The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1904-12-16
CONFLICT IN FAR EAST

boat destrOyerS continues doubtful
but 1t is thought they are shelterins
outside the harbor. The weather pre-
vents a good observation being made
but the Japanese are sending &
searching fire into hooks, which are
not observable from 2O3-Meter hill
and other heights.
Port Arthur Faces Defeat.
London, Dec. 11.-According to the
Morning Posts Shanghai dispatches
the Port Arthur forces, with the ex
ception Of those manning the forts
have already retreated to Daotie
mountain.
Details continue TO filter in of the
capture of 203-Meter hill. The Daily
Telegraph's correspondent before Port
Arthur explains that the final capture
was Il to a strong and sustained
Japanese feint against the eastern
Notifications on the night Of Dec. 5,
and the position of 203-Meter hill be
ing an enf1lading one, forced the Rus
slams to evacuate without a contest a
parallel line of semi-permanent de-
fenses extending eastward and irregu.
larly over the slopes within a half.
mile north of Else mountain.
Japanese Lose Heavily.
The Japanese casualties at 203.
Meter hill alone exceeded the total of
the battle Of Nanshan, according to
the Daily Nails Toxic dispatches.
At 2 O'Clock in the afternoon of Nov.
% a Tomyasu detachment, with a bat.
talon of infantry and a company of
engineers, received orders that they
must capture 2O3-Meter hill, while a
Yosid detachment of the same
strength had similar orders to capture
Akasaka hill. On Nov. 80 it became
necessary to reinforce the attackers
with a detachment under Maj. Shizuta.
During the operation the cold was so
intense that many of the men were
frost-bitten, as it was necessary to
pass the night without shelter. The
Japanese, after the capture of. 203-
Meter hill anticipated a terrible BON.
bardment from the Russian forts and
made preparations accordingly, but
the Russians
Remained Strangely Quiet.
The same correspondent states that
Russians at Port Arthur on Dec. 7 re,
sumed mine-clearing operations, pre-,
sumably to enable the torpedo boat
destroyers to attempt to escape and
join the Baltic squadron. =
The Daily Telegraph's Tien-tsin cor.
respondent reports that Gen. Oku, af'
ter a three-days' artillery engagement.
drove the Russians on Sunday out OF
the small lofty island of Gushan, in
the river, ten miles north of Lao.
yang. The Russians, it is added.
abandoned a quantity of supplies and
several guns, and retired to a position
eight miles northwest, from whence
they heavily bombarded the Japanese,
setting fire. on Tuesday, to kerosene
storehouses and causing great confla-
grations which did not cease till
Wednesday. The Japanese are still
CALAMITY holding the island with a
handful of men. Their casualties, it
is said, number 5000.
Japs Capture More Forts.
Toxic, Dec. 9. - 1t is officially an.
nounced that the Russian b~attleship
Poltava has been sunk in the harbor
of Port Arthur as a result of the Jap
anese bombardment, and that the bat.
tleship Retvizan has been seriously
damaged. The armored cruiser Bayan
is also reported to be aground.
Last Hope Of Sortie Gone.
st. Petersburg, Dec. 9.-Foreign tel.
egrams received here stating that the
Japanese have succeeded in mounting
heavy guns On 203-meter hill are re-
garded as seriously significant and
have created a deep depression at the
war Office. If the reports of the sink
ing of the Russian warships in the
harbor of Port Arthur are confirmed it
destrOyes the last hope of sortie, and
when the end comes nothing remains
but to sink those that remain in deep
water to prevent them falling into the
hands of the enemy.
The wal Office is unable to identify
Alaska hill. Evidently it is a japanese
name.
The Importance of 2O3-Meter hill to
the garrison Is. evidenced by Gen.
Stoessel's desperate efforts to RECAP.
ture it.
Rumor Of Big Jap Defeat.
Mukden, Dec. 8. - The report that
Gen. Rennenkampf has administered
a heavy defeat to the Japanese con.
tinues to circulate among the Russian
troops, but as yet has not been of.
icially confirmed. To the earlier
m mentioned above there is add.
ed the report that the Russians have
succeeded in carrying off twenty-four
guns which they captured in the rout
of the Japanese but at first unable to
remove owing to a cross.fire from the
Japanese forces.
The price OF wood is increasing,
though other fuel is becoming more
plentiful and cheaper. The prices
charged for food by local merchants
are exceedingly high, owing to the
slowness of the arrival of supplies
from Russia.