New-York tribune., 1904-10-31
THE LOSS OF LIA0-YANG.
n Correspondents Diary During
Attack ON the Position.
Correspondence Of The Associated PressJ

August 2S-Returning from tine funeral OF Gehe1ai
ROutkowsky 1 met a whole train OF ambuiance
carts filled with wounded two or three men 1T eaSh.
The band Of the Primorsky Dragons also passed.
me. going to join the reserves Troops were NOV
ing along every road. officers and oTderlies salop
ing in every direction Everything that must Oe
with the reserves was Towing toward Liao-fang
in groups and parties small and great. like little
streams flowing into river To the rear OF our
house, high In the heavens. hangs the captive Oal-
loon. with three officers watching the enemy
There is something uncanny about the immOoihty
OF the enormous sphere. No news as yet from the
field of battle. Two Japaaese-One 4 trooper-ha'e
just been brought in prisoners The trooper wears
dignihed air. like most OF his countrymen The
other is ptiful sight. entirely naked. covered
with bruises and scarcely alive.
II a. m-The lighting has ceased. II IS the jap
anese custom to give their men rest from IL to
every day. They clever. and mean to nsht In
comfort
g p. NAT 8 o'clock a fierce bombardment re-
opened. lasting till this hour. At times the firing
was so severe that it was even oppressive One OF
my friends has just returned from the batteries
He says that it is perfect hell there Riding
through the town. 1 met number Of stretcheTs
covered with sheets and under them were the
wounded. sad spectacle.
Up. m-The cannonade continues. This constant
and unceasing uproar although somewhat dulled
by distance. singulary depresses one. Tomorrow
will decide the fate of Liao-Yang- The cannOnade
stopped late at night. The first large convoy OF
wounded came in after dark 1t sad 20 hear
the groans and sighs in the darkness. Many Of the
wounded succumbed before reaching the ambulance
August 81 was awakened very early by
accustomed roar. At first 1 could not understand
what happening. and only after carefully lis
tenng understood that terrific bombardment was
going in the outskirts OF the city Hurriedly
dressing, I went out on the porch. The boom OF
cannon came now fast. slow sometimes they
combined into prolonged. thunderous roar from
which the very atmosphere shook At 6 O'Clock In
the morning a number OF carts entered the yard to
remove things to the train. BY 7:S0 O'Clock
nothing remained in
Are we going to leave Liao-Yang not? That
is the question which fills our minds. and the
Of the cannon grows stronger and stronger. Just
II monstrous drum being numerically beaten.
Beyond the quarters of the stan rises little HILL
which is covered with spectators watching the
bursting shells on the heights outside the city.
To the southwest beyond the village Of Shou-
Shan. where the First Army Corps is fighting. the
firing is particularly intense. The entire slope OF
the mountainous ridge is defined against the skyline
Little clouds OF smoke dot the sky above it. De-
spite the farng sunlight 1t is easy to distinguish
the fame of artillery discharges Sometimes they
seem to run along the ground like o'the-wsps
sometimes. when the enemy Is firing volleys.
flock of small clouds and flashes is seen above the
hill tops. 1t looks as though nothing could i've
One cannot realize that the vast majority Of the
projectiles fly wide. Sometimes it happens that a
couple Of hours frightfui cannOnade will only kill
ten or twenty men. but sometimes in fifteen or
twenty minutes there Is mountain Of dead bodies
Being condemned TO immobiIity stand here and
watch the spectacle through our field glasses Ine
ptive balloon rises little to our left Alongside
the headquarters staff the foot OF hill. the
commissariat officials and their subordnates are
hurriedly removing documents. Similar work is
going on all around al the various other stan and
comrnissariat offices. In the distance, alongside
the railway station. locomotive engines are putting
and blowing and railway carriages are strung out
in enormous lines. part of the stores have al
ready gone. and hear the CTeaknz of the
ComnlisSariat wagons
AT 2 o'clock the first transport Of wounded
rived. The severely wounded are placed by ones
and twos IN the two-wheeled ambulance carts. with
a canvas cover. Those less severely wounded are
placed by threes and even fours Others are sup
ported by the hospital attendants. and those slight
Iv wounded are dragging themselves along unaided.
For the first time since the began saw such
a gathering Of wounded. and was struck by the
quiet prevailing among them Neither shouts no-
groans were be heard, except now and then.
when the rough two-wheeed carts, which would
cause strong man some qualms. gave 4 particu-
larly severe jolt; then one would hear pitful ex-
ella nations.
Contrary to their laudable practice Of suspendng
operattons till O'Clock in the afternoon the Jap
ancse on this day broke their rules and continued
to lombard for all they were worth The un-
ceasng roar Of artillery made one dizzy. There
was no getting away from the horrid din. II
pursued one everywhere. By O'Clock the sky
which had not yet dried from the previous down.
pour soon became converted into bog, over which
the ambu, 1nce carts creaked. splashing mud. on
their way back their positions for more patches
of wounded
Sent. l-At six O'Clock this morning Kuropatkin.
accompanied by all his staff started TO ride around
the positions and meanwhile his train was brought
on TO the main line and proceeded first TO the
station. Afterward when the commander had re-
turned and entered his carriage three versts from
IEao-Yang. the train drawn to siding
on riding through the town just before the de-
parture I stopped near the church a sad picture
presented Itself to my eyes On the other side Of
the incOsure. in a tiny hollow. lay ten corpses
placed side by side and covered with sheets One
could see their feet. hideousy dirty Some Of them
still wore their boots. but the majority were bare
footed. The aged priest and his deacon. with a
few choristers selected from the nOn-combatants.
were hurriedly reading the burial service While
the service being read some Of the corpse
bearers were hastily bringing others and uncere-
hinging them on the ground.
Up to o'clock in the afternoon the Japanese left
us alone. 1t was said that they were placing siege
guns to lombard the city. Our armies retreated
beyond the line of forts and took we'll ntrenChed
positions. Indescribable tumult prevailed at the
railroad station. Trains rapidly formed, load
ed with wounded artillery ammunition and COM
stores and hurTieoy forwarded The re-
fTeshmcnt at the station was thrOnged. mostly
with reserve officers and commissary officers. as
well as doctors and Sisters OF Mercy. all hurryinE
to satisfy their hunger. as no one knew when he
would have meal
The hum of many voices filled the air; the noise
was literally Geafenng. Suddenly. Just O'clock
the well known kissing sound OF a shell was heard
above the station roof. and the proiectile burst
alongside the building An awful crash for the
moment OblteIated all other sound then came the
rattle OF falling glass and stone; the crowd rushed
hither and thther; piercing shrek the air
/, came from a Sister of Mercy who had been