The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-23
BY SHELL
Russians Claim to Have Hit a
Japanese Battleship.
mother B0mbardment of Port
y Arthur Takes Place.
WANLE FLEET THERE.
Shells T'iS>wn Into the Town
az the Forts.
Russians Lost, Five Killed and
Ten hNunded.
WhNLE FLEET THERE.

st. Petersburg. Mai,h 23-Another |
attack by the Japanese feet on Port
Arthur beginning with Nperations by |
torpedo boats and ending nth bonn |
bardment by battleships ai1 cruisers |
took place after midnight Mnday.
The dispatch to the emperol from
Viceroy Alexieff and private ,jn4srrna-
tion show the Russians sustained 10
great damage, having only five So
diers killed and ten wounded.
Vice Admiral Makaroff claims that
one of the Japanese vessels was struck
by a she'll;
All information which has reached
st. Petersburg shows that the de-
tenders of Port Arthur had taken SER
iously to heart the coup of the Japan
torpedo boats at the beginning of the
war and were now maintaining a
sharp lookout
The japanese torpedo boats were
twice discovered sneaking toward the
harbor entrance under cover of dark
ness but both times they were detect
ed far out at sea and were driven off
by the hot fire opened on them. The
breaking of day necessarily prevented
further torpedo boat operations, but
Admiral Togo brought his battleShipS
and cruisers. The division of his fleet
was for the purpose of making a cross
fire upon the harbor in the hope of de-
stroying the town and of damaging the
Russian ships lying in the basin, or At
least of demoralizing the personnel of
the defending force.
The bombardment of March 9 show
ed to the Russians the advantage to
the enemy of the position off Liaotshin
which Admiral Togo's ships took up
and Vice Admiral Makaroff sought to
minimize this advantage by so station
ing the battleships Retvizan that her
shell could reach the Japanese battle
ships. The fact that the Retvizan was
USED for this purpose proves the falsity
of the report that her great guns had
been removed and installed as a bat
terry at Pigeon Bay, and it has given
rise to the impression that there is an
abundance of great guns at Port Ar
thur as otherwise q battery would
have been erected to protect the town
at the only point which Vice Admiral
Togo seems to regard as vulnerable
from the sea. When the first official
dispatch were received the belief gain
ed ground that Vice Admiral Make
rolf had put to sea and that a naval
fight had taken place. While this
would be in keeping with his charuc-
ter as an intrepid officer which is fur
ther indicated by his use of a cruiser
as his flagship, it was not in accord
with the plans of the Russian auth
ority.
Later advices established the fact
the admiral had simply gone with
the undamaged portion of his fleet TO
the outer roads where he could more
effectively support the batteries and
at the same time take advantage of
any weakness which might develop ill
the enemy'S attack.
TOXIC REPORTS ANOTHER FIGHT
Tokio, March 23-6:10 A. MA spec
ial dispatch from Moji opposite Shi-
monoseki Japan says the Japanese
feet made another attack on Port Ar
thur March 1S, bombarded the city and
it's defenses and fought furious ell
gagement with the Russian fleet out
sian battIeship. Seven Japanese CASH
alties are reported. There is no infor-
nation concerning the japanese fleets
condition.
The navy department has not been
advised of this enga cement, but eW-
IDENTIFY expects news.
BLOCKADE REPORTED.
London, March 23.-A correspondent
of the Times at Toxic under yestef-
days date cables that it is rumored
that the Japanese have succeeded in
blockading the entrance to Port AZ
thur.
JAPANESE ENTRENCH AT ANU.
St Petersburg, March 23.-Vice Ad-
miraI Togo's activity at Port Arthur is
being emulated by the commander OF
the Japanese forces in Korea. The re-
mort of General Mistchenkow shows
that the Japanese have taken the pre-
caution to erect earthWorkS near Anju,
which are being held by a japanese
division until the remainder of the first
army corps comes up from Ping Yang,
about 40 miles away. The advance of
the Japanese shows that they are losing
no time. and that they are more rapid
than the Russians expected. Neverthe-
less the fertilization of Anju shows the
Japanese operations are accompanied
by all proper military precautions.
So far as the Russians are concerned,
S--k
An1u, but the province of the 5000 or
600 cavalrymen under General Mist
chenkoW will be to harass and retard
the japanese in every way possible.
The authorities here believe it will
be only a matter of a short time now
when active land operations begin, but
at first these will take the form of
skirlnishes, as the main Russian force
remains in occupation of strategic
points on the yalu river.
The following dispatch has been re-
ceived from Alexieff, dated Mukden,
March p:
General Mistchenkow reports that on
March II our scouts approached Anju
and observed on the left bank of the
Cheng Cheng river, opposite Anju, en-
trenchments made by the enemy. Up
to that date the enemy had not ap-
peared at Yong Pyon Q5 miles north
east of Anju). 1t is supposed that there
is one japanese division at Anju and
that the remainder of the first army
corps at Highyan-
In consequence of the report that two
sauadrons of the enemy had arrived at
PAX Choue Q5 miles north of Anju) 200
of our cavalry was DISPATCHED for the
purpose of preventing the enemy from
crossing the PAX Chong river. Our cav
airy found three japanese squadrons
on the left bank of the river, but they
withdrew toward Anju- The Japanese
squadrons number about 100 each On
the night of March 19 two dispatch
riders encountered a Japanese squad
ron numbering about 100.
On the night of March 10 two dis
patch riders encountered a Japanese