The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-15
St. Petersburg Fears the Worst.

SI. Pe1eFSpuI9 hiC NSiSN
 St. Petersburg Oct. 15. 2;3o a. m.-The great feeling of concern which exists in high circles in the Russian capital tonight bv no means equals the forebodins or coming disaster pervading the general public. which Is indulging in the deepest pessimism.
 In the absence of official news the pub ,c is feeding on the widest rumors of defeat suffered by General Kuropatkin to- day.
 The fact that no word regarding the battle has been officially given out, only confirms the popular fear. The expiana- ton offered that today was holiday does not suffice to allay the apprehension General KuroratlSn's report of the re suit of the days operations has reached Emperor Nicholas at Tarkoe-selo but It had not been returned before the war commission, which sat only until s:So o'clock, had adjourned.
 The ezar himself is represented as bit terly disappointed, and spending hours with his cabinet studying out with the help of his military aides reports or the battle The general staff, however by no means despaires, though admit ting that the tide of the last two days has been against General Kuropatkin. The general staff says the battle is not over and that in any event there is no question of a route.
 The depressing feature of the situation is that every one is willing to believe the worst Thus reports from Tokio and else where stating that the Japanese are ao- vancing and the Russians falling back, are accepted with faith based upon the previous Russian retreat
 Many Reports Are Current.
 Many reports are current as to the gen. esis of the forward movement. It Is freely said that General kuropatkin was forced intj taking the offense by pres sure from St. Petersburg Ihls nas been officially denied, and as General l<uropatkin order to advance was given oyer his own signature, it seems likely that he will have to bear all the respon- sibility. whether the situation is of his own making or not
 Friends Of Kuropatkin say the present offensive movement was inspired from St Petersburg as was doubtless Gen- eral Stakebergs movement for the rellef of Port Arthur, and that if Kuropatkin star has set others higher than he are responsible At the same tune the sup porters of kuropatkin argue that what ever may be the direct outcome of the last few days fighting, it is not likely to be an irratrievable disaster to the Rus sian army.
 It is pointed out that even if General kuropatkin was forced to advance against hls better judgment, he is too good a general to have undertaken an aggressive movement which he did not feel strong enough to carry through without leaving open a road for retreat, and while the Russian forward move ment may be an absolute failure, so far as the relief of Port Arthur is con- oerned, and though Kuropatkin may lose many men and some guns. this is the worst that can happen.
 Can Retreat in Good Order.
 II General Kuropatlxin succeeds in keep Ing the alignment of his forces and the dispatches indicate that he is doing this, and the Japanese don't succeed in break Ing up or cutting off any considerable DOT ton of his army, he will not be in much worse position, even if he should be forced to retire to Mukden, than he was before the advance began. The proba- biites are that the losses on both sides will be about equal.
 Dispatches from the front give vivid picture of the ,.esperate character of the fighting along the whole line. The Russian pansmen have been again forced to engage in hill fighting, which is little to their liking. There have been desper- ate and repeated attacks on almost in accessible positions which leave no ques- tion of the resolution and gallantry or tbe Russian forces. tIuns have been cap tured and re-captured in fierce hand-to- hand fights, while the pittiless downpour of rain, the inevitable accompaniment of Q great battle. has flooded the trenches and drenched both armies without allay- ing the desperate conflict
 15.ooo Russians Are Injured.
 -rba latest word directly from the filed of hattie is a Mukden dispatch to the As sociated Press, in which it is stattd that IF. .ooo Russians lad been wounded, which, together with today's casualties, would make the total probably exceed the fig 4 ,,res of I,iao Yang. and make the light ran1, as one o. the bloodiest battles in historv pitable feature is the coming s +bousands of wounded to Mukden. The raads and fields are covered with crippled =. ., dragging themselves to the shelter nf the hospitals, the wounded helping
 ob other as few able-bodied men are neinp spared from the fighting line
 r. mnst be borne in mind in reading ,bc descriptions by correspondents at the front that some of the phases right Tn ,heir point of view, have aireaoy been siscounted by official or later news, put falen as a whole they present VlVld nanorama of the situation at the entire front save at the extreme east, where ,,,e heaviest Russian attack was planned and delivered. From that quarter the nevs is less full and satisfactory, though z~~ks<,. I.I< hot ba