Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-04-01
WAR IS TERRIBLE.
A Pen Picture Of the Horrors At Port
Arthur.

The London Times correspondent be-
fore Port Arthur, gives Il picture of the
horrors attending the capture of Re-
yus;in, or ZOE Metre hill, that should
prove powerful argument against
war. He says in part:
cat an early hour in the morning
every single gun that could be brought
to bear on Reyusan from any direction
was concentrated on the doomed
mountain: we saw another of those
bombardments. which can only be de-
scribed as terrific, from howitzers
throwing shells of 500 pounds, from
naval Guns of great size. from field
hOwitZers, and from field artillery
Unless YOU nave seen one of these
great artillery duels, it is impossible
to realize what they are like; there is
a feeling in the air on such occasions
that modern ordinance has SO COM
pletely OutclaSSed the men who are di-
recting the fire and those who will
make the assault that for the time be-
ing you are living on different sphere
and the soldiers, instead of being
afraid or awestruck by the passing
overhead of these countless enormous
prcjectileS and the disturbance to
earth and atmosphere caused by their
explosion. are proud to be included in
the revels of such giants, and like
humble 5upers on the same stage with
some great actor, catch the sulimity
of his performance.
The infantry assault followed this, and,
as is known, the Russians were driven
out after terrible struggle. The CORE
spondent continues:
Il will not dwell on the appearance OF
ReyuSan the days following Its capture;
no mountain has probably ever contained.
contracted into 50 small Il place. SO much
of the horrors of war. The crest had
been absolutely smashed to pieces, and
one could not even trace the lines of the
original defenceS. Among this confused
tumble OF rocks, SandbagS, shells, charred
timber broken rifles, bits of uniforms.
and soldiers Announcements of every de-
Scription, the dead lay in hundreds, many
smashed beyond all recognition or re-
semblance to human form-so terrible is
the effect of modern shell fire. On the
east side of the mountain lay the Rus
slams, on the west side the japanese; the
summit was sacred to both. 1t was freez-
ing during the days OF attack, and the
bodies were perfectly preserved and had
bled little; some seemed to have died
natural death, from the ease of their
posture and the contented expression of
their faces, but the ma jority, especially
the Japanese, who mad been struck down
while advancing up steep slope, had
their teeth clenched and Il look of fierce
resolve written on their faces The Rus
slams, who for the most part had met
death while sitting in their trenches on
the summit, bore panied and even sur
prlsed appearance. In one place dozen
soldiers were sitting in a square shelter
of sandbags, their rifles stacked against
the side-when a big shell, or Shells land
ed in their midst and killed them all. The
defences had been SO completely smashed
up that they had been temporarily re-
paired from time to time, and often one
would see. the body of a soldier taking
ished walls. Many of the dead on the
mountain had been killed as far back as
September. their bodies had remained I'M
buried and were in all stages Of decay:
but what struck me more forcibly than
anything else was the manner in which
the big shells had smashed everything to
a pulp"