The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-09-22
Counting
THE cost

with the peace negotiations. the esti-
mates OF Japanese and Russian losses
during the war just compiled here are
interesting in the extreme. But the
task Of compilation has not been easy.
With regard to casualties on the Jap
anese side, tolerably accurate statistics
were published throughout 1904. al
though even in that period there were
quite a number of skirmishes which
remained without exact returns. But
from the beginning of the current year
the japanese would seem to have con-
cluded that in these matters secrecy
IS the wiser policy. Possibly in view
of the fact that the Russians observed
reticence. the Japanese decided not to
be needlessly frank. At all events they
have never made an official statement
OF the total casualties during the siege
of Port Arthur or in the great battle
of Mukden. In these cases, therefore.
recourse must be had to private INTEL
ligence, supplemented by somewhat
laborious calculation of ratios between
aggregate losses and losses in commits
stoned rank.
One very salient landmark offers it
self Last May religious celebration
was held in Toxic in memory of the
officers and man who had persisted in
battle or died of wounds between Feb.
, g. 1904. and Jan. 81, 1905. exclusive OF
the battle Of Heikautai. The peculiarly
solemn character of these rites which
are bound up with everything that the
Japanese hold most sacred, precludes
the possibility of any omission from
the national death roll, Prayers were
offered up for 2S,999 military men and
1857 naval men of all ranks; and II can
be taken as certain that these figures
represented the total of both services
up to the fail OF Port Arthur. Assum-
ing, as experience indicates, that four
men are wounded for every one killed,
and assuming further that ten per cent.
of the wounded die, we at once obtain
the aggregate of about los, 900 casual
ties in all ranks of the Japanese army
from the beginning of the war until
Jan. 81, 1905. II to this we add 5000 for
Heikautai. $500 for Mukden and 500
on account of skirmishes to the end
of July, we obtain a grand aggregate
OF 1866 in round numbers, represent
ing casualties. killed and wounded dur
ing the period from February, 1904 to
June. 1905. inclusive. This tallies al
most exactly with the total obtained by
setting down the figures unofficially re-
ported after the ending OF each fight.
But when the Russian figures are
considered 1t is difficult IL not impos-
sible at times to obtain details. In
large number of instances there Is
no guide except the dead bodies aban-
doned on the field, and these must al
ways have peen considerably below the
actual total of killed, while official re-
turns, seldom published. were generally
proved to err greatly on the side of
under statement. Therefore the figures
set down in the Russian column must
be considered merely in the minimum
Following are the best obtainable
statistics of casualties. the Japanese
being given first, the Russians second:
Yalu: japanese, 1899; Russian, $685.
Shisanlitai: Japanese, 146; Russian,
500.
Nanshan: Japanese, 42O7; Russian.
1870.
Telisz: Japanese, 1853; Russian, 1870
Fenshwiling: Japanese, III; Russian
l5o.
Kaip!ng: Japanese, 1853; Russian, $50
Metienling: Japanese, 299; Russian,
1000.
Kinetao: Japanese. 423; Russian, 1000
Tashichiao: japanese, 1877; Russian,
1000.
Tomuching: Japanese, 800; Russian,
1850.
Yushulingtzs and Yangtszling: Jap
anese, 946 Russian, 200a
Lao Yang: japanese. 1858; Russian,
$4,000.
Shaho: Japanese, 15.S79 Russian, Co.
201.
Forty-six skirmishes japanese, 1000;
Russian. 1000.
Skirmishes after Shaho. japanese,
200; Russian, sos.
Niuchtang: japanese, $50; Russian,
600.
Taeikautai: japanese. 5000; Russian,
10000.
Skirmishes between Neikautai and
Mukden: Japanese, $50; Russian 1926.
Mukden: Japanese. $500; Russian,
1880.
Chandtu: Japanese. 100; Russian, 800.
Fakumun: Japanese, 30; Russian, $40.
"a Kaiyman: Japanese, 75,, Russian, $780,
"a Yingeching: Japanese, 20; Russian.
600
weiyuantaqmun: japanese. 2l5; Rus
I.sian, 24o.
I. Port Arthur: Japanese. $4,000; Rus
sian, 10000
~ Naval casualties: Japanese, 1870;
Russian, 5000.
This makes a total OF 166,756 for
I the Japanese and 329,77s for the Rus
SLAMS. OF prisoners reports show GAG
Japanese taken and 67,701 as the
number of Russian prisoners.
This brings the grand total on the
Japanese side of to 167,4O2. on the
Russian side up to 3Ss, $50.
y Turning to the question of mate.
rial of war, the story of the Russian
naval squadron is told as follows:
Battleships sunk -. displacement
144.s 1858 tons.
Armored cruisers 8. displacement
IS, 979.
Seagoing coast defense ironclads /,
displacement 4126.
Cruisers 6, displacement 26,341.
Other kinds. including converted
ofuisers IA, displacement 1922.
Destroyers Is. displacement $685.
This makes total of 81 boats with
a displacement OF 245.2s2. The broad
result is very striking. Out of to-