The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-14

in front of them, but the Russian force mated to 7 General KuroM was esti- The situalumber at least five divisions Kurokfs ion of the brigade on General
 extreme right became critical.
 It wyProspects Are Brighter.
 attenas thought that the Russians might turnpt to cut off General Kuroki by a tw5ng movement through the gap be- Agen his and the fourth army toward fnping, where the only Japanese forces or several miles were some regiments of cavalry patrolllng the valley of the Taitse river In the course of the afternoon the prospects frightened and 1t rapidly be- came known that a fresh brigade had reinforced the right of the line. General Kurod concentrated his army by order ing in the left division to reinforce the troops then holding the front from Syk- wantun to the flve-headed hills During all the fourth, the firing was suspended.
 The railroad station at Yentai appar- ently was a Russian base. Many locomo- lives were assembled there and long trains of cars were seen rolling to the northward every hour. The silence and suspense came to an end at 5 o'clock in the evening. At this hour the members of the staff be- came active Couriers galloped forward and General Fujii announced that the army would begin the pursuit of the en- emy.
 Begin Brisk Pounding.
 Close upon his words, the Japanese batteries began a brisk pounding. The left wing swept toward the railroad, and the entire line advanced, meeting lively fire from the Russian rearguard. To this the Japanese replied and the engage ment continued until nightfall. On Sun day morning General Kuroki rode for ward to Helyingtai hill. He passed through the Chinese villages deserted by the inhabitants, and which were filled with Japanese wounded. He passed many mounds where fires burned over the dead and hundreds of fresh and hastily dug graves.
 The fields had been trampled into bogs by the fighting men, and were strewn with the debris of both armies The spectacle presented by Heiyingtai hill has seldom been equaled by any war. The top of this hill Is less than a quarter of a mile long, the crest of 1t, as well as the slopes and ravines were literally honeycombed with trenches, ditches and furrows for shelter Trenches and coun- ter trenches ran in every direction, testi- flying to the number of attacks made anu the ulHeTeDt pOlulS lEoH1 WHICH tuo assaults had been attempted.
 Frlghtfu Scene of Carnage
 Climbing to the summit of the hill, there were the bodies of 200 dead Rus sians. They lay as they had fallen, their rifles in their hands ,or on the ground near them. It appeared that these men had attempted to advance in open order, and that the entire line had been moved l~xr |. IT., f1.r1 almost upon the trenches. The bodies were bloated and black They had laid there in the sun, so fierce that the Jap anese had been unable to bury them. Many other corpses strewed the fields be- low the hills.
 Many shells had fallen on the hill, tear ing pits and furrows in the ground. Fragments of steel were everywhere un- der foot. Bayonets were twisted and broken, and on the graund there were the remains of uniforms and soldiers caps, all torn by shot and soaked in blood. Blood was smeared everywhere in the trenches and on the turf, and it was impossible to take a step without treading on bullets
 Disfaured by Shells.
 During the Japanese occupation of the hill 1t was under cross fire from the Russian batteries at Skywantun. The deep ravines on the eastern slope of the hill, where there had been rallies of shelter pits, had been honey-combed and indescribably disfigured by the fierce shell fire. It was difficult for an observer to believe that an area of equal extent had ever before been the scene of such car mage and Heiyingtai hill was only a single part of the battlefield, every paft of which had been bitterly contested for two days and two nights.