| Show one attack they capture eleven guns am recapture a number of positions rom tha r japanese defeat not as crushing as j first reported st petersburg oct 17 p m despite the feeling of bitter disappointment over the failure of the russian offensive and the complete miscarrying of general Kuro plans the battle continues and his defeat does not appear to be so crushing and disastrous as the tokio telegram led the russian public to show while the tales of death and slaughter have plunged the nation into grief and the exact situation of Kuro army especially the left is not clear but probably must be regarded as critical it is evident that the wild stories of a rout and of the cutting off of a whole corps etc are baseless kuropatkin is still doggedly trying to stem the tide and there is nothing but admiration or the heroic figure of the russian commander personally directing the fight to save his battered legions indeed the latest official dispatches almost revive the hope that he does not consider the battle to be irretrievably lost as he has personally launched attack after attack against the strong japanese position on lone tree hill south of at last carrying it by storm and obtaining some revenge tor the loss of the third artillery brigade bv capturing eleven field pieces and one machine gun but whether this asive of kuropatkin Kuro pathin was forced in order to extricate his flanks Is apt revealed the war office affirming that it ig unable to communicate precise information regarding what is occurring on the eft everything proves that not since the time of the ancients and certainly not within a hundred years haa the world witnessed such desperate fighting the slaughter doubtless Is appalling but the war office contends that alie tokio reports are exaggerated nevertheless a war correspondent telegraphs under yesterdays date that wounded had passed through mukden on their way north not count ing many from the eastern wing who went through from fushun direct to tie pass in spite of the better tone of the official dispatches however the public continues pessimistic notwithstanding the appeals of the newspapers not to despair the ya boldly announcing in ita issue of today that the battle is not yet decided RUSSIANS STILL HOLD RIGHT BANK OF st petersburg oct 17 p m official reports received by the war office this morning say the ewas resumed at daybreak today that thealus detill hold the right bank of tho river that the pressure on the russian left jeaa been relieved and that the contest is continuing on the right where the japanese are still seeking to break through the center evi RUSSIANS CAPTURE POSITION st petersburg oct general telegraphs that the russians yesterday recaptured lonely tree hill south ot and captured eleven japanese guns and one quick firer dently in order to get possession of the railroad and cut off the russian army from mukden unofficial reports say the russians ahad some successes at river yesterday A general kuropatkin again took the offensive JAP ESTIMATES exaggerated while admitting that the russian losses are very heavy but not offering figures the general staff declares tho japanese reports of russian losses are exaggerated while their own are minimized the feeling at the war office today Is slightly brighter as it becomes evident that the japanese have not cut off any of the russians and that kuropatkin is able to stand like a itono stono wall the wings of both sides are believed to be greatly exhausted by their long sustained efforts the main fear is that the unexplained quiet on the russian left may presage some stroke of which kuropatkin hadnot yet been apprised one of the aides of general berger who is to command the second army said to the correspondent this morning PREPARING GROUND FOR SECOND ARMY even if kuropatkin has been badly defeated provided it does not end in a rout and disaster in my opinion his offensive movement should be approved only by hammering away can we ultimately hope to smash the japanese kuropatkin is simply preparing the ground tor us when we arrive with the second army GENERAL engagement IN PROGRESS berlin oct 17 1151 a m coi gaedke the war correspondent of the Tage blatt telegraphs from mukden that when be left the battlefield yesterday at p m a general engagement was in progress which was not yet decisive although not unfavorable tor the russians the battle opened at 7 in the morning twelve miles south of mukden at about 2 p m he heard heavy artillery firing in the mountains eastward where he understood Sta kelberg was attacking the japanese right an immense number of wounded were arriving at mukden on this the eighth day of the fighting the weather was fine col gaedke sent another dis patAi dated saturday which was detained at st petersburg describing the operations on the russian right which ho accompanied he says that after tour days hard fighting with heavy losses the russians had reached a point at the base of the precipitous heights ot tuman pass which was occupied by tho japanese the russians were only about to at yards distant from the japanese positions and intended storming them the morning of the but the order to retreat arrived during the night the russians fought with admirable persistence and skill their artillery was somewhat greater than anat of the japanese in the number ot guns and far superior in effectiveness the infantry and artillery operated cooperated co with great success in retreating from the pass the russian force got away without firing a shot the wounded were carried away on stretchers the incessant artillery firing heard from the russian center and right on the was considerably stronger than tho firing at llao yang the russian losses up to the evening of oct 13 were estimated at RUSSIAN SUCCESSES at the russian front via Mu kdan oct 17 5 45 p m on saturday at midnight the regiment moved out of its position north of to capture the village of fishl pu the russians crep tup quietly and then charged with the bayonet clearing oia the japanese at the south end of the village but at the other end stood a buddhist temple which the japanese had converted into a fortress they dug a deep trench around its stone walls and with wire entanglements entangle ments mak g it impossible to sooim the temple BO the russians brought up artillery under cover of the darkness and tried to breach the walls at a distance of paces but the shells proved ineffective and unfortunately not all the corps were provided with field mortars with which they could have quickly converted the temple into ruins there tore the russians were forced to leave the japanese in possession of the temple and during the whole of yesterday the russians held one half of village and the japanese the other half A pool of water in the village square separated the combatants forming a sort of neutral lake the russian and japanese soldiers occupied neighboring huts and from the shelter of the earthen walls of the chinese court yards they burled abuse and jokes at each other to the accompaniment pani ment of rifle bullets when anyone was rash enough to show his head the village of La on the south side of the river and slightly east of the railroad was also simultaneously occupied by russians and japanese at 3 in the afternoon the russian offensive operations were crowned with success and the russian right moved forward to the village of muchang Wu chang which was carried by a brilliant assault against determined resistance the japanese finally abandoning it with heavy loss at 5 the russians occupied the village of which hs almost parallel with on aba north side of the river and to the westward of where it bends south this concluded the fighting at the river sunday it is expected that night attacks will follow today and tomorrow JAPS MUST EVACUATE owing to the capture of by the russians the japanese will be compelled to finally evacuate alln which la of tho greatest importance to the russians as its possession will enable them to roll up the left and go to the help of the russian center by enfilading the japanese flank the weather today was warm and clear but it grew suddenly cold this evening let the japanese freeze a bit exclaimed tasy russians stamping on the cold ground in the trenches to keep themselves warm the fighting ceased entirely at nightfall as wrapped in darkness and under a black starless isky the russian soldiers brough suppers from ahe field kitchens up tc the trenches while over the japanese positions hovered great flocks of carrion crows RUSSIANS RETAKE mukden oct 16 is agal in the hands of the russians after the last evacuation of the village by the russians the japanese failed in an attempt to occupy reoccupy re it and now he village is held by russian infantry there is every indication that the russian 1 right flank is about to resume tho offensive and occupy reoccupy re the positions held by them on october 10 and alth the japanese resistance is growing weaker and they are apparently preparing to evacuate toward the east and center the japanese are moro stubborn and are showing more resistance some of the positions on the fighting line have already changed hands ten times it is impossible to say how long the contest will continue before one side or the other Is worn out As this dispatch is being finished the sound of increasing cannonading canno from the center indicates that something unusual is happening the correspondent is leaving for the front to ascertain the cause MUKDEN QUIET mukden oct 16 the cannonading canno has ceased temporarily at least mukden Is quiet and the railroad stations and hospitals are alono the scenes of the endless work trains are moving out toward harbin only the whole hospital staff is displaying the greatest courage aad fortitude working night and day many after working seemingly to the limit of human endurance have gone to the front to continue their work under fire replacing those incapacitated on the firing lines every road converging on mukden is crowded with vehicles transporting the wounded who are being sent north by wagon road as well as by rail the result of fight is uncertain successful AND BRILLIANT MOVEMENTS OF RUSSIANS mukden oct 17 p m yesterday the russians were not only successful on their right but carried out acome brilliant movements on the left where they assumed an energetic offensive against the japanese position at southeast of hun pass Is on the high road which runs to joining the mandarin road where the hun river intersects it it is a mile north of hun pass which Is four miles north of and regiments stormed the japanese trench ea at and carried them after desperate resistance capturing ten guns the japanese losses were enormous INTEREST IN washington washington oct 17 the war in the east has enlisted the closest attention of the administration and it is felt the time Is approaching when it will bo in order for the great neutral powers to move toward the restoration of peace president roosevelt has from the first stood ready to use his good offices to stop hostilities on a basis honorable to both belligerents but ho Is es topped from moving by the fact that it has been the unbroken rule of our government to wait until it is assured that both sides to a controversy of this kind are willing that we should act there has so far been no open proposition nor can it be truthfully stated that even an indirect overture has come to washington from st petersburg burg to tokio but it is believed the signs point to an early movement in that direction |
