Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-15

St. Petersburg, Sept. ia dispatch
from Stoesscl at Port Arthur says the
japanese are actively constructing a
fortificatiOn on Sampon mountain and
1T other points and that they continue
TO lombard the forts and harbOr. On
Sept . they threw 25O shells into the
town. The Japanese have issued
proclamation to the Russian troops de-
manding their surrender.
Fleet Will BE Held.
ST Petersburg, Sept 15.-The report
that the Baltic fleet will make a stay
of some duration at Libau is semi-offf-
cialIy confirmed. An additional list
published today of casualties among
officers at the front from Aug. 26 TO
Sept :. gives the names of 81 killed
and l13 wounded.
RussinnS Hold Ground.
Toxic, Sept. 15.-Oyama telegraphed
today that the positions of the Rus
slams in the direction of Mukden are
unchanged The total number of Rus
sian dead buried at Liaoyang was
300.
kurOPat<in Reports.
St. Petersburg. Sept. 15.-Gen. Kur-
opatkin's official report, which was
given out last night. comes as a con
siderable relief as setting at rest
alarmist stories of the loss of guns, the
cutting off of divisions. and the death
or capture of prominent commanders,
which have been freely circulating
here. The report. which is a long one,
enters at considerable detail into the
various phases of the battle of Lao
Yang.
The account entirely bears out pre-
vious declarations that Con. OrlOff's
failure to hold the vital position at
the Neutai mines was responsible for
the breaking down of the whole of
Gen. KurOpatkin's plan of battle and
turned potential victory into defeat.
The manner in which the retreat
was carried out in the face of the ter
riblc condition of the country and the
determined pressure of the Japanese
armies does much TO restore Gen. kur-
opatkin's prestige in military circles.
Retreat Under HnrdsEipS.
The report dwells upon the terrible
difficulties encountered during the re-
treat AT Liaoyang from positions on the
southern front. when u horses and
whole company of infantry harnessed
to a single gun were not able TO re-
move the gun from a quagmire.
II is shown that the retirement from
I.iaoyang to the north bank of the
Ta!tZe river was carried out in good
order and with Celerity under cover of
night Aug. 81. when it had become evi-
dent that Gen. KuToki was making a
determined drive at the Russian com
muniCations north of LiaOyang.
Praises His Wen.
Gen. KuropatIlin pays tribute To the
courage and devotion of every arm of
the service under his command. and
especially 10 the bravery of the troops
TO whom was set the task of recaptur-
ing the Sykwantun hills on the north
bank of the Taitze river.
The cncampment of the night of
Sept. was productive of some of the
most severe fighting of the whole bat
tie. II was practically a company com
manders fight. commands becoming
separated in the darkness and inde-
pendent units acting upon their own
initiative with the one object of car
rying out the commanders orders TO
rotake the heights. This account puts
the Russian soldier in a different light
from the generally accepted belief that
he is mere military automaton, ca
pablc only of acting in a mass under
specific instructions.
>,kwantuu Decisive Point.
The necessity of retakinE the Syk-
wantun heights formed the first break
in Gen. Kuropatkin's plan and lost
him a whole day. Sept. >. and thus de
layed launching the blow against kUro-
hi; and when the Russians had just
rCCained a fuothold on the coveted pO-
sirion Orloffs failure to hold the Jap
anCso advance against the Yentai
mines threatened the development OF
Kuropatkin on the north. crippled the
whole Russian scheme. and forced the
now historic retreat To Mukden.
The report as given out does not
state the casualties. but il is authori-
tatively stated that they were under
17.00O.
Fortress i'm had shape.
Paris. Sept. 1.-THE Journals ST.
Petersburg correspondent SAYS:
a very high parsonage informs me
that the emperor has received = re