The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-12-17
ONE MILE or TELEPHONE
COST 10000 MEN AND LOST
RUSSIA PORT ARTHUR
From the washi TON star.

. =
there are many ino. vidual miles Of
sity built telephone line that have cost
well up In the hundreds OF thousands
OF dollars" remarked an officer OF the
United States army who saw much Of
the war between Russia and japan q
few years ago, but the mile OF tele-
phone wire chat cost, beyond all com
parison, more money and lives than
any other line ever built was erected
during the siege OF Port Arthur In 1905
FOR weeks and months the laps had
been eating away at the defenses OF
the Russian fortress. but with small
success. The hills around the town
and harbor seemed to have been fash
Toned by nature for defense. The Japs
though they had brought up their great
IL and IL inch siege guns, were able
to make but slight impression upon the
forts and none at all upon the town
or the Russian fleet that lay safe with
that, though the great guns--'Osalxa
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 most
powerful Notifications 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, and command from
Toxic meant obedience or death. The
Japanese generals put their heads to-
gether and at length conceived dar-
Ing plan.
soff to the west of the protecting
range OF hills there was an isolated
peak known, from the exact measure
ment of its height, as '203 Meter Hill
I BY observing the Japs learned that
from the summit OF the hill the whole
/ town and inner harbor OF Port Arthur
could be plainly seen.
J "The hill, however, was commanded
by fully half the forts along the main
line Of the Russian Notifications. To
seize ana fortify the position was,
therefore, impossible, but the willy Japa
had another plan. They brought UP q
powerful attacking force and launched
II against the Russians holding the hill
es up the hill, full In the deadly fire Of
the Russian forts. Thousands or them
were killed, but, steadily they drove
, their lines forward and upward. Three
! times the Russians, assaulttng them
| In force. drove them from their trench
es, and three times the Japs, ralytng
, under reinforcements, retook the Works
| and forged along up the hill.
4. For three weeks the work went on
, II was estimated that more than 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
J 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
I the doomed town. aa.
"Then. to the Russians surprise, the
laps made no attempt to fortify the
hilltop. The gunners at the forts that
I flanked 1t to rignI ana left looked In
vain for the forces that were TO march
up there and offer themselves as
target as they threw up their In
trenchments, and they anticipated
carnival of slaughter when the at
tempt to fortify would be made. But
/ there came no army to hold 1t; there
| came not even regiment, though all
about the base Of the hill the Japa
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 q barren victory.
But hidden in the crags and cliffs
Of the summit, there were two Japs
unseen by Russian eyes. They We're
not armed, unless one considers tele-
scope and a telephone as weapons, for
these were the only implements the
hidden ones had. g..s t,
"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 1t was for the shells to strike
their unseen targets. But, to their as
constituent, after q shell or two, one
Lit squarely upon the main building I'm
Port Arthur and shortly after one
plunged through the deck Of battle
ship and sunle her like stone.
I'm a short time the town was
wrecked and the fleet, with half OF its
ships sunk or disabled. had to put out
to sea. b.. .t !.
"For, from the telephone in the hand
Of the Jap hidden on the summit Of 203
Meter hill there ran a wire to the bat
teries where stood the great Osaka
babies and the whole thing became an
simple as a kindergarten problem. The
man with the telescope observed where
the shells from the babies struck; he
reported II to the man with the tele-
phone, who, in turn, telephone II 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 Ioint-blank
, at target. .'H.7 80. -,
| cit was the beginning OF the end Of
Port Arthur that mile OF telephone line
running up the flank of 203 Meter hill.
It was but single wire mounted on
poles so small that they were invisible
q quarter miles distant, but Il cost TO-
600 men and several millions Of dollars
In ammunition and other war cost to
4 condemn the right OF way"