The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-09
PALLADA ON FIRE.
japanese Pound Away at the
Port Arthur Fleet.
Warehouses andOther Buildings
Are Greatly Damaged.
NO EFFORT TO ESCAPE.
CreWsAppear to HaveAbandoned
Russian Warships.
Last Attack on the East Side
Was Repulsed.

London, Dec "a dispatch to the
japanese legation from Toxic dated to-
day says:
THE naval staff at Port Arthur re-
ports that on Thursday evening the
Pallada was set on fire and heeled to
port with her stern sunk. Eleven shots
hit the Gilak (gunboat). The Bayan
took fire at 1870 and is still ablaze at
Ala p. m. The Amur (transport) was
hit IA times and sank Many shots
| greatly damaged the warehouses and
other buildings near Beiyu mountain
and the arsenal
Quiet on East Side.
| Headquarters of the Third Japanese
Army Before Port Arthur, via Fusan,
Dec. 9.-On the night of November 26.
| the japanese established infantry
trenches inside the parapets of the two
Fihlung and the North Keekwan forts
but on the following day they were
compelled to retire beyond the moats.
Since then. there has been practically
no lighting along the incline of the east
ern ridge of forts. the main strength
| of the japanese troops having been con-
centrated to effect the capture of 2o3
| Meter hill.
The battleship Pobedia, has keeled
over in the harbor and is now burning.
| The battleShip RevtiZan and the turret
ship PoltaVa have been sunk. The ar
mored cruiser Bayan has been beached.
The other vessels are making no eff
fort to escape.
Casualty List.
Toxic, Dec. 9.-10:3O A. M--Imperial
army headquarters has published a list
of Sc officers killed and So wounded. No
mention is made of where these casual |
ties occurred. but it was presumably at
Port Arthur.
Russians Do Not Reply.
Toxic, Dec 9--Noon-The following
report, dated December 8, 10 p. M, has ,
been received from the commander of
the naval land batteries in front of Port |
Arthur:
Eight shells struck the protected
cruiser Pallada today and set her on
fire. simultaneously, she began to list
to port, lowering astern- She is deemed
untitled tor navigation.
During the action we discovered the |
gunboat Giliak to the landward north !
of the battleship Peresviet, and bonn |
barded her. Eleven of our shells were
effective. This vessel is also deemed to
be disabled.
1.-THE hits made by our naval and siege
caught fire at 11:30 o'clock this morn |
ing and the fire was not extingu1shed
at AIS in the afternoon. Evidently the
cruiser is seriously damaged.
''The results of our bombardment of
the battleship Sevastopol, the mine ship
(transporD Amur, and the transports
are not yet known"
The above mentioned hits were made
with shells from the heavy guns. Those
made by the small shells are not men
toned in the report.
Another report from the same COM
mander, dated g O'Clock this (Friday) !
morning, is as follows:
LAS the result of our naval gun bonn
bardment yesterday CThursday), the
armoured cruiser Bayan was hit six
times and the Amur IA times. The
Amur is sinking aStern.
''Our cannonade directed against the
storehouses and arsenals at the north
OF PaiVI mountain resulted
in SO hits, causing great damage"
The latest observations of the Japa-
nese commanders in front of Port Ar
thur show that there is no activity in
the west harbor or in the visible por-
tions of the east harbor. The Russians,
strangely, are not replying to the Japa-
nese fire.
Will Starve Out Garrison.
Toxic, Dec. 9.-In disabling the
Russian fleet at Port Arthur, preclud-
ing the possibility of it's being able to
reinforce the Russian second Pacific
squadron. the Japanese have ac-
compIished the main object of the des-
perate assaults against the fortress
which they have been making for the
past three months There is now
tinuing the siege, they will avoid
losses of the magnitude already at
tending their efforts, and instead OF
assaulting will rely on starving out
the garrison until it is finally captured.
Prisoners Treated Courteously.
Headquarters of the Third japanese
Army, Before Port Arthur, via Fusan.
Dec. 9-Two Russian officers captured at
to the navy and the otehr to the S
army, are being treated with the greatest
courtesy by the Japanese staff in consid-
Grafton of similar treatment accorded to
Japanese officers, captured by the Rus !
slams. Special arrangements nave been ,
made to transport the OFFICERS to Japan
This is taken as an Indication of the dis
position of both sides to end the ferocity
characterizing the fighting for months
past, during which quarter was neither
asked nor given
Food Is Scarce.
Headquarters of the japanese Third
Army, Before Port Arthur, Dec. s, via
F'usan, Dec. 9.-Russian prisoners report
sufficient. The men subsist on short ra-
tions of bread made of mixture of flour
and coarse grains, while while the & Officers GERS get get
typhoid, the prisoners say. are very prev | '
alent. Owing to the bad weather a sup +
ply of fresh vegetables can not be OBJ !
tanned and the supply of timed meats
was finished month ago. The appear
ance of the prisoners goes to substantiate '
but emaciated. {
Don't Understand the Russians. t
Toxic, Dec. 9, p. m.-Considerable !
astonishment is expressed here over
the fact that the Russians in way
resisted the disabling of the Port
Arthur feet. In certain quarters the
opinion is entertained that the Rus I
slams opened the seacocks of the sub
merged vessels far as to lessen their
exposure to the Japanese fire. The
recent cessation of mine clearing was
taken as evidence that the fleet did T
not intend to make a sortie.
There was no sign of life on thei t
Russian ships during the lombard +
ment and from this fact it is con- q
GUIDED that the bluejackets took ref Y