THE EASTERN WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 212, 12 September 1904, Page 3

THE EASTERN WAR.

PROGRESS OF THE MANCHURIA CAMPAIGN. SATURDAY'S CABLE SUMMARY. (Received September 10, 7.10 a.m.) LONDON, September 9. General Kuropatkin has halted mar Mukden. The Standard states that General Kuroki is successfully harassing thu enemy. Rome advices state that the Japanese, pursuing the retrtuters, captured 97 guns (mostly spiked) and thousands of rifles. Many stories of heroism are told about iboLh slides. In the lighting around Liao-yang the Russians on one occasion surrounded two Japa- ' nese battalions in a millet field, ano . a desperate fight followed. The Ja- * panese refused to accept quarter, ' preferring death to surrender. All were killed. Russian frontier guards died a; their posts, refusing to surrender. The paper Novoe Krai (Prince Alexieff's organ) states that an elec trical land mine near Port Arthur blew up a Japanese column numbering 700, which was marching in tht Valley. Very few escaped. Unofficial, news from Tokio says that the garrison at Port Arthur is much disheartened and surrenders art increaang. Mine clearing operations at the entrance to the harbour have ceased. t The Japanese bombarded Korsakovsk and torpedoed the strandeo Russian cruiser Novik. Colonel Gadke, war correspond-# ent of the Germon paper lierlinei Tageblatt. telegraphed on Thursdaj that the Russians still occupy Mukden. A Moscow paper declares that soldiers and officers (even generals) have been living for days on mouldy bread, "blown" tinned meats, and filthy water, and are teemin 6 with vermin. The Russians admit that the position at Liao-yang is too loing for < defence. After crossing the Tai-tse River, the Russian soldiers' horses were so exhausted tluit they might have suffered terribly if the Japanese hac displayed .their usual enterprise. Attackis from the eastern heights compelled the Russians on Monday to cross the railway and retreat by the western road. Mukiten telegrams state thai storms are greatly hindering tii- ' Buseiaa and Japanese march to--1 wards ' Tieh-ling, , Russian newspapers severely blame the commajiders for under-estiimat- , < in* the stifcngth, fighting qualities and intelligence of the Japanese Huch of the disaster is, they assert owing to .want of unity among th» Russian commanders. General Ku ropatk|io to only a nominal com-mander-in-chief. The Novoe Krai states that a mine •xploded on the night of the 22nd w» redoubt No. 2, and killed many Japanese, THE PORT ARTHUR SORTIE. GALLANT FIGHT OP THE CESAREVITVH. SYDNEY, September 10. , Details of the Russian fleet's i dash from Port 'Arthur give a vivid . description of the Cesarevi tch's fight. The Cesarevitch, steaming • at a good pace, was a target for a good many giuns. She led a number of. vessels through the Japanese cor- , don, but was badly damaged before she got out of sight, heading foi the Shan-tung Promontory all the . time. ! . For a considerable time she was followed by., the Asahi, Mikasa, Shi- j fkiehima, Fuji, Niahin, Kasug', Ya- ] ' kumo, Kaaagi, Chitose, and Takassgp, and aewral torpedo-ib|oats. The <. ire was rapid and dangerous, but none o( the shots took eßect below i the water-line. The Cesarevitch pounded awa> with ber stem-chasers, amd managed | to inflict a certain amount of damagt on the Japanese ships, but not sufficient to stop any of them. About 4.80 p.m. the pursuers closed in on the fugitive near Shantung Promontory, and severe light ing 1 eosuod. ' Shells fell thick and fast on tin • deck of the Cesarevitch, and oni swept away the bridge, on which thi admiral and stall were standing. r *he shell smashed in amongst tin . group of officers with disastrous results. When the smoke cleared, t the woodwork of the bridge was found to be smashed to splinters, and the ironwork twisted and torn. Only the legs of Admiral Withoeft could be - found. Pieces of flesh dung to the bridge, and blood was. : scattered everywhere in the vicinity. The chief of the navigating staf, • and the flagrlieutenant were also killed and mutilated. The captain vms the only oni on the bridge who was not wounded. His escape was remarkable, since he was standing close to the group amongst whom the bomb exploded. \ The Cesarevitch put on as much ■'* speed as possible as soon as the disaster occurred, and gradually outdistanced her pursuers. Towards nightfall the Japanese invr off and the Cesarevitch got btio Taing-tao hanbour very badlj riamtflpf*. Her funnels were totally gone, the bridge was in splinters •and the deck broken and covert*, with debris, and the hull showing several biK holes above the waterline. JAPANESE NEAR MUKDEN. 12,000 WORN-OUT RUSSIANS IN EXTREME DANGER. Hie Japanese are now thirteen miles south of Mukden. (Received September 11, 9.17 a.m.) LONDON, September 10. General Sakharoff reports that there has been no further fighting. yhe Daily Express reports that tfcore are 12,000 Russians south of AUiidt-'n in a position of extreme danjger. These troops are worn out :and it is doubtful if they are able (to rejoin the main army. ,10,000 RUSSIAN CASUALTIES. JAPANESE CAPTURE PROVISIONS AND MUNITIONS. (Received .September 12, 0.39 a.ni.; LONDON, September 11. Field-Marshal the Marquess Oyama, Japanese Commander-in-Chief, reports that a'ter General Kuroki's occupation of Ycn-tai the natives stated that the Russians hfld entrained 10,000 casualties. The Japanese buried over 3000 Hussions. Before the evacuation the Russians burned the magazine, but the Japanese captured' a n immense quantity of provisions and ammunition.