RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 107, 10 May 1904, Page 3

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

HOW PORT ARTHUR WAS SHUT UP. THE DASHING .JAPANESE "HANDY HEN." LONDON, Muy 8. Admiral Togo reports that a strong wind so hindered the " bottling" operations at Port Arthur that the commander accompanying the torpedo flotilla considered it necessary to stop the work. His orders did not reach the ships intended for blockading purposes, and eight steamers dashed for the harbour despite the searchlights, the lire from the fortress, and the danger of ' mines exploding. Five gained the mouth of the harbour, two getting well inside the broken boom. It is considered the harbour is effectively blocked, at least, as far as the cruisers and battleships are concerned. The other steamers sank before reaching the entrance. The flotilla stood by the sunken steamers till morning, alrd succeeded in rescuing half the crews. A torpedo boat was hit on a steam pipe and disabled, but another boat towed her safely away. Tile des-troyer Aotaka .was damaged in her port engine, but escajied. The casualties in the flotilla were two killed and three wounded. THE SHIN KING WAR THEATRE. JAPAN'S FORCING MOVEMENT. LONDON, May 8. Reports from Che-foo state that General Ivuropatkin is concentrating one hundred thousand men at LfaoYang, whither General Kuroki is marching at the rate of thirty kilometres (about 18J niles) daily. AN IMPORTANT CAPTURE. LONDON, May 8. Feng-wang-cheng, to which the Russian forces retreated after the Kiu-lien-cheng defeat, was captured by the Japanese on Friday. THE COST OF A MISTAKE. SYDNEY, May 9. The Japanese Consul's advices state that the Russians, during the mistaken firing on their companions in the retreat on the Yalu, killed 70 and wounded 110. /THE OCCUPATION OF FENG-WANG-CHENG. (Received liny 9, 10.20 p.m.) LONDON, May 9. Tokio advices state that General Kuroki, pressing forward before the enemy, had recovered from its demoralisation and confusion, sent two columns forward—one by road -and the other along the Aiho River—and Feng-wang.cheng was occupied after a skirmish. The Russians, after blowing up the magazine, had withdrawn, taking with them 800%-ound-ded. LOOSING THE MUSCOVITE'S GRIP, HIS GRADUAL EXIT FROM SIIIN KING. LONDON, May 9. The Russians have begun to evacuate Niu-chwang, aiter dismantling the forts, and are returning to llaicheng. They are also evacuating the western side of the Liuo-tung Peninsula. Foreigners in Niu-chwang fear attacks neur Ying-kow, ami the British Consul has asked that a gunboat be sent for protection. The Russian general stall at Liaoyang has removed to Mukden. Russians at Niu-chwang consider the forces there insufficient to hold that section, and they expect to return to Hal 1 bin. TIGHTENING THE JAPANESE HOLD. LONDON, May 9. Sixteen warships protected the landing of ten thousand Japanese at Kenchau. The lire of the guns swept across the narrow isthmus of the Liao-tung. Ten thousand men were landed at Fuchan and others at Taku-shan. The Japanese, after landing on the peninusia, rapidly entrenched and mounted quick-liring guns. They de-sti-oyed miles of railway and telegraph lines, and also four bridges between Port Arthur and Niuohwang. The Post reports that Dalny was captured on the 6th inst. THE YA-LU RETREAT. (Received May 9, 10.47 p.m.) LONDON, May 9. General Kuroki's supplementary reports increase the Russian casualties in the Ya-lu fighting. The Ja--1 buried fourteen hundred Russians, fulf} have five hundred Russian woundefi ;n the field hospitals. fhrcs hundred prisoners readied Matt. Vj /nessages Show that early lielau of the Ist inst. Hie on the mu Wi-ju removed Russians op,. some infantheir batteries, 't try to cover the i\ ■ which A successful frontal V' ended in dislodging the fosses might have involved enorm. vil inasmuch as the Japanese ero. 'jjyj.r almost shelterless sandy plain, i dark uniforms being conspicuous. Reuter's agency declaivs that a small army might have held back a greatly superior force, strongly fortified among the mountain posts whence the Russians were driven. THE BLOCKING OF PORT ARTHUR. HOW IT AVAS DONE. (Received Slav 9, 11.11 p.m.) LONDON, May 9. The official report the casualties at the blocking of Port Arthur were one officer and five men killed ; five ollicers and fifteen men wounded ; and fourteen and seventy-four men are missing. In the face of an incessant fire poured into the channel Lieutenant Sosa, commanding the steamer lOniikawa Maru rushed aw "ay through the boom and reached the' centre of the inner entrance, where l.'i' anchored and blew up his ship. The Russian gun fire and mines he!, w! to sink others. The Totonii lided with a boom and sank at bwart the passage, blocking nearly h. I it. The Yeso Maru was ancho r '"B in the entrance to the channel wi TrU Commander Takayanagi was shi't Sub-Lieutenant Nagatu assumed coin " mand and sank the ship. j RUSSIAN LAND FORCES. LONDON, May 9. Yuanshikai reports that the Ku;tsians in Manchuria number twelve thousand cavalry and one hundred' and fifty thousand infantry with 224 guns. In Eastern Siberia there are five thousand cavalry, twenty thousand infantry, and 82 guns. i NEW GI NS IX ACTION. FIRST MENTION OF HIGH-ANGLE' FIRE. Among the various items supplier! in the cables to-day (writes "Kastiga," ol the Star) perhaps the most important is that in which it is stated that "the Nisshin and Kasuga opened an indirect cannonade on theinner harbour at I'ort Arthur, their high-angle guns enabling them to. reach the works beyond the elevation of the other ships. They finally silenced the new forts west of Laiotie--shan." This is quite a new departure in the bombardments so far as; they havo gone. Hitherto nothing: but direct firo has been employed. After solving the various triangles at. . the ranges given in the cable and', ■ adding the necessary elevation for; j 1 12in guns, I have, from tho first,

been o'f opinion that the majority of the shore batteries could not take much harm from direct fire, though shells might be thrown in through the fairway, which would reach the guns placed on the low-lying strip of land known as the Tiger's Tail, and also tho residential portion of the town across the harbour. For direct firo at batturies such ns the one on Golden Hill, the angle of elebation required is greater than that which battleships are subject (o in their gunnery trials, and it was not to lie supposed that the Japanese would attempt it. That the Japanese have not attempted it is evident from the cable quoted above. THE GI NS OF THE NISSHIN AND KASUGA. Now, however, it. would seem that Hie Nisshin and Kasuga have come up to Port Arthur with guns—of what calibre is not stated—fitted on high angle mountings and they have turned their attention to the Laiotieshan battery, which is believed to be of unsatisfactory trace. It is now known that since the Nisshin and Kasuga arrived at the seat of war they have been specially strengthened in tho Japanese dockyards, and how they will succeed with high angle work depends on the nalure of the strengthening. It would require a great deal of work to render these vessels strong enough to bear the recoil or a 9.2 in gun trained high, and it cannot be 6a Id with certainty what these vessels will be able to do until it is known what calibre of high-angle armament they are carrying. The results to be anticipated from high-angle guns of 4.Tin calibre and over are very gfeat, however, and a little more information from the front as to this point would be very interesting indeed, as it would show what chance the Japanese have of smashing the Russian ships from seaward. CAN THEY REACH TIIE RUSSIAN SHIPS ? A military correspondent, in the London Times says it is a moot point whether the Russian ships can be reached by high-angle lire or not. Looking at the plan of the place, and calculating the possible ranges and angles of descent, it seems to me that the destruction of the Russiun shipping inside the east port would have to bo preceded by the destruction of one or two batteries of the enciente. For it may lie explained that a vessel- employing high-angle fire on a dillicult target requires not only a smooth sea, but has also to bo anchored by the head and stern. With the shore batteries in good working order she cauhl hardly afford to do this, hence the necessity of first silencing some of the land defences. GENERAL KUROKI. General Kuroki, to strategy is due the signal defeat of the Russians, was appointed at the outbreak of the war to the command of the first Japanese Army Corps. lie saw active service in the Chino-Jnpauese war, in which he was present at the capture of Wei-hai-wei, ami was given tho third order of merit, und created baron. On the occasion of the military manoeuvres in Japan last October, General Kuroki acted as chief commander, and at the close of the manoeuvres he was promoted from the rank of Lieutenant-General to that of General. lie is a member of the Japanese Council ot War, and among Japanese military men is regarded as a very learned man. He iff fat'the prime ol life, and both in complexion and cast of features resembles the European much more than his compatriots. Unlike Admiral Togo, who is an extremely dashing commander. General Kuroki is said to be very cautious and careful.