The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-03-25
BATTLE ON YALU
IS NOT CONFIRMED
May Have Been a Skirmlsk 81
Scouts as Armies Are
Far Saparted.
RUSSIAN DEFENSE ACTIVE
Greatly Hindered the Latest AttemP
of Japanese to Land Troops at
Helena Bay-Foreisners Must
Remain Behind.

London, March 22.-Nothing ha:
reached here to confirm the report tina
a battle has taken place on the Yall
river, in which the Russians are alleged
to claim that they captured 1000 pris'
oners.
A dispatch from St. Petersburg to
news agency dated yesterday says there
has been no change in the situation
and hat all is quiet on both land anC
sea.
Between the Russian line at Ping
Yang to the Yalu river and the Japa'
nese line to Gensan there have, beer
slight skirmishes between scouts, bu'
no battle has taken place. as the dis.
lance between the opposing armies Is
great.
The bulk of the Russian forces, the
dispatch adds. has not yet passed the
Yalu river.
The 81. Petersburg correspondent OF
the Dali Telegraph states that the mill
tary authorities were startled by the
attempt Of the Japanese to land ir
Helena bay, as the nearest Russian
force that could have been ssed against
them consisted Of three rifle regiments
at New Chwang. They, however, have
hindered the Japanese landing and en-
ergetic measures are now being adopt
ed to prevent such q movement.
Among the other devices adopted has
been the concentration Of troops at
Foo Chow, twenty-five miles south OF
Helena bay.
In cabling the fact that all British
n American residents at New
Chwang must remain within the walls,
a correspondent of the Daily Chronicle
at New ChWang says
II was arrested while attempting to
leave yesterday"
The correspondent says it is reported
hat a Japanese squadron arrived at
the mouth of the Lao river Saturday
night and landed a party, which, after
accommodating, re-embarked.
Guns Not Mounted on Forts.
A correspondent of the Times at New
Chwang cables as follows:
According to information received
here the reason the V~ladivostock forts
did not reply to the bombardment by
the Japanese was because the batteries
were not provided with guns. Since the
bombardment parties have been work.
Ing night and day to place guns in
position. The bombardment destroyed
the Linevitch battery. The Russian
losses were slight, because the batteries
were deserted. The same conditions
prevail at V~ladivostok as at Port
Arthur. The supply of provisions there
Is running short, and the population Is
SAiA = ~
the only real protection"
A correspondent of the Times with
the Japanese forces, by wireless teleg-
raphy, via Wei-Rai-Wei, under date of
March 20, sends over q olum Of
matter which is mostly a description of
the torpedo fight between the Russians
ana The Japanese on March 9. He says
that Admiral Togo has since been COM
p~aratively passive, according to the
advices, and that Port Arthur has been
given a respite, although the cruisers
and torpedchoat destroVers la kept
a Close blockade.
The correspondent says hat Vice
Admiral Kamilmura's bombardment OF
Vladivostok was solely intended to
| harass the Russians and to compel the
Russian cruisers to leave the harbor
The vice admiral brought his ships
within range opposite the dead point OF
the forts, on the northeast entrance
The Russians did not reply because the
Japanese vessels took up positions be-
You'd the arc Of the training of the
-'1ns.
Russian Defense More Active.
Vice Admiral Kamimura, the CORE
spondent says, sailed south on March
II after searching Amur bay. Since
Vice Admiral Makaroff's arrival at Port
Arthur, he adds, the Russian defensive
| ldCllCS . lldSS USSlA IN oSlASS ~
their torpedoboat destroyers more alert
and enterprising.
Describing the fight between the Rus
sian and Japanese torpedoboats, the
correspondent confirms in detail the
f]erceness of the contest. The YES
sells were so close that the Russians
threw. explosives onto the bridge
stroyers. These, however, failed to Diet
onate. All the vessels engaged were
more or less damaged. The japanese
losses were six killed and eight wound
ed. That the Russians were defeated
in spite of their superior numbers, is
due to the better shooting of the Jap
anese, and the fact that the Russian
vessels were armed with 3-pound guns
while the armament Of the japanese
ships was made up of 6-pounders.
In reference to the fight of three
hours which occurred later, the cor.
respondent says the Russians fought
with desperation and the Japanese with
confidence born Of their past victories
One Russian commander was killed
early In the fight. A lieutenant ther
took command, only to fall. shot II
upon the sub-lieutenant, who also wa
killed after taking the wheel himself
When the coxswain fell this vessel wa!
captured by the Japanese. The othel
Russian vessel escaped.
Damage to Japanese.
On the Japanese side one destroyer wa
hit on the water line, two Of her com
partments We're flooded and her quick FIR
Ing ammunition was wetted. This vesse
retired from the action. Her officers es
capped narrowly from a 12-pound shot
which struck the platform in front of tn
bridge. killing one man and sweeping tn
bridge with splinters. The same vesse
received a S-pound shot through the hull
but the damage was repaired within fou
days.
A Japanese lieutenant who boarded tn
Stereguschtchi said he had never seen
more sickening sight. Thirty bodies, ter
ribly mutilated by a shell. were lying o
deck. AS the Japanese approached, tw
Russian ~bluejackets rushed from the cor
ming tower. located themselves in tn
cabin. n refused to come out. Tw
stokers jumped overheard and were pickle
UP. These, with two wounded men, wer
the only survivors OF a crew of ffty-nvt
When the craft sank the men who wer
locked in the cabin sank with her.
h fight lasted nearly an hour. Th
weakness OF the Russian torpedoboat de
1 stroyers' armament again proved fata
\ The Japanese concentrated their first FIR
on the Russians ~12-pounder, and put
out of action early in the fight, leaving he
1 NTH a~lyr ha. o o,,ooa n noin,A thai