The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-05
Japs Thought Fort Could Hold
Out Another Month
JAPS LOST $4,000 MEN
Fighting Was of the Most sanguinary
Character the World Has Ever
Seen-conferenc Lasted
Seven Hours.

Army at Port Arthur, January 3, via Che
Foo. Januarc 4, p. m.-(Censored)-The
flag Of che Rising Sun floats tonight over
the captured citadel of Port Arthur.
When the news Of the surrender of the
leaping from mouth to mouth, the Japa-
nese drew close to their late enemies and
f,aternized freely with them.
When nightfall came, great bonfires
rose in the Japanese camp Ike blazing
halo, while great choruses of "banzai'
echoed through the hills. The entire gar
rison and all the non-combatants Will
march out of the city tomorrow to the
village of Yahutwei, near the shores of
Pigeon bay, from which place the Rus
sian officers will be transported to Dalny
and thence wherever they may desire.
The prisoners of war will march out
from the city January (Thursday) to
the village until they can be transferred
to Dalny. and from there to Japan.
The conference between the Russian
and Japanese commissioners at which the
terms OF surrender was arranged TOOK
place at the village of Shuishiying at
o'clock yesterday (Monday) afternoon ana
lasted until o'clock at night.
The Russian commissioners were CHIEF
of Staff Ress, Surgeon General Ballac-
choff, Colonel Vostock and two other stan
officers, with two interpreters. The Japa-
nese commissioners were Major General
liichi chief of staff Major Yamaoka, DR..
Ariga and two others, staff officers, with
two interpreters.
Lost Over $4,000 Soldiers.
Thus has Japan won the great Russian
stronghold in the far east after five
months SIEGE in which she lost over 10000
soldiers. who were put out of action in
the most sanguinary and desperate fight
ing the world has ever SEEN
Though the intimation that the Rus
SLAMS were willing to surrender was
known to the officers of the japanese on
the afternoon of January l, 1t was not
generally known to the hundreds of thou
sands of people until yesterday CMonday).
The surrender of the fortress at the
present time came as a surprise even to
the Japanese, as the desperate determi-
nation and courage of the Russians even
in the last assaults indicated that the
struggle would be one to the bitter end.
1t was we'll known to the Japanese that
the destruction of the forts guarding the
main defenses of the western half of
the eastern fortified ridge made the in
vestment of the city on the east only
a matter of short time despite the
strongest efforts of the defenders, and
also insured the segregation of tn. forts
further east on the ridge.
The steady advance of the besiegers
on the west flank since the capture of
2O3- Metre hill and up the valley from the
shores of Pigeon bay to the outskirts of
the new town enabled them, with the
capture of the north Taiyankow fort, to
close in upon the city from the west and
to segregate the chain of hill forts so that
they could be dealt with in detail
1t was evident, therefore. that despite
the most determined resistance the oppo-
site army could work and for ten days
closely invest and isolate Port Arthur,
the center of the whole system of de-
fense. so that the powerful forts both
east and west would be isolated.
Thought Another Month Necessary.
This fact, however, did not warrant
the assumption that the resisting power
o. the position was at an end Though
the Japanese hoped for the surrender
OF the fortresses they expected that an
other month would .e necessary to re-
duce them because of the evident in
tention of the garrison to fight to the
bitter end.
1t has been evident since the capture of
2O9 Metre Hill, the destruction of the fleet
and the awful manner in which the forts
guarding the western half of tn. east
ern fortified ridge had been captured
by means of explosions of dynamite mines
that the fighting ardor of the garrison
was dampened ana that the helplessness
of the Russian position had robbed them
Of their dogged determination to resist
every inch of the advance of the besieg-
ers This hoplessness was evidenced in
the weakness of the opposition to the
rapid advance of the Japanese on the
bf.- II, he oat ae+v
The tremendous effect of the explosions
which wrecked Sungsnu mountain fort.
the last of the forts guarding the main
defenses of the eastern fortified ridge.
IN which half of the defenders were
killed and the remainder entombed or
made prisoners, completed the disorgani-
zation of the defense.
Met Feeble Opposition.
1.-THE subsequent spirited assault by the
Japanese on the principal line of the outer
fortifcations and the higher hills of the
fortified ridges Immediately after the cap
ture of Shuntung mountain was met witt
feeble opposition, and on the night OF the
Cd saw the besegers In the upper line of
the fortified ridge from Keekwan noun
tain to the western extremity Had the
garrison fought as 1t had previously done
this would have at least taken days to
accomplish and would have cost many
lives.
The first definite intimation of the Rus
sian intention to surrender came at 4
o'clock in the afternoon of January J.,
when the Russian ENJOYS approached the
Japanese lines south of the village OF
shuishiying. They were met by a Japa-
nese staff officer to whom they delivered
the letter of General Stoessel to General
Nogi, asking to have time for parley
arranged. In this letter, as already
known, General Stoessel admitted the
hopelessness of further continuing the
struggle and that he was prepared to
surrender in order to save the lives of
The remnant of the brave garrison which
had fought so long and well, provided
suitable terms could be arranged He
asked for conference to settle these
terms.
Major General Ijichi, with large es-
cort. left the Japanese headquarters at
II o'clock Monday morning and rode to
the appointed place. Shortly before l
o'clock the Russian commissioners ar
rived. accompanied by cavalry escort.
The conference took place with few pre-
liminaries and lasted until O'Clock at
night.