The San Francisco call., 1905-01-04
Few Able Bodied Men
in the Remnant of the
Army Commanded by
the Heroic Old StOessel
FIGURES PICTURE
HORRORS OF WAR
Soldiers Again Put Out of Ac-
tiOn After Recovery From
Wounds Bring Total Casu-
alties Up to 265 Per Cent

oItASo Cp w @Oc III NNlIU
CHEFU, Jan. 3.-Some interesting
! statistics concerning the defense of
Port Arthur were brought here by the
stroyers, which carried numerous
chests containing complete records of
General Stoessel's army.
Originally the army numbered 35, 000
Eleven thousand have been killed, $1,000
are sick or wounded, while 5000 re-
manned in the forts, of whom, however,
1000 were unable to fight
1t is learned that when General
Stoessel wrote to General Nogi regard
ing the surrender of the fortress he
said:
/ have 5000 men in the forts and 6G0O of
these are able to fight. If you do not accept
my proposal these men will die fighting, but it
Will cost YOU three times their number to kill
them.
During the siege 265 per cent of the
garrison was put out of action. This
remarkable condition was due to the
fact that wounded men kept constantly
returning to the front. Cases have been
recorded where men have gone to the
hospital seven times, returning con-
valescent to the forts.
The number of officers killed was pro-
portionately greater than in any battle
known to history. This was due to the
frequent lethargic condition of the men,
who without food and without sleep
moved only when led by their officers.
The Russians estimate that the TAX
/ ing of the fortress has cost Japan $780,
900, 600.
STOESSEL ASKS QUESTIONS.
General Stoessel, despite his deter
mination not to surrender Port Arthur,
realized the gravity of the situation fol-
lowing the capture of 203- Meter Hill,
from which the last Russians retired
on December 6. The sailboat which
came through a snowstorm on Decem-
Der 16 with haif-frozen messengers
headed by Commander Mizzeneoff, car
ried two important dispatches. One was
addressed to st. Petersburg, asking
what were the prospects of the arrival
of the Russian second Pacific squads
ron, and the other went to General
kuropatkin, fnquiring when relief from
the Manchurian army would be likely.
Both dispatehes stated that after an
other month Port Arthur's last defend
er would have fallen.
The authorities in ST. Petersburg gave
the required information and informed
General Stoessel that he had won the
whatever he did would be accepted as
being for the best.
General Kuropatkin answered to the
effect that he had his hands full and
was not able to promise early relief.
These replies were intrusted to mes
senger who departed six days ago. and
ii is probable that he experienced little
difficulty in eluding the blockade, which
had grown lax.
1t is highly probable that the It'd
ings he carried weighed materially
with General Stoessel when he ac-
quiesced in the wishes of his generals
when they proposed the surrender of
the fortress.
The Russians here claim to see a
blessing in disguise in the fall of Port
Arthur. They say that the Russian
second Pacific squadron can now wait
until it is overwhelmingly reinforced
and that General Kuropatkin will be
able to manage his campaign with
siugle eye to his own success, without
making any false steps animated by
desire to relieve General Stoessel.
PORT ARTHUR DESTROYED.
The fort where the negotiations for
the surrender of Port Arthur were
held is called the Big Eagles Nest
and is near Rihlung Mountain. Ac-
.cording to the reports of the. negotia-
tions received here, General Stoesseps
proposal that the Russian sick and
wounded should remain under Russian
medical supervision and that the jap
anese transfer the non-com mbatants was
acceptable to General Nogi, but the
Russian proposal that the Russians
should march out under arms caused
some controversy. Midshipman Kliso-
rich, commanding launch which left
Port Arthur at o'clock last night,
said to-day:
No shot has been fred at Port Arthur for
two days. That which Chinese heard last
night was the Russians blowing up, forts,
ships, magazines. warehouses, docks and
|. the fortress and town were almost completely
wrecked. The warships died hard. Several
explosions explosions were necessary to complete the
catching fire. exploded and turned turtle. The
harbor entrance is blocked with sunken ships.
The only navigable craft now at Port Arthur
are the hospital ships Kassan and Mongolia.
You need expect no more ships from Port
Arthur as they are unable to leave on account
OF the blocking OF the barbor
Colonel Reiss represented General
Stoessel in the negotiations for surren-
der. A table was spread with wine
and food at the Eagles Nest and the
enemies treated one another with
great courtesy, which quickly melted
into informal good fellowship. Each
complimented the other on the bravery
of the forces.
SICK AND STARVING WARRIORS.
The statement that there remained
10000 fighting men at Port Arthur
is misleading, because most of these
are sick or slightly wounded. For
some time there has been no supply of
bandages and wounds have been
dressed with hemp.
The news that General Stoessel was
prepared to treat for surrender was re-
ceived by the soldiers with feeling
of utmost relief.
For the past month severe wounds
have been gladly received by the SOL
diers. because they were allowed to
rest. When the men were not fighting
they were tunneling on half rations.
The bombardments of the last day or
SO We're terrific. Said Midshipman
Klisorich:
Even General Stoessel finally saw the fu-
tility OF further resistance. when our guns were
unable to reply. We might have surrendered
month ago with the highest honor. That
resistance has continued effectively since is
scarcely less than miracle.
1t Is a mere handful of broken men who
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