Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-05-07
PORT ARTHUR SIEGE
Japanese Land Army TO As
sault the Fortress.
RAILROAD AND TELEGRAPH HELD UP
Gibraltar OF Far Enst Ts Now Tso-
lated, and the Garrison of 10000
Must Defend ItseIf-Viceroy
AlexefeR Left Hastily.

must DEFEND 1tseAf-V1cerOy
AlexeieR Left Hastily.
LONDON, May IA special dis
patch from ST. Petersburg says that
Port Arthur is cut off from all commu-
nication by land, the japanese having
disembarked in its rear, occupied the
railroad and cut the telegraph.
Vice Admiral Skrydloff, who is en-
route to Port Arthur to take over COM
nand of the naval forces in the far
east, will be unable to reach his head
quarters.
The ministry of war has received the
following telegram from Major Gen.
eral Plug, chief of the military staff:
According to the information l have
received, forty -seyen OF the enemy's
on Wednesday morning.
ION Thursday morning the Japanese
began to land at Pitsewo and on the
coast near Cape Terminal, about fif-
teen miles southwest OF Pitsewo, I'm
der cover Of artillery fire.
AT this time about sixty transports
were observed bearing down upon the
whole front, and our outposts retired
from the shore
"All papers in the postoffice at Pitse-
wo were removed. and the Russian in
habitants abandoned the town
According to Chinese reports, by
the evening of Thursday about 10000
of the enemy's troops had landed and
taken up quarters In the Chinese viii
lagos near the points of debarkation.
The enemy sent two columns of
about a thousand men each. one in a
westerly direction and the other to the
southwark
Yesterday passenger train from
|, Port Arthur was fred upon mile aud
quarter outside Polandien, about for
ty miles north of Port Arthur, by a
hundred Japanese infantrymen occu-
plying heights east of the railway. The
train carried many passengers, 200
sick occupying an ambulance carriage
flying the Red Cross flag. Two of the
sick were wounded. The train sue
ceeded In reaching Polandien.
Tranquility prevails in the mart
time province and in Yinkow'
This mornings dispatches received
from st. Petersburg say japanese
troops swarming across the narrow
neck Of the Liaotung peninsula, the
railroad and telegraph communica-
tons cut and the Russian Gibraltar is
olated and left to its own resources, all
this the Russians seem to accept with
great stoicism
These events have been anticipated
since the outbreak of the war, and the
authorities, in sense, appear to be re-
lieved now that the blow has fallen.
They assert that the fortress is inn
pregnable and amply provisioned to
stand siege for year and that it can
hold out until the time comes to relieve
it.
According to official information the
landing of troops from sixty trans
ports began simultaneously at Pitsswo
and Cape Terminal 1t is also reported
that. troops are being landed at Kin
chow, but this is not credited, as the
Russians are known to have fortifica-
lions there, and it Is not believed that
the Japanese had the daring to land
Immediately under an intrenched posi-
tion from which the Russians could
1nfiict severe loss on any army while
disembarking
The japanese landed in sufficient
force to discourage the few hundred
Russians watching at Pitsewo from
offering any resistance
A Tokyo report says Admiral Hoso-
va, commanding the squadron that has
been operating at the mouth of the
Yalu, tells of the landing of the Japa-
Discovering number of the enc
mys patrols, we bombarded them for
short time. and then landing party
of sailors, Captain Nomoto leading,
was ordered ashore.
1T being low tide it was impossible
to use the boats. and the sailors plung-
ed into the water, waded, breast deep.
for about a thousand yards and reach
ed the beach at 20 p. m. Immediate
ly advancing, they took possession of
range of hills without firing a shot
and planted our flag on the top
From information brought from Port
Arthur by the Chinese sixty transports
are disembarking two divisions, num-
bering altogether 10000 men.
Only few hundred Cossacks We're
on the beach when the Japanese ap-
peared They fired a few rounds aud
retired to the railroad
The landing is proceeding unopposed
by the Russians.
While it is not officially admitted, ii
is believed here that the entrance to
Port Arthur is sealed at least for large
warships.
! Complete details of the landing are
lacking owing to the interruption of
communication. No resistance was
made the fpw CoSsa cks observing the