The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-28
SOMETHING HELD BACK.
Full Story of Crossing the Yalu Has
Not Been Told

st. Petersburg, April %. $50 a. M
Disappointment prevails in st. Peters
burg that no official dispatches giving
details Of the operations on the Yam
river have yet been made public. The
press dispatches are so meager as 10
beclOud rather than enlighten the peo-
pie. who are hourly awaiting news.
The Associated Press has obtained
from the general staff the following
statement of the situation:
Before beginning the passage of the
Nalu the japanese evidently completed
the concentration of the armies along
the river commanded by Generals Ku-
roki and Oku. Each army is composed
OF three divisions and three reserve
brigades. The total force is 100. 900.
The Russians on the Manchuriau bank
OF the river are inferior i'm strength
Having perfected the essential prep
arations, the Japanese without waste
OF time, commenced the passage Of the
river. and the Russians realized that
~ would be impossible to prevent their
crossing. The japanese front extended
from Win as far as Pick Tong over
eighty miles. We faced the possibility
that they would cross at a score of
places. and all we could hope was to
tharass and impede the crossing for
every day gained enabled us TO push
our preparations and bring up more
men.
Only Two Failures.
There are only two instances i'm his
tory where an army was unable to
cross a Tiver-that Of Napoleon at As
perm and that OF Prince Eugene Of Sa-
Noy at LeCh. Both failed because of
floods. The Yalu proved no exception
10 th!s established rule.
We know that the Japanese crossed
ar least at two points. The first at
tempt to force a passage near Chang
Che KOw. twenty miles above Win.
near Siaopoussikhe. on the Poussn1he. a
tributary of the Yalu, was successful.
This is important because a road leads
from Siaououssikhe northeast to Kwan
Tieu. which commands one of the roads
70 Mukden
1T is evident that. the Japanese de-
voted most Of their attention to cross
ing near Win. The river there is di-
Nided into several channels by is
lands, the largest Of which is Sauna
Undo. Above and below Win the river
WAS bridged at three points.
Up the stream near Siudiagou the
japanese were watched by a small de-
tachment of Cossacks. but the enemy
vas practically unopposed. At Turen-
chen. lower down. our outpOsts directed
G IRE from a field piece 50 successfully
that they destroyed the mornings and
wrecked the pontoOnS. The enemy was
thrown into disorder and suffered con-
siderable loss Still further down IT,
stream the japanese proceeded 10 m Ike
q third attempt at crossing.
To Cause a Diversion.
we do not think that the japanese
will attempt TO land at Takushan or
TatunG kau now that they have
crossed the YalU. The object Of such
landings has been to cause q diversion
80 as 10 ena BILE the japanese to cross
The river Takushan is nos a good
strategic point. The road leading there
from is bad and troops could only be
supplied with difficulty.
with regard 20 future operations we
cannot speak. The Russians will no,
4 show their hand at this stage. but VIII
A'ohlinually harass the enemy. chOOs-
Ispg their own time for a battle
~ military expert who is particularly
t1mpreSscd with the japanese crossing
near Siaopoussikhe said that the use
ot the road therefrom would enable the
enemy not only to march upon Mukden.
but to outhank the Russian position at
tenghuan Cheng and cut off any of
General Rennenkampfs Cossacks who
may nave gone TO join the attack on
Gcnsau.