The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1905-01-13

War occupied the center OF the world
stage in 1904. The long threatened con
fiict between Russia and Japan for mas
terry in the far east broke out early IL
the year and was still in progress as thu
twelve month closed Diplomatic rela
tions were severed Feb and two days
Later the Japanese attacked and partly
disabled the Russian warships at Pori
Arthur. A day after that they torpedoec
two cruisers at Chemulpo, Korea. land
ed troops and began the first of a series
of nranerfyers destined before the veal
was over to give them command oveI
the Liaotung peninsula and the most
important part of Manchuria.
Battle OF Yalu.
The first great battle of the war was
fought May I on the banks OF the Yalu
river, near Antung and Win. The jap
anese were in superior force and drove
the Russians in the direction of Feng-
huangcheng. Later in the same month
they attacked and captured Kinchow.
The spectacular and bloody battle OF
Nanshan hill followed in which victory
again was on the side of Japan. though
1t was dearly bought. Dalny had been
captured on the 18th of May, so that
when Nanshan was carried the invest
ment of Port Arthur from the land side
was complete. From that time on Gen.
task of laying siege to the Gibraltar of
the east, hurled his soldiers against the
outer line of defenses and captured some
OF them but the main forts were so
stubbornly held by the Russians under
Gen Stoessel that it soon became ap-
parent they could not be carried by
storm. Other tactics were resorted to
and though slow and costly proved sue
cessful. The Russian lines had to be
more and more contracted, while the
japanese crept closer and closer and
finally gave them command of positions
permitting them to lombard and destroy
the CITY and the remnants Of the fleet
In the harbor.
In the North.
In the meantime the other Japanese
armies steadily marched toward the
north, driving the enemy before them.
The battle of Vafangow was fought and
won June IA. A week later Gen. Kuroki
and Gen. Oku occupied the important
mountain passes to the east and south
of Liaoyang July rs the Russians evac-
uated Newchwang and Aug. 8 abandoned
Haicheng. At Liaoyang, however, Gen.
Kuropatkin, COMMUNICATIVE chief of the
cars army in Manchuria, made a stand.
From Aug 26 to Sept. the opposing
forces were in daily combat and of the
10000 men engaged about $4,000 were
killed or wounded. The Russians were
outfanked by Kurok and compelled to
retire in the direction of Mukden. Field
Marshall Oyama, who had been placed in
supreme command of the mikado'S ar
mics, followed as far as the Sha river
and here from Oct IL to Oct 10 was
fought one Of the bloodiest battles in
history. Gen. Kuropatkin took the Of
1ensive for the first time but the Japan
ese held their ground. The contest end
ed without decisive victory for either
side. The armies were exhausted and
could do no more. The combined losses
in killed and wounded amounted to the
enormous total of about 10000 men, of
whom $4,000 belonged to the Russian
army. Before operations could be re-
sun1ed winter set In and the year ended
with the armies still facing each other
on the banks of the Sha river.
Russian Disasters at Sea.
While the Russians were meeting these
reverses on land their reverses on the
sea were equally great. Many of their
ships had been disabled or damaged at
the beginning OF the war and their fleets
lin Port Arthur and Vladivostok were
not in the best of condition to meet the
modern Japanese battleships and cruis-
.ers under Admirals Togo and Kami-
mira. One Of their best ships. the Pc
,tropavIosk, struck a mine outside OF
Port Arthur April 10 and went down
with Admiral Makaroff and more than
5op officers and men. Aug. 10 Admiral
Without with the remainder of the Rus
sian feet attempted to escape from Port
Arthur. but was met a few miles out at
sea by Togo's squadron and defea ted in
a battle lasting several hours. His ships
were dispersed, some of them seeking
refuge in the adjacent ports of the Chi
M
'ArthGr. He himself was killed and his
flagship, the. Czarewitch. compelled . to
flee in a. disabled condition to Tsung-
chau, where it was dismantled. Aug. IA
Admiral Kamimura met the Vladivostok
fleet in the strait Of Korea, sunk the
cruiser Rtifik and compelled the Rossia
and Grnmovoi to return to the home port
in badly damaged condition. The
cruiser Novik was destroyed by the
Japanese cruisers Chitose and Tsushima
off the island of Sakhalin Aug. 81. AS
already stated the remnant of Whit
thofts feet that took refuge in Port
Arthur was destroyed later in the year
when the Japanese had gained positions
on the land side of the fort from which
they were able to successfully direct
fierce bombardment.
The Japanese navy also met with loss
es in the course of the year. but in com
ndTISOH Will luOSt VI lhtll OppOilNlleo
they were not severe. The battleship
Hatsuse was sunk by a mine May Is
and about the same time the cruiser
Yoshino was sunk in collision with an
other cruiser The battleship Yashima
was aIso reported lost. but under cir
cumstances which have not yet been
made public.
Port Arthur Surrendered.
Gen. StoeSSel. unable longer to hold
Port Arthur with his decimated forces,
surrendered to Gen. Nogi Jan. ..
War between Great Britain and Rus
STA was very narrowly averted in Octo-
Der. The car had ordered the Baltic
sea feet to proceed to the east under
the command OF Admiral Rojestvensky.
The Russian fleet was passing through
the North sea when one night it en-
countered a number of trawlers of fish
fng vessels. Mistaking them for Japan
csc torpedo boats the warships fired on
them. sinking one and killing two men.
They then went on without waiting to
see what the result of their action had
been. The act aroused great Indignation
I'm England and threats OF war were
openly made After some negotiation
the matter was referred to an interna-
tional court of inquiry. which met at
the foreign office in Paris only about
q week ago The United States is rep
resented in this court by Admiral c. II.
Davis.
Arbitration Makes Progress.
THOUGH war vyaQed throughout the