The Wilmington morning star., 1945-09-07
End GIBRALTAR
WAS EARLY NAME
FOR PORT ARTHUR

Russia's sharing of Port s.,,,..
ana the South Manchuria Rajlv.n
under the terms of the u,'
treaty with China, again rro,,;,
the Trans Siberian Railway wiz
an lce-free Pacific outlet. Dprin.
the past forty years the +rsr.
tinental system has been con,r.,,',
to use the Russian bort =, ",
vostok. 'Iaol'
Port Arthur, at the southern g..
OF Manchuria, has long been . !. up
turblng factor among three esst u,s'
powers-Japan, China and Pnssia
The latitude of this most nor .Isia'
Asiatic ice-free port is prac O.,iyrn
that of Lisbon, Portugal and WHY Way
lngton, D. C.-only a little fsr ss.'
norm taan San Francisco : ssv,
the National Geographic societv e''
At Vladivostok, on the Sc. =,
Japan, the ice season begins s.. u.
IN January and is at its wors+
early February. The sontinnoa Il.
use of ice breakers is necesssr'
practically throughout the win,a.
Even Dairen just to the east Il
Port Arthur requires ice breaker,
A shifting prize Of war ,or
hundred years, Port Arthur served
as the Anglo-French base in tbs
war against China begun in IAN
The British then christened ,bs
city Port Arthur" in honor a,
Prince Arthur, the late Duke 4,
Connaught. To the Japs the por
was known as Ryojun; the Chimes,
called it Luehun.
China had made Port Arthur N.
arsenal of its navy by 1894, onv
to lose it that year to Japan asa
result of the Sino-Japanese War;
along with the southern tip of Man.
churia, the Liaotung Peninsula
Following advice from Russia
Germany, and France, Japan re.
turned the territory to China.
In 1898 Russia leased the PENN.
sula from China, including the har.
bors of Port Arthur and Dairen
(Dalny), with permission TO build
a railroad from the ports north 10
Hardin, over which connection
could be made with the Trans.
Siberian Railway. At Port Arthur
was developed a Russian naval
and military stronghold, the Gi.
braltar of the Far East"
At Port Arthur on February 5,
1904 the Japanese Navy under Ad.
miral Togo badly crippled Russias
Pacific fleet in night attack,
made without warning. This con.
tributed largely to the outcome Of
the Russo japanese War, which
was ended by the peace confer.
ence at Portsmouth, New Hary,
shire, in 1908. The lease of Lao
tung Peninsula, together with the
South Manchuria Railway, passed
to Japan; and In 1915 tAe lease
was extended for 4 total Of W
years.
The city of Port Arthur spreads
to the north and east Of large
lagoon and its bottleneck entrance,
which together form a series OF
harbors. China's "Old Town 10
the east is separated from the KuS'
sian "New Town. by a large hll'
From the top of the hill rises the
25O-foot tower which the japanese
erected to the memory OF raelt
soldiers who fell in the siege OIL
Port Arthur in 1904. The Japs aSo
erected in New Town monunleH'
to the Russians who died IN 'lls
same engagement.
The old Chinese section has oeeA
largely modernized by the 'ap1'
nese who there built hoSpl'dl'
war museum, naval depot COVER
nor's palace, law courts, and o..e.
government buildings. inc Nc"
Town was laid out on modern Aile'
bv the Russians and has the sO..
eminent offices of the k"an'un .5
Leased Territory, the Tecnlli so
University and other schools AV
Ill o,rdons and museum.