HOW LIAO-YANG FELL.

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

HOW LIAO-YANG FELL.

THE AWFUL STORY OF ITS INVESTMENT. FEARFUL CARNAGE. (Received September 11, 9.18 a.m.) I LONDON, Septemiber 10. The Times' correspondent gives a I dramatic account of the assaults on the 30 and 31st ult. on the heights .south oi These comprised five lofty Giibraltar-like rocks, defended by wire entanglement*, loopholed structures, ami sunk pits studded with sharp spikes. Alter a heavy cannonade from 160 field pieces and 60 howitzers the > Japanese, in groups of twelve, ad--1 vanced through standing crops to the inferno awaiting them. Again ' and again were thiey repulsed with harrowing slaughter by the Kus- ■ aians, an enfilading lire sweeping each rush away. A night attack failed similarly, excepting that the fifth division captured formidable positions on the Russian left. Seventy out of a hundred pioneers were killed while engiaged in hacking away entanglements with axes. b> a tragic mishap t'hte Japanese sJieli lire drove these gallant stormers s from tike position, filling the Rus- » siaii trenches with Japanese de a d. Guieral Kuroki's I'afiiure, after five days' fighting, to make any perceptible progress compelled Generals, Oku and Nodzu to jtersevere. On the .'list the lil'th division crept through some acres oa millet io wards the Russian left, disregarding a tremendous artillery lire, and ■smeial explos.ons of ground mines. The advancing squadrons made succesMve rusues through the entanglements, ,being guided towards ti.ic crest ol the position toy the bursting of dozins of shimose s.iiells fired bj the artillery supporting them. The attack forced the Russians to retreat. Nevertheless, the main bastion still remained secure, and no Japanesewere able to live within 500 yards of the defenders. Groups emerging from the corn, so numerous as it, be only comparable t 0 the swarming of bees, were all swept back. uemeral Uku then orderul a third general aslsault lor the night of Uu ■.Lac, bringing up powenul reserves. This was a third attempt made, ant. the position was captured in u-i nouis. 'l,he heroic infantry, like hares in snures, struggled into the uarbed wire entanglements, ane some died 30 yaids from the first trenches. One battalion reached i, trunch, but fruitlessly, as corpse, of their men were found later, inter mingled with Russian dead, waiisi deep in the diitches. Headquarters directed General Oku to reinforce and assuult again be ore daybreak,; but General Kuropatkin, shaken by four general infantry assaults in 54 nours, finding iJencral Kuroki imperilling his communications, evacuated the positi >n falling back soon after midnight, to his third line of entrenchments. The Japanese casualties were ai leaßt 10,000, and the Russians lost half that number. The only prisoners taken were seven occupants of a Russian observation mine casement. These wen surrounded, after sho o ting two officers who urged them to yield. On September 2nd General Oku vainly attacked the third line 0i defences, in the flats around Liaojang, but his troops encountered u hail of devastating shrapnel, General Stackelfjii-g's counter-attack failed, and after a terrific bombardment General Oku desperately assaulted the line at sunrise on September 3rd, but again failed. He made another attack a few hours later, with ghastly carnage, but again ! L ' ltimatel >' th e Japanese succeeded, but the heroic defence ™ the rearguard enabled the main Kusaian army to cross the Tai-tse practically unopposed:. All the main force had withdrawn frou uao-yang an hour and a half be-' the first Japanese entered it at three in the morning. I