The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-15
JAPS ARE SLOW IN
PUSHING ATTACK
tcOntinrsd from first Pase)


TO retire to Tie Pass was given. Through
the narrow boot leg passage, scarcely five
miles wide, a densey packed mass of
transports pressed northward, coming I'M
der the fire of a small squadron of Jap
anese cavalry, and four mountain guns
which earlier in the battle had managed
to dart across the Russian lines Of COM
municati and conceal themselves in
the mountains to the eastward The force
of General Tserpitzky began an orderly
retirement from the boot toe, and during
March 10 Kuropatkin successfully held
at bay the Japanese who were trying to
interrupt the railroad.
On the night of March Mukden station
presented a remarkable scene Shortly
after 3 o'clock came the order to COM
plete the evacuation of the station and
city, with directions that movements of
trains nothward must be completed by
o'clock in the morning. The enormous
task was completed in nine hours, in
Guiding the hasty embarkation of the
wounded who crowded the station plat
form, and occupied the hospitals Many
had already left in the morning when the
private trains of Kuropatkin, Kaulbars,
Sakharoff Biderllng and Zabelin depart
ed. but thousands remained. At $40 a. m.
the first string of trains was dispatched,
and a call was sent to Tie Pass for thir-
teen locomotives. The forwarding of these
locomotives without interrupting the
northward movement of trains was a deli
cate piece Of train dispatching, but the
overworked railroad staff accomplished it
successfully.
Second String Starts Northward.
Al a. m. the second string was start
ed northward, and at 9:45 the last train
| Of the third string of sixteen departed.
/ 1a fna Had 20 ~ n
cars Three trains contained the ammu-
milton of the park of artillery, which had
been dispatched the evening before in 54O
cars; another train carried warm clothing
! one was coal-laden and one was loaded
with Red Cross supplies. one with en-
gineers' depot supplies, three with COM
missiriat freight and the remainder with
wounded. The last train out was the SER
vice train with all the employees of the
railroad; property and station papers. The
skill, exertions and devotion Of this little
/ band of civilians rendered service. the
| Importance of which cannot be over-esti-
mated for the future of the Russian army
/ 1t saved thousands of wounded soldiers,
| an immense amount of ammunition and
millions of dollars worth of property and
cash. 1t must be remembered that five
miles north of Mukden an unceaslng fight
was in progress. Trains earlier had been
bombarded with chinese shells and the
railroad was damaged. The trains trav-
eled unlighted and without whistling I'M
der diminished Roadway.
All about Ares blazed in gigantic rings
burning straw, coal, wood, corn and bis
cult. Occasionally boxes of cartridges
exploded with a dlsagreeable rattle or
rockets rose and burst in clusters OF
stars The flames had plenty of material.
as there were over $500 car loads of corn
and biscuit, ane over $4,000 cubic feet or
coal, straw and milet. This was only the
reserve commissriat and other stores that
was destroyed The wounded crowded the
station. filled every vacant place In the
| cars. and the brake beams, buffers and
roofs were occupied while others were
hanging to the step.
Started Before Explosion.
The last train pulled out as General
Tserpitzky's troops began to pass the sta
ton shortly before the explosion which
wrecked the Hun river bridge.
On the platform remained eight tele-
graphers who had volunteered to stay at
their keys until the arrival of the jap
anese. In the hospital of the Livonian
division of the Red Cross and medical
staff were 1850 severely wounded, lnclud-
ing 1854 Japanese, the Chinese governor
of MulSden giving his word to defend them
| until Mukden was occupied by the jan
anese. How many wounded reached the
station after its evacuation is not known.
Coal Mines Abandoned.
or the military railroad all but Is miles
was abandoned, and the wagonetts de-
stroyed. Ten thousand boxes of ammuni-
ton was abandoned, but most important
OF all from material point of view, Is
the loss of the Fushun coal mines, which
supplied the road with coal.
The trains were heavily bombarded. but
came through safely. The retirement OF
the wagon transport was twice imperilled
by shells the morning of March TO- A
Japanese squadron concealed in the moun-
tains opened fire and the drivers, who
were undiseiplined peasants, unac.
customed to the sound of Japanese shells
began to desert their carts and wagons
cutting loose the horses or throwing the
stores from the wagons. Confusion be-
came rampant and spread to terror
stricken civilians and even gunners. and
was communicated in turn to the infantry
troops.