Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-01-10
WONDROUs DEFENSE
Port Afti,ur's COOPERATIVE Forts
BaffIed Japs.
OUTER AND INNER LINE

cations Known Shown by she Siege
Just Brought to Close
Port Arthur has properly been called
the Gibraltar OF the East. BY common
consent OF military men it. is consider
cd the stron gest artificial Fertilization
ever constructed
notable feature Of the defenses
was the series OF cooperative FORTS
These We're SO arranged that il the
Japanese took one of them the fire
from the others could be conferred on
1t anc make it untenahlc At first the
plan succeeded admirably. the only
practicable, plsn for the Japanese be-
ing to take all the forts Of a. given Sc
rles at the same time. Later, as the
resistance of the garrison weakened
and the engineering methods of the
japanese improved. it presented less
difficulty
The citys favorable situation and
general capability OF being made for
midahle arsenal were FIRST turned to
account by the Chinese, then the UNI
disputed owners of the Liaotung PENN
sula, few years before the war with
Japan, in 1894. The foreign military
advisers. employed by the great Chi
nese viceroy. Ii Hung Chang. ruler OF
the Pechill province of China, were
ordered by him to convert the harbor
into an anchorage and dockyard for
the Chinese fleet. which was becoming
of considerable power, counting at that
time many more armored vessels than
Japan. 1t was the ancient seapGrtEof
ai-u Chung Cheng, but the harbor re-
ldWired much dredging to make it suit
thble for big ships OF war
wi Under the Chinese, however. French
eWontractors being employed. it began
take shape as modern fortress. its
'oratural advantages being well utilized
PER- the purpose by the German enei-
under Won Hanneken. Lying at the end
city the I4iaotung peninsula. opposite
Us harbor Of Wei Hal Wei. on the
mainland OF China. it guarded the en-
trance to the Gulf OF Pechili. There
was an old Chinese city which has now
disappeared. making way for a mass
| OF barracks.
| Formidable Natural Defenses.
Tho harbor is an oval inlet of the
sea Two miles long from east to west
and mile from north to south Hills
| surround 1t. and the sole entrance is
on the southern side by narrow chan
| mel, guarded at the entrance by co,,-
| pie of dangerous reefs and protected
against bad weather by a narrow spit
| OF, rocky land known as the Tigers
Tail. running diagonally across its
southern extremity. Port Arthur is
Just outside the southern limit OF win
ter Ice, this advantage making the
barbor of peculiar Importance as a
commercial pert and naval base in the
North Pacific.
The channel making the entrances
into the barber is little more than
20O yards wide. inside fine tidal ha-
sin was constructed by much dredging,
| capable OF accommodating about Il
large vessels. a large dry dock was
exenvated and much machinery and
! coal stores accumulated. Thousands
| OF Chinese coolies were employed and
| threenew docks. 100 feet long. for thr
refttinE CT warshipsi were hardly coz
pletel at the beginning OF this war.l,
.Foc.aying up a sduhdron4tke harfe-'-
! Mas made "a comfortable, Mace. but,
experience has shown. it was i'll ada ap-
! ed to the needs of force desiring ms
| get quickly TO sea. at
During her occupation Russia ste
lily strengther ed Port Arthur's
fenses.T twas intended tc:be a: sec,an-
| beFastopol and at tie beginning il.
! the present war 1t was estimated tn,
the, place represented fixed capita s
! OF between $10O,OeO,0OO and $15O.nQc.
o00.$ While the purpose OF 1,,skiag
Dalny. 10 uiiles away. the commercial
| port'was being carried out, all the Rus
sian energy at Port Arthur was put
into making the stronghold impregnS-
bic. Lines OF forts on the range OF
Hills were run out northward for a
distance OF 80 miles to the -narroWest
/ part OF The 14iaotung peninsula.
Batteries Command Harhor.2
Heavy batteries were crowded on
the heights dominating, the harbor. To
sncb an extent we're these trenches.
hastions, masked batteries and other
defensive works carried oat that some
foreign observers considered the place
was overfortitied
Just before the war began it was
stated that scarcely half the forts were
! completed or had any guns in position
to check an attack delivered from the
| land side. Though the extent Of the
defenses was carefully concealed from
foreign observers, the disposition Of
the defenses was no doubt well known
to the Japanese, as Japanese spies.
disguised as coolies, are believed to
nave mapped them in detail
The line of forts running northward
was designed to cover Dalney, and
from this line runs circle of batter
round the town to Mantow Hill above
the Tigers Tail, on the west side Of
| the approach to the harhOr, The nnsS