Evening star., 1909-07-11

one end of the mighty elevation stands
the monument; and at the other end,
perhaps eight hundred feet distant is
Shinto shrine of this same silver gray
granite, under which lie the bones of
more than twenty-five thousand Japanese
heroes, who were killed at Port Arthur.
The platform upon which the shrine
stands Is reached through a great cop
per bronze tori; and. at each side OF the
latter is a granite lantern. like those
one sees at Nikko and about the other
shrines Of Japan. The stone platform
must be more than one hundred feet
square, although the shrine itself Is
comparatively small. These two monu-
ments cover the whole top of the hill.
They are reached by military roads,
which wind their way up the noun cln,
and also by steps for foot passengers.
Come with me to the foot of the monu-
ment and take a birds eye view OF
the battlefields of Port Arthur, as they
lie here in this quiet year of our Lord.
1909. We are right in the midst of the
amphitheater in which. for eight months,
gladiatorial show the world has yet
known. Just under is the harpor
which was filed with the Russian gun
boats: and on its shores are the old
and new towns which were occupied by
the soldiers during the siege. On that
sea, outside, lay the blockadtng Japanese
squadron sending its shrieking shells
at the ships and the city. On the hills
all about us were Russian soldiers. and
on their opposite sides the Japanese
armies, crawling and blowing and tun-
neling their way to the forts. The story
of how, inch by inch, every Dit of the
ground fought over and how at
last, Japan was successful has been told
in song and story: and YOU may find it
today in the books describing the war
doubt, however. whether any such story
can show the real wonders of the defense
and attack: or the heroism of both
bodies of troops.
The country about here is much like the
bare hills of Montana or Colorado. 1t is
dry and thirsty. There is no vegetation
except scanty grass with here and there
a bit of scrub oak. The fighting was all
in the open. and the Notifications had to
be thrown up out OF rock. gravel and dis
integrated stone. The tunnels, made by
the Japanese. were not through earth, but
through rock. and IN undermining the
forts they could go but :. few feet day.
Nevertheless, while overlooking these
hills one sees scores of miles of such
trenches The work on the embankments
reminds you Of the great Chinese wall.
and the hundred miles and more of mill
tary roads which the Russians built 10
reach their various Notifications I'M
press one with the vast sums which
they spent all in vain. Their forts were
of concrete. reinforced with iron, and
they embrace q circle of more than ten
miles They made Port Arthur. the
strongest fortress ever besieged.
Today all of the forts erected for land
defense are in ruins. The Japanese do
not intend to repair them. and the only
work they are doing is upon those facing
the sea. They have added TO and strength
ened the fortresses on Golden Hill and
the Tigers Tail and they prohibit stran-
gers from visiting the battlehelds along
the coast.
As TO the other parts of Port Arthur
one may go anywhere, provided he leaves
his camera at home. There are scores of
droschkies which were brought in by the
Russians. and are now owned by Chinese.
These are hauled by little Manchurian po-
nies. and they will take you all over the
country at - cents an hour or for little
more than 50 a day.
During my stay here I have visited
many of the battlefields and have tramped
over the hills where the seyerest fighting
took place. The grounds are SCARED by
iron shot and the face of old Mother
Earth has been pockmarked by the siege
The shells We're thrown everywhere, and
some of them went deep into the ground
AS soon as the fighting was over the
Chinese by the thousands swarme- over