Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-17
ONE MILE OF TELEPHONE
COST 10000 MEN AND LOST
RUSSIA PORT ARTHUR
From the washington Star.

From the Washington Star.
There are many individual miles OF
:ity built telephone line that nave cost
well up in the hundreds Of thousands
of dollars" remarked an officer of tho
United States army who saw much OF
the war between Russia and Japan q
few years age but the mile Of tele-
phone wire that cost, beyond all com
parison, more money n lives than
any other line ever built was erected
during the siege of Port Arthur in 1905.
For weeks and months the Japs had
been eating away at he d%efenses of
the Russian fortress. but with small
success. The hills around the town
and harbor seemed to have been fash
ioned by nature for defense. The Japs,
though they had brought up their great
IL n IA inch siege guns were able
to make out slight impression Upon the
forts and none at all upon the town
or the Russian fleet that lay safe with
in the inner harbor. The trouble was
that, though the great guns-'osaka
babies they called them. after the name
Of the town where they were manufac-
tured-could easily carry from their
positions into Port Arthur and the
harbor, there was intervening a great
range Of hills from 500 to 500 feet In
height and crowned with the nos,
powerful Qualifications in the world to
that date. Hence. the guns could not
get a slight Of their targets.
command was sent from Toxic. to
destroy the Russian battleships lying
in the inner harbor, command from
Toxic meant obedience or death. The
Japanese generals put their heads to-
gether and at length conceived a dar-
ing plan.
"Off to the west of the protecting
range OF hills there was an isolated
peak known, from the exact measure
-,oo& oP SIC Io;~Ik 90 sono nFat.. Ton /,
BY observing the Japs learned that
from the sGfhmit OF the hill the whole
town and inner harbor Of Port Arthur
could be plainly seen.
"The hill, however, was commanded
by fully half the forts along the main
line of the Russian Notifications To
seize and fortify the position vas
therefore, impossible, but the willy Japs
had another plan. They brought up a
powerful attacking force and launched
it against the Russians holding the hill.
Day after day they pushed their trench
es up the hill, full in the deadly fire OF
the Russian forts. Thousands of them
were killed, but steadily they drove
their lines forward and upward. Three
times the Russians, a~ssaulting them
IN force, drove them from their trench
es. and three times the Japs, rallying
under reinforcements, retook the works
and forged along up the hill.
For three weeks the work went on.
1t was estimated that more han 10000
men were killed and wounded in the
fighting along the last mile to the
summit of that hill. But at last their
efforts were crowned with success. A
small party of Japs reached the top
and, from their point of vantage be-
hind protecting crags. locke squarely
down upon the town and harbor OF
the doomed town.
"Then. to the Russians surprise, the
Japs made no attempt to fortify the
hilltop. The gunners at the forts that
thanked it to rignl ana left looked In
vain for the forces that were to march
up there and offer themselves as a
target as they threw up their in
trenchments. and they anticipated q
carnival of slaughter when the at
tempt to fortify would be made. But
there came no army to hold 1T; there
came not even a regiment, though all
about the base Of the hill the Japs
erected powerful works that held the
Russians back from any attempt to re-
take the hill by assault. Indeed, for
all the Russians could see. the taking
of the hill was a barren victory.
But hidden in the crags and cliffs
of the summit, there were two Japs
unseen by Russian eyes. They were
not armed unless one considers a tele-
scope and a telephone as weapons, for
these were the only implements the
AAldoCli oLiCo IoQ.
Suddenly, the Osaka babies com
menced to open fire upon the town and
harbor, and the Russians smiled, for
experience had shown them how inn
possible it was for the shells to strike
their unseen targets. But, to their as
constituent, after a shell or two, one
lit squarely upon the main building lin
Port Arthur and shortly after one
plunged through the deck of a battle
ship and sunk her like a stone.
In q short time the town was
wrecked and the fleet, with half Of its
ships sunk or disabled, had to put out
to sea.
For. from the telephone in the hand
OF the Jap hidden OF the summit of 203
Meter hill there ran a wtre to the bat
teries where stood the great osaka
babies and the whole thing became as
simple as a kindergarten problem. The
ma with the telescope observed where
the shells from the babies struck; he
reported 1t to the mar with the teIe-
phone, VINO, IN turn. telephone it to the
gunners of the babies They modified
their fire under these directions and
placed their great shells as accurately
as though they were firing roint-blani
at a target.
1T was the beginning of the end Of
Fort Arthur that mile OF telephone line
running up the flank Of 2O3 Meter hill.
1t was but a single wire mounted on
poles SO small that they were invisible
g quarter miles distant, but 1t cost TO-
oW men and several millions of dollars
IN ammunition and other war cost to
condemn the right Of way"
-~
One Girl That Wanted . NJ,