The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-15

9:45 a. m. the last train of the third
string of sixteen departed All the
trains had fifty-two to fifty-five cars
Three trains containing the ammuni-
tion of the park OF artillery which had
been dispatched the evening before in
$40 cars; another train carried warm
clothing. one was coal laden and one
was loaded with red cross supplies. one
with engineers depot supplies; three
with commiSsariat freights and the re-
mainder with wounded. The last train
out was the service train, with all the
employees of the railway. property and
station papers.
Heroic Civilians.
The skill. exertions and devotion of
this little band of civilians rendered
service the Importance Of which cannot
be Overestimated for the future of the
Russian army IL saved thousands OF
wounded soldiers, an immense amount
of ammunition and millions of dollars
worth of property and cash 1t must be
remembered that FIVE miles north OF
Mukden an unceasing fight was liz pro-
greSs. Trains earlier had been bonn
barded with Smmose shells. and the
railroad was twice damaged- The trains
Travelled Unlighted and without whist
ling, under eight-mile Roadway All
about fires blazed in d gigantic ring,
! burning straw, coal. wood, corn and
biscuit Occasionally boxes of cart
ridges exploded With a diSa"reeable dry
! rattle, or rockets rose and burst in ciuS-
tiers of stars. The flames had plenty of
material as there were over $500 car
loads of corn and biscuit and over 32S,-
600 cubic feet of coal, straw and miliet.
/ This was the only reserve commissioned
and other stores that was destroyed
The wounded crowded the station, I'LL
ing every vacant place in the cars and
| the brakebeamS, buffers and roofs
xnroV OF lRrhf of
ing to the step.
The last train pulled out as General
| Tserpitzky's troops began to pass the
station shortly before the explosion
! which wrecked the Hun river bridge.
TeIegraphers Remained.
On the platform remained eight tele
! grapherS who had volunteered to stay
! at their keys until the arrival of the
] Japanese. In the hospitals of the Lii
vonian division of the Red Cross and
! medical staff were 1850 severely
| wounded, including 1854 Japanese, the
| Chinese governor of Mukden giving his
word to defend them until Mukden
was occupied by the Japanese. How
many wounded reached the station
| after its evacuation is not known.
OF the military railroad all but 125
miles was abandoned and the wagon
| cites destroyed. Tens of thousands of
! but most important of all, from a ma
I terial point of view, is the loss Of the
Fushun coal mines, which supplied the
| road with coal.
/ The trains were heavily bombarded,
| but came through safely
Panic During Retreat.
The retirement of the wagon trans
/ port was twice i1nperilled by panic the
morning of March 10 A japanese
| squadron and guns concealed in the
/ mountains opened fire and the drivers
who were undisciplined peasants, I'M
| accustomed to the sound of ShimOSe
| shells began to desert their carts and
! wagons, cutting loose the horses, or
| throwing the stores from the wagons.
| Confusion became rampant and spread
| TO teTrOr-stricken civilians and even
! gunners. and was communicated to
| some infantry troops. The gray clad
! crowd, without Information, hidden by
dust, surged on. The Japanese, how
| ever, soon ceased firing, and order was
/ lestored. Troops following the wagons
| carried off a cannon, but were una Die
/ 20 gather the abandoned property. Sol
| diers broke open officers boxes and
/ portmanteaus and ransacked them for
| VaiuableS. Just before dark another
| PANIC occurred At the station OF San
| taiSe. where an enormous collection of
| carts had halted for the night. y col
umn Of Russians advancing was taken
for japanese. and the cry of japanese
| cavalry" was raised. The unarmed
drivers commenced TO fee. while those
| with rifles fired IN every direction. The
cooler heads quieted the panic-stricken
! mass, but a number of lives We're lost
| and additional property was sacrificed.
The retirement of the central and west
ern armies was effected by four roads
| and over the fields between.
til c..T
| lowed the eastern roads from Fushun,
Impan and Flu pass. The third army
retired in echeIon, leaving a strong
rear guard.
Heavy Rifle Fire.
The japanese. who at nfghtfaH occu-
lied half of the villages of Santaitse
burst at daybreak into the park of the
imperial tOmbs and opened a heavy
rife fire. The Russians however. re-
Trained from opening fire in the holy
places of the. Chinese. The japanese
did not press severely from the rear,
bending their efforts to thrust in from
the TANKS and cut off portions of the
| army. Several divisions acting as the
| rear guard under General Laounin
were almost surrounded. but broke
through under a heavy fire on both
TANKS. The rear guard the night OF
| March 10 held the heights at the sta
tion of Sushitai and on March II and
II fell slowly back to Tie pass.
Now. two days later, Tie pass is a
| great organized military camp in which
! the troops assembled are calm and have
gotten themselves into order. The mel
! Immediately forgot their recent hun
! ger, sleeplessness, WEAKNESS and feat
of death, and sit around the blazing
camp fires and sing and are ready tC
| defend the position or even 90 out and
! attack the Japanese