The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1905-01-13

firt between RUSSIA ara Japan for mas
,orv in tie far east broke out early IN
tbp wear ard was still in progress as the
twplye-m month closed. Diplomatic rela
lions were severed Feb. 6 and two DAYS
htpr the japanese attacked and partly
IiCabled the Russian warships at Port
Arthur. A day after that they tOrpedoed
too cruisers al ChemulpO, Korea. land
NJ troops and began the first of a series
N maueuvers destined before the Wear
ras over TO give them command over
fbp Laotung peninsula and the most
lmporant part Of ManChuria.
Battle Of YaIu.
The first great battle of the war was
fought May ! on the banks of the Yalu
river. near Antung and Win. The jan
anese were in superior force and drove
the Russians in the direction of Feng-
hrangcheng. Later in the same month
they attacked and captured Kinchow.
The spectacular and bloody battle Of
Nanshan hill followed in which victory
again was on the side of Japan though
II was dearly bought. Dalny had been
raptured on the 18th of May. so that
when Nanshan was carried the invest
nent of Port Arthur from the land side
was complete. From that time on Gen
NOgi to whom had been assigned the
task of laying siege to the Gibraltar of
tine east, hurled his soldiers against the
outer line Of defenses and captured some
Of them, but the main forts were 50
stubbOrnly held by the Russians under
Gen. Stoessel that it soon became an
parent they could not be carried bv
storm. Other tactics were reSOrted to
and though slow and costly proved sue
cessfu The Russian lines had to be
more and more contracted, while the
Japanese Crept closer and closer and
finally gave them command Of positions
permitting them 10 lombard and DESTROY
the city and the remnants of the fleet
In the haTbOr.
In the North.
In the meantime the other JaDanesc
armies steadily marched toward the
north, driving the enemy before them.
The battle Of VafangoW was fought and
won June H. A week later Gen. Kuroki
and Gen. Oku occupied the important
mountain passes TO the east and south
Of LiaOyang. July % the Russians evac-
uated NewChwang and Aug. abandoned
Haicheng. At LiaOyang, however. Gen.
KurOpatkin, communicative chief of the
cars army in Manchuria. made a stand.
From Aug. 70 TO Sept. the opposing
forces were in daily combat and of the
100000 men engaged about $4,000 were
killed or wounded The Russians We're
Outfanked by kurOki and compelled to
retire in the direction of Mukden. Field
Marshall Oyama, who had been placed in
supreme command of the mikados ar
mics, followed as far as the Sha river
and here from Oct. l. to Oct. 10 was
fought one Of the bloOdieSt battles in
history. Gen. kuropatkin took the Of
ienSiye for the first time, but the japan
Csc held their ground. The contest end
ed without decisive victory for either
SIDE. The armies were exhausted and
could do no more. The combined losses
IN Killed and wounded amounted to the
enormous total of about 10000 men, of
whom $4,000 belonged to the Russian
army Before operations could be re-
samed winter set in and the year ended
with the armies still facing each other
on the banks of the Sha river
Russian Disasters at Sea.
While the Russians were meeting these
feVerses on land their reverses on the
sea were equally great. Many of their
ships had been disabled or damaged at
Inc beginning of the war and their fleets
IN Port Arthur and Vladivostok We're
not IN the best Of condition to meet the
MODERN Japanese battleships and cruis-
efs under Admirals Togo and Kami-
mura One of their best ships, the Pc
uOpaVlosk struck a mine outside OF
fort Arthur April 10 and went down
win Admiral Makaroff and more than
oVV officers and men. Aug. 10 Admiral
Nltth0tt with the md Of 30
san Meet attempted to escape from Port
Arthur, but was met a few miles out at
sea oy Togo's squadron and defeated in
battle lasting several hours. His ships
were dispersed, some of them seeking
Ieiuge in the adjacent ports of the Chi
aese coast and others retreating to Port
arthur. He himself was killed and his
nagshlp, the Czarewitch compelled to
nee IN disabled condition to Tsung-
tnau. where it was dismantled. Aug II
Admiral Kamimura met the VIadivostok
meet IN the strait of Korea, sunk the
uGisef Rurik and compelled the Rossia
%pu 1romovoi to return to the home port
eadly damaged condition. The
Tiuiser Novik was destroyed by the
sSpaaese cruisers Chitose and Tsushima
WI Me island of Sakhalin Aug. q. AS
Sneaoy stated the remnant of Whit
NUTS heet that took refuge in Port
A'hur was destroyed later in the year
"hen the Japanese had gained positions
~. w 1ne land side Of the fort from which
iey were able to successfully direct a
aeIce Commandments
iAe Japanese navy also met with loss
90 IN the course of the year, but in COM
tS'iSoh with those of their opponents
M s were not severe. The battleship |
na.suse was sunk by a mine May Is |
Snu ABOUT the same time the cruiser
aVshlho was sunk in collision with an
~a" ef cruiser. The battleship Yashima
rnr' aiso reported lost. but under cir
WINS INSTANCES which have not yet been
made public.
~. Port Arthur Surrendered.
po,e H' stoessel, unable longer to hold
en- en- Arthur with his decimated forces,
1 wed to Gen. Nogi Jan. 2.
81. between Great Britain and Rus |
har was a., very narrowly averted in Octo-
600 Inc car had ordered the Baltic |
IN meet 10 proceed to the east under |
N. eOmmand of Admiral Rojestvensky. |
tba russian fleet was passing through |
o oo North sea when one night it en-
sY Nv number of trawlers of fish
csc . esSeS' MIstaking them for Japan !
bs,. ''peuo boats the warships fired on |
tn. sinking one and killing two men. |
ssa uen went on without waiting to |
haou "''at the result of their action had |
n RI me act aroused great indignation
onen,,.s iahd and threats of war were
ho MADE. After some negotiation |