Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-01-06
'ALL OF PORT ARTHUR
Japanese Took Possession Of the
City on Tuesday

city a Wreck and Vessels In the Harbor-
stoessel Had only 10000 Men Under
Arms.
After a siege destined to be one of the
most famous in history, lasting since May
"a, Port Arthur, the great Russian strong
hbld in the Far East, has been surrendered
d the Japanese. This fort was probably
Die strongest in the world with the posi-
Bile exception of Gibraltar and some au-
thorities make no exception whatever
Sunday night at o'clock Gen. Stoessel,
the Russian commander, sent a letter to
Gen Nogi, commanding the besieging
force admitting that further resistance
WAS useless and in order to prevent
Further sacrifice of life he proposed that
Negotiations be opened relating to capt.
nlation. Gen. Nogi at once appointed
Major Cen ljichi, his chief OF stan, and
other officials as a commission empowered
TO treat with a Russian commission
These commissioners met at Shuishiying
BIT noon Monday.
Previous to the surrender such ships as
Remained in the harbor were blown up
with the exception of few torpedo boat
destroyers, which succeeded in escaping,
aud four entered Che Foo harbor where
hey will be dismantled.
A despatch from Tzingtau says a Jap
nese destroyer entered that port at noon
TUESDAY and three others are outside
The Japanese took possession of
humber of forts at Port Arthur Tuesday
Ind it is expected that the whole town
will be occupied soon.
Lack of food and ammunition was
chiefly responsible for the surrender.
THE capture of 203 Metre hill was the
Beginning of the end. This was followed
by the taking of other important positions.
THE final blow was the taking of Wantai
hill by the Japanese Sunday.
The Russian officers who have arrived
at Che Foo from Port Arthur On the
itorpedo boat destroyers which escaped
have a single word for what the fortress
has been for the five days preceding the
Surrender, during which the Japanese
have bombarded and assaulted it cease
lessly night and day. They use that word
nnprofanely and convincingy, declaring
that the horrors witnessed were beyond
any description There was not a single
mot in the town which was safe from
shrapnel. Many of the hospitals were
Bit, and the wounded refused to stay in
them. Some lay in the streets on heaps
of debris, exposed to the bitterly cold
weather, and some staggered back to
the front hurting stones and defying the
Japanese till taken prisoners, or death
Fame mercifully to end their sufferings
There were five days and nights of this
State of affairs. The stock of ammunition
which had been carefully husbanded for
months was almost gone. and it was all
too evident that Japan was about to grasp
the prize which had cost her an army of
men, perhaps $4,000, and countless treas
ure.
The battered forts of Port Arthur
changed hands Tuesday and the Japan
csc came into possession of a huge mass
of wreckage. Twenty thousand Russians,
only half of whom are able to do soldiers
duty; are now held by the japanese as
tprisoners of war. The captured fortress
lis a desolate place, the Russians having
Sdestroyed as much as they could of what
ESCAPED the bombardment of the invest
ling army. The garrison is in a sorry
plight, scurvy, privation and wounds
having reduced the soldiers to a very low
state of efficiency. The news of the sur
render of Port Arthur was received at
Toxic with great enthusiasm. There
was grief at st. Petersburg, but the ex-
pected anti-war demonstrations in Rus
STA were not made. There was much
! peace talk in the various national capt.
tails, but nothing developed to show that
any project of mediation was under way.
Gen. Stoessel's dispatches to the gen.
eral staff at St. Petersburg relate how
the position of the fortress of Port Ar
thur gradually became more critical, the
ravages of ScurVy increasing enormously
the casualty lists already so considerable
from the japanese assaults and lombard
ments Toward the end of the year the
supplies of ammunition completely gave
out there were $4,000 sick and wounded
in the hospitals, and 300 fresh casualties
coming in daily. The general reports that
at the end of the siege he had only TO-
900 men under arms, the remainder of the
original garrison having been either kill
ed or disabled. The garrison of Port Ar
lhur when hostilities began was esti-
mated at from 40 900 to 60 600 men I'm =
dependent of the marines and sailors of
the feet, but no accurate figures have
been Obtainable.
The articles of surrender provided for
giving up all property belonging to Rus
4sia at noon Jan. g. The Russians will
Furnish drawings showing the position OF
&hll warlike articles, mines and fortitica-
tions. The Russian officers will be al
bowed to retain their side arms and to
Return to Russia on parole, while the en-
listed men will become Japans prisoners