The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-01-19
WHY FORTRESS FELL
General Stoessel interviewed
on Leaving Nagasaki.
Loss OF METER HILL A DEADLY BLOW
Defender of Port Arthur saidi "It Is
Not True That I DiSstnted From
Decision to Surrender, We
Had No Hone of Rcltcf."


Had No Hone of Rcltcf."
LONDON. Jan. 1S.-A Nagasalli dis
Patch says that General Stoessel, who
ut that port yesterday with his fam
for Odessa, when interviewed be-
his departure. said:
he captulation of Port Arthur oc-
ing on New Years day was merely
incidence. The loss of Two Hun
and Three Meter hill and the sub
lcnt capture of forts, combined
y IN the deadly Workmanship with
t..e terrible eleven inc, shells, the de-
pressing effect Of the Ceath of General
Kondratenko and the fearful increase
Of scurvy, really fixed the time of cap
itulation. 1t is quite untrue that | dis
vented from the unanimous decision of
the final council of war. Our final
urgent requests for relief We're never
answered AS regards parole, | dis
t1nctly discouraged any concerted ac-
don. Every officer decided for himself
Generally commanding officers stuck
with their men and chose imprison-
nent. Most of the naval officers also
chose captivity. many probably being
Influenced by the fear of impending
court martial"
There were actually surrendered at
Port Arthur between nine and ten thou
sand soldiers and sailors. of whom
many were unfit for duty The sick
and wounded numbered 10000. FIFTY
per cent of the officers of the garrison
were killed, and only % probably per
can't went through the siege unscath-
Cd.
The fortress could have held out for
s1me time longer but for the fire of
the japanese eleven inch howtzers.
which destroyed the food depots, the
workshops and the ammunition stores
and made the repair of the defensive
works impossible.
Interviews with other Russian Of
6cers revealed great bitterness against
and denunciations of Admiral Alex
deff for his failure to properly fortify
Port Arthur and his cowardly flight"
by the last train from the fortress.
They say the torpedo boat destroyers
that escaped before the surrender car
rfed all the regimental and naval colors
to Chefu. The junior officers denounce
the incapacity and folly of the govern
Uent I'm entering upon the war and
declare that all the men who return to
'.ssia from Port Arthur are revolu-
lists in spirit. These opinions were
lly expressed in the presence of
ieral Stoessel who remarked LET
N talk. They have earned the right
think as they please by Drawing I'M
al deaths for our country"
y Mukden report details an attempt
Of strong Japanese detachment of
Infantry. cavalry and artillery to cut
Of the column of General Mischtschen-
kos cavalry as the latter retired north
ward.
The japanese under cover of n mist
Sutfiankei the Russians. A battle en-
sued, the Russian artillery with the
column intlicting heavy losses on the
Japanese at short range and then re-
firing. The Russian losses We're five
oficers aud forty men killed or wound
ID.
The Russian protest against the i'm
Yutation that General Mischtschenkos
cavalry violated Chinese neutrality,
sven if-of which there is at present no
Svidence-they crossed the Liao river
above Newchwang, claiming that a
small strip on the west bank is dis
tnctly reserved as included in the
sphere of hostilities.