The Washington times., 1905-03-15

that the japanese on the Hun river had
taken advantage Of the storm. which
, was blowing the dust IN the Russians
faces and of the breaches in the posi-
tions on the Hun, to thrust column
through the Flu Pass and kyouzan, on
the instep of the boot.
! Here the fords were defended by only
three companies of the Barnaul Regi-
nent and a company OF the lrtSutsk
Regiment which were forced to retire
before Japanese cavalry and four noun
tain guns
With the entire Russian strategic re-
serves already engaged 1t became i'm
possible to meet the danger in these
two sources, which was immediate and
c, iticaI and al o'clock in the evening
an order TO retire to Tie Pass was given.
Evacuation Was Swift.
The night of March Mukden station
presented remarkable scene Shortly
after o'clock came the order to com
pIete the evacuation of the station and
city, with directions that the movements
of trains uorthward must be completed
by O'Clock in the morning.
The enormous task was completed in
nine hours, including the hasty en-
barkation of the wounded. who crowded
the station platform and occupied the
hospitals.
Many had already left in the morning,
when the private trains Of Kuropatkin.
KauIbars. Sakharoff. BiIderling. and
Zabelin departed. but thousands re-
NAMED
At $40 D. m the first string of eight
trains was dispatched, and a call was
sent to Tie pass for thirteen locomo-
ttves. The forwarding of these locono-
I tfyes without interrupting the north
ward movement of trains was a delicate
piece of train dispa tching. but the over
| worked railroad staff accomplished it
successfully.
At a. N. the second string was start
ed northward. and at 9:45 a. m. tie last
train of the third string oE sixteen de-
parted.
All trains had ffty-two to fifty-five
cars. Three trains contained the am
nunition of the park of artillery which
had been dispatched the evening before
Important Service.
| The last train out was the service
train, with all the employees of the rail-
way. property and station papers The
| skill. exeTtiOns and devotion of this lit
| tie band of civilians rendered service,
the Importance of which cannot be over
estimated for the future of the Russian
army.
II saved thousands of wounded sol
diefS, an immense amount of ammuni-
tion and millions of dollars worth of
=
bered that five miles north OF Mukden
m unceasing fight was in progress.
Trains earlier had been bombarded
with Shimose shells. ara the railroad
was twice DANA ged. The zl-ains Travelled
unlighted and without wnistIing, under
eight minutes headway. All about. fires
biazed IN q gigantic ring, burning straw,
| coal. wood. corn. and biscuit
/ Occasionally boxes OF CARTRIDGES, ex-
| pioded with a disa agreeable, dry rattle
| or rockets rose and burst in clusters oil
/ flames NJ
teFiat, as there were over $500 carloads
| of corn and biscuit and over 1923 600 cubic
| feet of coal, straw and milIet.
| Wounded crowded the station, filled
every vacant place in the cars, and the
| brake beams, buffers and roofs were oc-
cunied, while others were hanging to the
step.
Coal Mines Abandoned.
The last train pulled out as General
| Tserpitsky' troops began to pass tbs
| station. shortly before the explosion
which wrecked the Hun river bridge
| On the platform remained eight teIeg-
| raphers. who had volunteered to stay
| at their keys until the arrival of ths
| japanese, In the hospitals of the Ii
| vonian divisien of the Red Cross and
I: medical staff were 1850 severely wound.
ed, including 364 Japanese. the Chinese
governor of Mukden giving his word tc
| defend them until Mukden was OccIlpfeC
! by the Japanese.
| OF the military railroad all but 12;
| miles was abandoned. and the cars de
| stroyed Tens of thousands of hnyes
of ammunition were abandoned. but mos
| important of all. from Il material toint
of view, is the loss of the FusI1un Goa
| mines, which supplied the road witt
coal
The trains were heavily bombarded
but came through safely.