The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-27

Headquarters Of the japanese Third
Army, before Port Arthur. December
90, via Yinkow delayed in transmits
sien), via Tien Tsin, December "a
Since the general assault of November
26-21. the Japanese have been en-
gagged in tunneling under the north
fort OF Kekwan mountain. Two main
tunnels ran under the north wall Of
the fort from the moat for a distance
OF forty feet and there were four short
branch tunnels.
On the morning of Dec. 18th seven
dynamite mines were laid, the object
of which was to destroy the north
wall and so give the japanese access
to the fort. The fort had so long
resisted the assaults of the Japanese
that it was considered necessary that
the explosion Of the mines and the
subsequent attacks should be care
fully planned General SamejIma,
commanding the left division, asked
for volunteers who would be pre-
pared to capture the fort or die in
the attempt. Two entire battalions
answered the generals call, one from
the left division and the other from
the general reserves. The first bat
talon remained in the CaDonfere gal
leries during the explosion of the
mines. while the second battalion was
in q parallel close to the wall of the
counter scarp.
In order that the dark uniform of
tho men might not show aga1nrt the
brown of the soil which would be
turned by the force of the explosion,
all the attackers wore brown wooIen
under-drawers over their trousers
and brown sweaters over their TUNES.
Instead of q cap, each man wore
brown woolen head piece, which eX-
tended to the shoulders leaving only
the face visable. Every man carried
a rifle in his right hand and dynamite
grenades in his left. while lighted
slow match was attached to his cart
ridge but with which to ignite the
fuses OF the grenades. In this pc
culiar garb, with the lighted matches
at their waists, the troops presented
a strange appearance. The soldiers
OF the battalions In the caponiere
galleries, who were distinguished by
white badges on their. arms, We're to
make the second assault. General
Samejima personally conducted these
assaults at o'clock on the afternoon
of December 10 after the explosions
had taken place.
The first mine exploded without
warming, and the explosion was not
entirely successful, owing to the heavy
concrete above the mine. The ex-
plosion of the second mine followed
Immediately and this was succeeded
by five smaller explosions
The sight was wonderful in the ex-
treme. Huge clouds of brown earth
and debris of all kinds were thrown
two hundred feet in the air, and it
looked as if the whole fort had been
sent heavenward. When the cloud
of earth had settled down the snow
for some five hundred yards around
the fort was covered with brown eartl,
and pieces of timber and blocks OF
concrete
The explosion made two large
preachers in the wall OF the fort
through which the Japanese rnoat
SWarmOQ. 1hcy SHdA SCu ~ 0diNENAs
that so of the men were either killed
or wounded by the falling debris. The
japanese succeeded in gaining the
ramparts and charged the interior
of the fort, but they were repulsed by
a portion OF the garrison from behind
a wall at the rear Of the fort, which
had not been touched by the force
of the explosion. Behind this wal
there were four field guns and thre'
machine guns.
in the meantime the Russians has
rushed reinforcements of some thre'
hundred TO the fort through the Gov
cred wall at the rear.
The second battalion Of attacker
were unable to advance Immediately
the sapping trenches from the parable
to the moat were filed with debris
When this debris had been excavate