Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-08
THE EASTERN CONTEST
STORY OF THE PROGRESS OF THE
JAP-RUssIA WAR.
What Has Reen Done in Six Months
of Fighting-Probable Num-
Der of Casualties.

of Fighting-Probable Num-
Der of Casualties.
Six months ago last Sunday, having
severed diplomatic negotiations with
Russia. japan began war by Selling Ma
sampo a port on the southern coast OF
Korea, as base for landing troops. Dur
ing the following night Admiral Togos
torpedo fotilla surprised the Russian
fleet at Port Arthur, Gripping almost all
the larger vessels. On February the
Russian cruiser Variag, the torpedo
transport Korietz and the transport sun
gan were blown up at Chemulpo a1ter
the cruiser had been practically sunk by
a Japanese fleet.
Since then Japan has, on both land and
sea, won a succession of brilliant VIC
tories Russia has borne up under dis
aster after disaster. With the climax OF
the campaign seemingly almost at mana,
Port Arthur, where the fighting began, Is
likely soon to fall An army of from o.
600 to 100000 men, with perhaps 800
guns, is laundering upon its last line OF
defenses, and the final assault is daily
expected.
Faces Disaster on Land.
In the mountains Oh NdllCHul WV
Russia faces disaster. With almost unex-
ampled rapidity three great Japanese
armies, in addition to that reducing Port
Arthur, have been thrown into the field.
Between 200, 900 and 1000 men have oc-
cupied the entire southern coast and have
driven the Russians back to Lao Yang,
upon which they are now converging.
For three months after beginning the
war the Japanese devoted themselves to
wiz ho RlISS n r.
| thur, sealing the harbor there, and to
| landing army in Korea and fortifying
| the mountain Businesses of that country.
Utter decentralization prevailed at Port
| Arthur after the first disaster, until. on
March 8, Vice Admiral Makarof, the fore
most Russian naval expert took com
mand of the shattered fleet. For little
more than month he made brave
| showing, but on April 10 his flagship, the
| Petropavlovsk, was blown up by a Jap
| anese mine and the admiral and $50 men
drowned. On the same day the battle
| ship Pobieda was damaged by a mine.
During the war the respective warships
| sunk by mines and accidents were as fol-
| lows
| Petropayioysk tbattle ship . 10 900
| Royarin protected cruiser, .............. 1920
FariaE protected cruiser. 5000
| Yenesei uorpedo transport. ..............
korietz torpedo transport. ..............
Japan. Tons.
| Hatsuse lfaftle shin IS 600
MiyGko protected cruiserl. ............... $500
| Yoshino protected cruiser, .........'... $500
Torpedo boat No. As. ......................
Besides these vessels, quite number of
| torpedo boats and small gunboats on both
| sides have been lost, and several other
Russian battle ships have been reported to
| have been torpedoed.
Crossing of Yalu Began Real Fighting.
The crossing of the Yalu into Manchuria
by Gen. Kuroki. with from 10000 to 1000
| men, inflictng a loss of about 5000 on the
| Russians under Gen. Zassalitch, and losing
| only about 1OOO himself. began the active
| land campaign. The japanese fleet, after
| many unsuccessful attempts, succeeded on
| Nav 6 in sealing the harbor at Port Arthur
| with Stone-laden vessels, and on the TIN
| the japanese began to debark troops at
Pitsewo, north of Port Arthur. Soon the
! fortress was isolated and on May ~ the
| Japanese. under Gen. Oku. took Nan Shan
| hill the first of the outlying Notifications
| losing 5000 men. and intlicting a loss OF
| 1900 on the Russians. under Gen. Stoessel.
| Meanwhile Gen. Kuroki had moved to
| Feng Wang Cheng, where a new base was
| established and another army of about
$1,000, under Gen. Nodzu, was landed at
! Taku Shan. These two forces steadily
| drove the Russians back toward Lao Yang
| and away from the coast.
Stakelbergs Ill-Fated Diversion.
To delay these operations and to relieve
| the pressure upon Port Arthur, Gen. Kuro-
| 3,
81, GOO men, southwark on the Lao Tung
| peninsula About half of these occupied
Kai Chow, at the neck Of the peninsula,
while the other half drew away the forces
| of Gen Oku from near Kin Chow On June
| 14-16 the battle of Vafangow, or Telissu,
| was fought the Russians losing 5000 and
| the japanese about LOCO.
| Gen. Oku and Gen. Nodzu continued to
| drive the Russians northward, taking Kin
Chow, with small loss, on June 8, and fash
| ichao. also with small loss, on July 22-25
| To reduce Port Arthur another army, under
| Gen. Nogi, was landed
| In the north, after many skirmishes, Gen.
| Kuroki occupied Molten and other passes
| on the road to Lao Yang on June ~. In
| attempting to regain these positions the
| Russians on July and II, made desperate
| attacks. under the leadership of Gen. Count
| Keller, losing each time about 1000 men.
| On July 10, after the last attack, the Jap
| anese pushed westward captured Lao
| Tung, when they also inflicted heavy losses
Recently, from July 80 to August l. the
| three Japanese armies drove the Russians
from Shi Mu Cheng, Hal Cheng, Yanstse
| and Yashu passes, on their main position
| around Lao Yang, the Russians losing
about 1900 and the Japanese about 1000.
| Among those killed was Count Keller, one
| Of the best Russian generals
Raids by Vladivostok Squadron.
| During the entire war the severest set
| backs Japan has received have been from
the raids Of the Russian cruiser squadron
| from Vladivostok. Besides numerous small
boats the squadron. on April 26, sunk the
big transport Kinshin, 173 men and valu-
| able war munitions being lost. On the sue
| ceeding raid the transport Hidachu was
sunk and the transport Sado badly dam
aged, nearly 1000 men being lost. And on
June 20 the squadron began raid which
has seriously crippled japanese shipping,
| several English and American firms hav-
ing Cancelled sailings for Japanese ports
| In this raid the British steamship Knight
| Commander and the German steamer Thea
| were sunk, and the German steamer Ara
| bia, all with American cargoes, captured.
While it Is impossible more than roughly
to estimate the casualties during the fight
ing, owing to the policy Of both sides to
| exaggerate the enemy's losses and conceal
| their own, the killed and wounded on land
and sea probably aggregate between 10000
and 10000.
Injured in Collapsed Building.
| KANSAS CITY, Mo-, August 0-As the