The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-01-04
RISING sun FLAG.
It Now Floats Over the Citadel
of Port Arthur.
Japanese Celebrated the Fall
With BOnfires.
HOW THE END CAME.
The Besiegers Were Not Ex-
pecting 1t SO Soon.
HOW THE END CAME.
Were Anticipating Another
Month of Hard Fighting.

Headquarters of the japanese Third
Army at Port Arthur, Jan. 3, via
Chefoo, Jan. As p. nj ensored.)
The flag of the Rising Sun floats to-
night over the captured citadel of
Port Arthur. When the news of the
surrender of the fortress reached the
soldiers yesterday, Ieaping from mouth
to mouth the Japanese drew close to
their late enemies and fraternized
freely with them. When nightfau
came great bonfires rising in the Jap
anese camp like a blazing halo, while
great chOruses of 'banzais" echoed
through the hills.
The entire garrison and all the non
combatants will march out of the
city Thursday to the village of va
huthwei near the shores of Pigeon
bay from which place the Russian
officers will be transported to Dalny
and thence to wherever they may de-
sire
The prisoners of war will be de-
tanned at the Russian barracks in 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 were arranged
took place at the village of Shuishiy-
ing at o'clock Monday afternoon and
lasted until o'clock tonight, Tuesday.
The Conference.
The Russian commissioners were
Chief of Staff Reiss, Surgeon General
BallaschOff, Colonel VOstOck and two
other staff officers, with two inter
prefers. The japanese commissioners
were Major General Ijichi, chief of
stan; Major YamaOka, DR.. Ariga and
two others, staff officers, with two in
terpreters.
Thus has Japan won the great
Russian stronghold in the far east
after a five months siege, in which
she lost over fifty thousand soldiers,
who were put out of action in the
most sangu1nary and desperate
fighting the world has ever seen.
Though the intimation that the
Russians were willing to surrender
was known to the officers of the Jap
anese staff on the afternoon of jan
uary l, 1t was not generally known to
the hundred thousand of the investing
army until yesterday (MOnday)
The surrender of the fortress at the
present time came as a surprise even
to the Japanese, as the desperate de-
termination and courage of the Rus
slams even in the last assaults, indica-
fe dthat the struggle would be one to
the bitter end
Success Was Assured.
1t was well known to the Japanese
that the destruction of the forts Guard
ing the main defenses of the western
half OF the eastern fortified ridge made
the investment of the city upon the
east only a matter of a short time, de-
spite the strongest efforts Of the de-
tenders and also insured the segrega-
ton OF the forts further upon the ridge
The steady advance of the besiegers
upon the west flank since the capture
OF 2OS Meter hill 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 III upon the city from the west
and to segregate the Chair hill forts so
that they could be dealt with in detail
It was evident. therefore that despite
the most determined opposition the in
VeSttng army could in a week or ten
days closely invest and dominate Port
system of defense, so that the powerful
forts both east and west would be iso-
lated.
This fact. however, did not warrant
the assumption that the resisting power
o fthe position was at an end. Though
the japanese hoped for the surrender
Of the fortress. they expected that an
other month would be necessary to re-
duce it because of the evident inten-
ton of the garrison to fight to the bit
ter end.
1t has been evident since the capture
Of 203 Meter hill, the destruction of the
feet and the awful manner in which
the forts guarding the western half of
the eastern fortified ridge had been cap
fured by means Of the explosion of
dynamite mines, that the fighting ar
dor of the garrison was dampened and
that the helplessness of the Russians
position had robbed them of their dog
Eed determination to resist every inch
of the advance of the besiegers. This
hopelessness was evidenced in the
weakness of the opposition to the rapid
advance OF the japanese on the west
flank since the fleet was destroyed
The Final Blow.
The tremendous effect of the explo-
mions which wrecked Shungshu noun