The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1908-08-05
MAKE CITY STRONG
JAPANESE SEEK TO RENDER
PORT ARTHUR IMPROBABLE.
0eSenses Being RECONSTRUCTED On ,
New Plan and the Town % Prae.
tieally Given Over to the Mil.
itary Authorities.

In view Of the renewed interest In
Port Arthur by the recent condemna-
ton Of Gen. Stoessel, 1t may be inter.
esting to translate from the Voice Of
Moscow portions of the article Of q
Russian correspondent In that great
,dpanese fortress. who seems to be
particularly observant, says the New
York Sun.
He says that Port Arthur and Dalny
have changed very much since the
war. Under Russian rule Port Arthur
was an international town, full Of life.
and after the japanese came into pos.
session of 1t 1t promised to be even
lvelier than ever. The roads were re-
paired, the Quays renewed. the water
supply improved. japanese and Chi
nese merchants began to establish
themselves In the town and business
houses began to be built
But suddenly something happened.
All at once Port Arthur became q
city Of the dead. Business men quietly
abandoned their shops, builders left
their uncompleted buildings, and from
that time up to the present no private
individual has begun any new build
ing in Port Arthur. The great sup
plies of provisions and other goods
were sent back to, Japan or into other
parts of Manchuria- But none except
the Japanese knew what was the word
that had gone forth.
The whole fortress is being recon
structed on q new and unknown plan.
The Notifications are being extended
beyond their old limits and the Ia
bOrers and Overseers are selected
with the greatest care.
The old redoubts are not destroyed,
but all useful material in them has
been moved to other sites. In the con-
structiOn of the Notifications great at
tenti0n has been paid to the selection
of the best positions whence q plung-
ing fire can be concentrated on the
passage through the hills in front and
in order to attain this end constant
practice firing Is carried on.
The landward side Is protected by
forts. At one point alone there are
120 guns. On the seward side rows
of guns are visible-many of these
guns were taken from the Russians.
Trial firing Is carried on more and
more frequently at night with the help
of reflectors and to assist the gun
ners a whole series Of signal stations
has been erected on the hills. At the
bottom of both harbors and out along
the seac0ast up to q distance Of two
miles from the fortress some sort Of
work is being carried on; perhaps
mines are being laid.
All the way to Mukden strategic po-
sitions are being selected and pre-
pared and strategic roads are being
run through the mountains.
AS for Dalny. 1t is strongly fortified
on the landward side. the entire en-
virons of the village Of Loukku having
been converted into fortress positions
and guns have been mounted there.
On the seward side Dalny is more
weakly fortified. but on the whole 1t is
very much more strongly defended
than when the Russians were in poses
sion Of It.
The enormous barracks In Port Ar
thur and Dalny are full Of troops and
great stores of grain, fodder, beans,
etc., have been collected. There has
lately appeared in Dalny a peculiar
cast-iron platform for
carrying field guns Of the largest cal
lber.
To the fortified points of Port Ar
thur and Dalny special railway branch
lines have been built from the main
Large parties Of japanese officers
come frequently from Japan to study
The ground, not only at Port Arthur
and Dalny. but in Mukden and Ii
aoyang. Lately many troops have
come and have all gone to Mukden.