. severe character of the reverse suffered by General Kuropatkin last week, but as yet there has been nothing absolutely decisive There certainly is no rout and no. Sedan, and the war office has not yet given up all hope that Kuro- patkin may be able to again resume & genuine offensive. 1t is asserted here that the tone which the diplomats and newspapers of Tokio assumed in refeM ring to what they seem to look upon as the closing act of the tragedy of General Kuropatkin's army is certain ly premature. Both armies are great ay exhausted and the final issue will depend on which can regather itself the quickest. The Russian legiOns are terribly battered and more or less de- moralized, but the splendid manner in which they went forward against Lone Tree hill Sunday is sufficient evidence that the temper and courage of the troops are not completely shaken.
 The emperor this morning received Kuropatkin's and Sakharoff's reports Of the Russian attack on and capture Of the village of Shalandtzy. half way between Long Tree hill and Shakhe, and simultaneously the storming of the former thereby gaining two posi- lions of the highest importance on the south bank of the Shakhe river.
 There was no fighting on the Rus sian left yesterday and the Japanese operations on the extreme right, evi- dently intended to cut the railroad be- low the Hun river, have failed, the Japanese being unable to get beyond Sinchinpu. two miles west of Shakhe railroad station. Field Marshal Oya- ma seems to be massing troops against the Russian center and the war office here expects that he will make des- perate effort tonight or tomorrow to retake the two vital positions.
 The general staff believes that the storming of Lone Tree hill for yalor and slaughter will occupy place by itself in military annals. Kuropatkin, under whose eye the assault was made, rechistened it Poutiloff hill, in honor of the man who led the attack at the head of the second brigade of the East Siberian rife division, and who was subsequently, decorated on the field with the St Georges cross.
 The hill is precipitous. rocky height and although the Japanese had occu- pied it only short time they had thrown up very strong defenses. The river running at it's foot increased the difficulty of the task, but 1t was sealed and carried successfully against the unprecedented opposition of a Japan ese division, 14,0O0 men, with many guns The Russian losses were terri- ble. The fighting on the crest of the 1lfH was altogether with cold steel. The Russian officers with swords aloft leading the scaling column were liter ally lifted in the air by the Japanese bayonets, and the Japanese then bay oneted the first of the Russian soldiers who piled in the trenches. All the dead in the trenches were bayoneted, then weapons bearing marks of the dreadful combat.
 The Russian line. according to the war office, still extends eastward along the Shakhe river to Uindiapu, where 1t crosses the Mukden- -Bentsiaputze road. Further east the roads leading north from Bensihu and Fushun, whence there is a direct road to Tie pass, are also strongly held, 1t being feared that Oyama might shift the weight to his right, thus reversing the situation at the opening of the opera tions with Kuropatkin pressing the Japanese left, in other words, duplicat. ing the strategicaI disposition at Liao- yang.
 While the war office holds out hope that KurOpatkin may resume the gen. eraI offensive, 1t is privately admitted that the chances are against him until there Is some fortunate development, at being explained that his assumption of the aggressive at Shakhe and along the railroad was vital; as the with drawal of his left must be made under the shelter of his right
 The dispatches of the Associated Press from Mukden filed early this morning and announcing that the ar fiiIery fire continued increasingly throughout the night, indicates doubt less that there will be important de velopments to-day. No indication was given. however, of the object of ths firing or which side was the aggres. sive.
 Some of the newspapers, notably the Russ, boldly hail the Russian success at Lone Tree hill as complete evidence that Kuropatkin will again make a genuine advance along the whole line, printing the announcement Ill big headlines: "The Russians resume the advance. Kuropatkin has crossed the Shakhe river. He has 2S0,G00 men and 400 guns
 MAKING LITTLE PROGRESS.
 London. Oct 1S.-The Anglo Russian negotiations on the subject of contra band of war are making little progress judging from the correspondence of the foreign office with a steamship 1r0 lo. ar%