The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-18
II-INCH SHELLS
FINISHED THEM
Russians Could Not Stand the
Terrific BOmbardment.
LAST DAYS AT PORT ARTHUR
FIFTY PER CENT OF THE OFF,
GERS KILLED.

Correspondence of the Associated PressD
Headquarters OF the japanese Third
Army at Port Arthur, Jan 9 Cvia Tien
Tsin) When the Kwantuug peninsula
was bieected by the second japanese
army the entire Russian force in the
military district Of fallen, which in
Guided Port Arthur and Dalny, was
$4,000 The Russian force at the battle
of Nanshan hill was 1000. and 1000 Of
these were lost. There have actually
surrendered at Port Arthur between
5000 and 900 soldiers and sailors. Of
whom many were unfit for duty. The
sick and wounded number $4,000. Fiji
~ per cent of the officers of the gar
rison were killed. and only % CprOba bly,
Der cent? went through the siege un-
Scathed.
Effective 11-Inch Shells.
The fortress could have held out for
some time longer but for the fire of the
Japanese 11-inch hOwitzers. which de-
stroyed the food depOts. the workshops
and the ammunition stores and made
the repair of the defensive works inn
possible.
The last news received by the gar
Tison from General EUROPA tkin was in
the middle Of October. when he said he
had done his best to break through the
Japanese lines for the purpose of sue
cOrlng Port Arthur, but that he had
lot been successful.
A close examination OF the main line
Of defenses of the western half of the
eastern fortified ridges from East Keek-
wan mountain to the destroyed Sunshu
mountain fort, where the japanese in
fsntry assaults and bonn bardments
We're concentrated during the last days
OF the siege, demonstrated the tremen-
dOus effectiveness of the 11-inch how
tiers. The Chinese wall on the slopes
Of
the ridge and the captured guarding
forts in the rear were literally torn to
pieces by the heavy shells.
Awful Scene Presented.
1t is difficult to understand how the
infantry remained in the trenches be-
hnd the Chinese wall, in which great
breaches were made. The traverses and
bCmb-proofs of the battery positions on
EbOshfyama, in the rear of East Rib
lung mountain fort. fort III and the
New BaniUsan and Wantai hill posi-
tions in the rear of the Panlung noun
tain forts presented an awful scene. Not
single gun escaped being damaged by
the japanese bombardment In the
crest of the ridge great holes were torn.
and the gun emplacements were con-
Nerted into heaps of debris. Dozens of
guns were smashed and hurled from
their carriages down the diverse side
OF the hill by the shell fire. Between
1O-inch hOwitzers had been emplaced
and every one of these guns was dam
aged, while some Of them were totally
destroyed.
One gun, which was evidently being
loaded with shells, was in a carrier
ready to be put in a breach when a
japanese 5OO-pound shell severed the
carrier chain and exploded. The entire
gun squad was killed by the explosion
and the gun was torn from its position
while ali around were the mangIed re-
mains of the Eunners.
Last Stand of Russians.
The effect of this last bombardment
of the siege must have utterly democrat
lied the garrison, for the damage done
proves to have been much greater than
any one on the Japanese side ina gined
at the time. The garrison made its last
attempt at resistance on Christmas
day against the Japanese infantry
which, by A spirited rush, captured
Wantai hill At ? o'clock on the fol-
lowing morning the Russians exploded
mines under the battery positions on
The crest of the big East Keekwan fort
These positions, which were well con-
structed Of concrete, are now an awful
wreck, strewn with broken guns and
debris of all kinds. Not a vestige of
the former work is left, and the entire
crest of the hill. one of the most power
ful battery positions of the fortress. is
low complete wreck.
Valley of Death.
The Japanese always maintained that
there was a strong Russian trench line
in the gorge between the East Keek-
wan and North keekwan mountain
forts. This they called the ghost
trench because they could never find it
though hundreds of them were killed
every time they attempted to do so
It is now evident. however, that there
never was a trench line at this point
but that III attacking the gorge the
Japanese We're subjected to a most av-
tul enfilading fire from the Keekwan
mountain forts and the Chinese wall
making the passage up the gorge a
deathtraD owing to the unseen rifles
and machine guns.
The Russian prisoners were kent
waiting a long time at ChanglngtZu
railway station before being sent to
Dsluy. The officers had tents. but the
men were compelled to sleep in the