The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-04-24
ii ARTHUR
SCENE OF
ACTION
japanese are Exceedingly
Busy at Strengthening
and Extending forti-
ficatiOnS--TOWn Dead

ST. PETERSBURG. April "a
In view of the renewed interest
aroused in Port Arthur by the recent
condemnation of General Stoessei, 1t
may be interesting to translate from
the Voice of Moscow" portions of
the article of Russian correspon-
dent in that great Japanese fortress,
who seems to be particularly OBJ
servant. He says that Port Arthur
and Dalmy 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 possession of It
it promised to be even livelier than
ever. The roads were repaired. the
quays renewed the water supply i'm
proved. Japanese and Chinese mer-
chants began to establish themselves
in the town, and business houses
began to be built.
But suddenly something happened.
All at once Port Arthur became a
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 building in Port
Arthur. The great supplies of PRO-
visions and other goods we're 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 relations of the Japanese au-
thorities towards the Chinese are
very severe. All Russians and Chin
ese are registered and are looked
after very carefully. Notices have.
been issued to the effect that any
Chinese found within any of the
prohibited areas around the fort
will be dealt with very severely, Chin
sese seen in New Town after D. m.,
are arrested and fined
The whole fortress is being recon
structed on a new and unknown plan.
The fortifieations are being extended
beyond their old limits, and the
laborers and overseers are selected
with the greatest care. The old re-
doubts are not destroyed, but all use
full material in them has been moved
to other sites. In the construction OF
the Notifications great attention has
been paid to the selection of the best
positions whence a plunging fire can
be concentrated on the passages
through the hills in front, and. in
order to attain this end, constant
practice firing is carried on. The
landward side is protected by long
range guns mounted in excellent
forts. At one point alone there are
120 guns. On the seaward side rows
of guns are visible-many of these
guns we're taken from the Russians
Trial firing is carried on more and
more frequently at night with the
help of refiectors. and, TO assist the
gunners a whole series of signal
stations has been erected on the hills.
AT the bottom of both narbors. and
out along the sea coast up To a dis
tance 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
positions are being selected and pre-
pared, and strategic roads are being
run through the mountains.
AS for Dalny, ii is strongly fortih-
ed on the landward side, the entire
environs of the village of Loukku
having been converted into fortress
positions, and guns have been
mounted there. On the seaward
side Dalny is more weakly fortified.
but on the whole it is very much
more strongly defended than when
the Russians were in possession of 1t.
The eonrmous barracks in Port
Arthur and Dalny are full of troops,
and great stores of grain. fodder,
beans and other provisions have been
collected. There has lately appeared
in Dalny a peculiar four-wheeled cast
iron platform for carrying field guns
of the larger caliber.
To the fortified points of Port
Arthur and Dalny special railway
branch lines have been built from
the main railway.
Large parties of Japanese ofi1cers
come frequently from Japan to study
the ground. not only at Port Arthur
and Dalny. but in Mukden and
Liaoyang. Lately many troops have
come, and have all gone to Mukden.
81. MT "a.