Firing on the Unarmed--Snowstorms and Bitter Frost--Reconnoitring
at Vladivostock--At the Mouth of the Golden Horn--Careful
Japanese Calculation--Bombardment at Long Range--Russian Ships
Lying Low--Makaroff to the Rescue--A Chance for Russian
Torpedoes--Sea Fight at Close Quarters--Severe
Casualties--Another Hot Fight--Unprecedented Japanese
Daring--Carnage Indescribable--Makaroff Outpaced--A Useless
Prize--Bombardment by Wireless Telegraphy--Port Arthur a
Hell--Golden Hill Silenced--Terrific Missiles--A Vivid
Picture--Blood, Blood Everywhere--Further Naval
Movements--Hoist with its own Petard--Another Attempt to
"Bottle"--Makaroff's Feint--Wary Enemies--Russians Taking
Heart--Individual Heroism.
[Sidenote: Firing on the Unarmed]
We must now return to the naval operations; but before dealing with the
proceedings of Admiral Togo's fleet off Port Arthur, it will be well
perhaps briefly to follow the fortunes of the Russian cruiser squadron
stationed at Vladivostock, of which so much had been expected as an
agency for the destruction of Japanese commerce on the high seas. The
first news received of these cruisers after the outbreak of war did
indeed appear to bear out the hopes which the Russians had entertained
of them in this respect; but after one solitary exploit--the sinking of
a Japanese merchantman--the squadron disappeared from view altogether,
and for several weeks its movements became one of the most remarkable
mysteries of a mysterious situation. It will be remembered that the
vessels composing the squadron were the powerful first-class cruisers,
the _Gromoboi_, the _Bogatyr_, the _Rossia_, and the _Rurik_, and the
whole was under the command of Captain Reitzenstein, formerly the
commander of the _Askold_. Apparently the orders given to the Commodore
were to cruise about the coast of Manchuria and Japan with the object
of picking off stray merchantmen belonging to the enemy, and it was
while he was acting in pursuance of these instructions that Captain
Reitzenstein, on February 11th, fell in with two Japanese steamers--the
_Nakonoura Maru_ and the _Zensko Maru_, off the Tsugaru Straits, which
lie between the islands of Hondo--the Japanese mainland--and Yezo. The
larger of the two, the _Nakonoura Maru_, was an old ship, built in
1865, and of 1,084 tons burden; the smaller, the _Zensko Maru_, of only
319 tons, was quite modern, having been built in 1895. They were bound
in company from Sokata, in the province of Nizan, to Otaru, in Yezo.
The older and slower boat fell an easy prey to the Russian cruisers;
but it would seem that she offered fight, for she was surrounded by the
men-of-war, bombarded, and sunk, her crew being taken on board the
Russian ships. This act called forth a great outburst of indignation in
Japan and also in the United States; for though, of course, a
merchantman can justifiably be captured as a prize of war, it is not
usual to destroy an unarmed ship out of hand. The official telegrams,
however, gave no particulars as to the extent of the resistance
offered, and it must be allowed that if the _Nakonoura Maru_ absolutely
refused to surrender, the Russian men-of-war would have no option but
to fire upon her and let her take the inevitable consequences. The
_Zensko Maru_, more fortunate than her consort, showed the Russians a
clear pair of heels and escaped safely to the shelter of the port of
Fukuyama, in Yezo.
[Sidenote: Snowstorms and Bitter Frost]
This insignificant feat of arms was the sole success in the way of the
destruction of commerce which could be put to the credit of Captain
Reitzenstein's squadron in the early days of the war, and the fates
soon proved unkind to him. The stormy weather which inconvenienced the
Mikado's fleet off Port Arthur raged in the Japan Sea with peculiar
severity, and for three days after the destruction of the _Nakonoura
Maru_ the Russian squadron flew before a heavy gale, aggravated by
snowstorms and bitter frost. An official message from Admiral Alexeieff
reporting these facts was the last authentic news of the Vladivostock
squadron that reached the outside world for many weeks. Rumor upon the
subject was, of course, busy in Russia. Now it was reported that the
activity of Captain Reitzenstein had reduced the over-sea trade of
Japan to a standstill; now it was stated (on the best authority, of
course) that the squadron had escaped, and evading the Mikado's ships
in some marvelous fashion, had joined the Russian fleet at Port Arthur;
still a third and wilder story made out that it was on its way to
Europe to effect a junction with the Baltic fleet, which, it was
declared, was to be dispatched to the Far East in July. The truth
appears to have been that after infinite trouble and hardship Captain
Reitzenstein managed once more to make Vladivostock, and that his
storm-tossed ships took refuge again in the harbor, into which a free
passage was maintained by the efforts of the ice-breakers.
[Sidenote: Reconnoitring at Vladivostock]
The Japanese Commanders, however, were ignorant of the whereabouts of
this dangerous force, and a strong squadron was therefore sent into
Japan Sea to search it out, and, if possible, destroy it altogether.
The fleet dispatched for this purpose consisted of one battleship and
six cruisers, with a torpedo-destroyer flotilla. The cruisers, it
should be observed, included the newly-acquired _Nisshin_ and _Kasaga_,
which had just been fitted up for war. Rear-Admiral Kamimura, Admiral
Togo's second in command at Port Arthur, had direction of the
operations, no word of which was allowed at the time to leak out
through the ordinary channels. A careful patrol was made of the whole
of the coast, both of Manchuria and Japan, several days of this close
search finally bringing the Japanese squadron to the very mouth of
Vladivostock Harbor itself. Considerable excitement was caused in
Russia's northern stronghold when, at 8.50 on the morning of March 6th,
without any previous warning of the approaching danger, the garrison
perceived the hulls of seven great vessels loom upon the horizon to the
south of Askold Island. The presence of the enemy so far north was
wholly unexpected, and for some time the real character of the
advancing squadron was in doubt. But within an hour all speculation was
set at rest and the approaching vessels were seen to be flying the
Japanese flag. The great size and imposing aspect of the new cruisers
led the Russians to take them for battleships, whence they derived the
mistaken idea that Admiral Togo was present himself with his main
fleet. As a matter of fact, of course, the Japanese Commander-in-Chief,
with scarcely diminished forces, was still watching Port Arthur as a
cat watches a mouse, and the circumstance that he could without
difficulty spare so powerful a squadron for operations in a far distant
quarter of the theatre of war was at once a striking demonstration of
Japan's naval strength and of the straits to which the Czar's fleet had
been reduced.
[Sidenote: At the Mouth of the Golden Horn]
By noon Admiral Kamimura's ships were half-way between the coast and
Askold Island, making straight for Ussuri Bay, which lies to the
southeast of Vladivostock. At the southern end of the peninsula on
which the town and fortress of Vladivostock stand, and divided from it
by a broad channel called the Bosphorus Strait, there is situated the
Island of Kazakavitch. The Bosphorus Strait lies in a northwesterly
direction, and on the north side of it are two spacious inlets,
Patroclus Bay and Sobol Bay. Beyond these again lies the mouth of the
Golden Horn, the Harbor of Vladivostock.
[Sidenote: Careful Japanese Calculation]
The Japanese squadron steamed right on into the Bosphorus Strait, and
when opposite Patroclus Bay it assumed order of battle. Admiral
Alexeieff, in his official dispatch to the Czar, declared that it took
up a position 5-1/2 miles from the shore and out of range of the
batteries; but the truth seems to be that, with the skill which so far
has characterized all the Japanese naval operations, Admiral Kamimura
manoeuvred to secure a station, which, while it was sufficiently
within range to enable him to do execution to his foe, was, on the
other hand, outside any possible line of fire from the fortress guns,
with their necessarily limited arc of training. These dispositions for
attack argued not only careful calculation beforehand, but considerable
knowledge of the construction of the Russian forts and of the position
occupied by their ordnance.
[Sidenote: Bombardment at Long Range]
At half-past one the Japanese ships opened fire with their big guns.
Forts Suvaroff and Linievitch and the town along the valley of the
River Obyasseniye were the main objects of the cannonade, and over
these the great shells continued to burst for close upon an hour, while
the guns of the defenders were reduced to inactivity and impotence by
the baffling tactics of the Japanese Admiral. It is true that the
bombardment was rather in the nature of a reconnaissance than a serious
engagement, its aim being to induce the mysterious cruisers which were
suspected of being within the harbor to issue forth and give battle;
but it was an uncomfortable reminder to the Russians of the
vulnerability of their powerful fortress from the sea and of the
comparative immunity which a resourceful enemy might enjoy while making
a dangerous attack. The only account which has been received of the
damage done comes from Russian sources. It does not appear to have been
serious. A house in the town was knocked to pieces by a 12-inch shell,
and an unfortunate woman, who was inside at the time, was killed;
another shell burst in the courtyard of the Siberian Fleet Company,
slightly wounding five sailors; but this was set down as the limit to
the depredation committed by the Japanese gunners. On the other hand,
the Russians consoled themselves for the ineffectiveness of their own
artillery by calculating that the bombardment, by its expenditure of
200 shells, cost their enemy at least $100,000, a somewhat minute and
peddling method of reckoning up the balance of losses and gains in a
great war. It should be added that the Czar did not fail to send the
garrison a rather magniloquent telegram of congratulation, in which he
spoke of their bravery under their baptism of fire.
[Illustration: RAID BY THE VLADIVOSTOCK FLEET.]
[Sidenote: Russian Ships Lying Low]
The demonstration failed to disclose the whereabouts of the missing
cruiser squadron, and a similar result attended the scouting operations
of the Japanese torpedo destroyers which were engaged during the
bombardment in searching Askold Island and the coast along the Ussuri
Gulf. It seemed undoubted, however, in the light of subsequent events,
that the Czar's ships were within the harbor at Vladivostock all the
time, and that they felt unable to cope successfully with the powerful
fleet which was so eagerly seeking their destruction. Admiral Kamimura,
who retired southwards after the bombardment, returned on the following
day to the same position, and attempted once more to lure the hidden
cruisers into the open; but his blandishments were without avail. He
then conducted a thorough search of Amur Bay, which lies on the west
side of the peninsula, and finding no traces of the enemy, departed
finally southwards, leaving Vladivostock, for the time, in peace.
[Sidenote: Makaroff to the Rescue]
The interest now shifted once more to Port Arthur, where exciting
events were on the eve of occurring. Admiral Makaroff, the
newly-appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, arrived at
Port Arthur on the 8th of March. This gallant Admiral's reputation
stands almost as high with the navy as does General Kuropatkin's with
the army. He has gained the confidence of the men who have served under
him to an exceptional degree, and the immediate result of his presence
at the seat of war was the infusion of a new spirit into the fleet and
into the defending force generally. With immense vigor he proceeded to
hurry on the repairs of the damaged warships and to prepare for active
operations as the best means of restoring the somewhat shaken _morale_
of the force under his command. The effect of this bolder and more
enterprising policy soon became evident in the movements of the torpedo
flotilla, which, under the feeble régime of Admiral Starck, had proved
such a futile branch of the service. An opportunity for the trial of
the new tactics came almost immediately, for within twenty-four hours
after the hoisting of Admiral Makaroff's flag on the _Askold_, a
renewed challenge came from the unresting enemy. It was destined to
lead to one of the fiercest and most sanguinary combats yet experienced
in the course of the war, a combat of such a close and hand-to-hand
character as to recall the desperate struggles of earlier days, when
the rival ships were grappled together and the final arbiters of
victory were the cutlass and the boarding-pike.
[Sidenote: A Chance for Russian Torpedoes]
At midnight on the 9th two divisions of the Japanese destroyer flotilla
crept up once more towards the mouth of the entrance channel. The first
division, consisting of three vessels, the _Asashio_, the _Kasumi_, and
the _Akatsuki_, and under the command of Captain Asai, posted itself
outside the entrance to guard against the approach of the Russian
flotilla; while the second division occupied itself in laying a number
of mines of a new pattern in various spots carefully selected
beforehand for the purpose. These operations were carried out with
entire coolness and success, in spite of the flashing searchlights and
the fire from the forts--fire, however, which, according to Admiral
Togo's official report, was desultory and ineffective. The fact was
that on this occasion the Russians were determined to rely upon another
weapon than garrison ordnance. Admiral Makaroff decided to give his
torpedo destroyers the chance for which they must have longed under the
nerveless leadership of Starck, and to send them forth to deliver a
counter-attack upon the audacious foe.
[Sidenote: Sea Fight at Close Quarters]
A flotilla of six of these vessels, under the command of Captain
Matoussevitch, accordingly issued from the harbor and went in quest of
the Japanese. About 4.30 in the morning they fell in with Captain
Asai's Division to the southwest of the Liau-tie-shan Peninsula. Though
his foes outnumbered him by two to one, the Japanese commander did not
hesitate for an instant, but, confident in the skill and courage of his
men, he ordered an immediate attack, and the _Asashio_, the _Kasumi_,
and the _Akatsuki_ flew upon the enemy. A fierce struggle now ensued.
The Japanese were heavily outnumbered, it is true, but their vessels
were stronger individually than those of the Russians, and whereas the
latter were armed only with 3-pounders, the former carried 6-pounders.
Moreover, both officers and men had "found themselves" in previous
conflicts, and were flushed with a consciousness of power and the
memory of past victories. Their shooting, too was superior to that of
their opponents, and speedily made its impression. On the other hand,
the Russians, set free at last from the paralyzing influences which had
so long cramped their energies, leapt to the contest with a glad
eagerness, and fought with desperate gallantry. The combatants drew
closer and closer to one another till they were within a few yards'
distance, and the execution done by the quick-firing guns was terrible.
So near did one of the Russian destroyers approach that some
bluejackets standing on its deck were able to throw by hand a charge of
explosive onto the bridge of a Japanese boat. Fortunately for the
latter, it failed to explode, and the Japanese poured in a withering
fire in revenge. Two of the Russian vessels were so severely mauled
during the early part of the fight that they were compelled to sheer
off and retreat to Port Arthur. The others kept up the conflict much
longer, though they were hopelessly outclassed. But a perfect rain of
shell and small shot fell upon the devoted Muscovites; their engines
were rapidly becoming disabled; some of them were on fire; and at last
it became manifest that if they were to be saved at all they must
retire. Retreat, therefore, they did, fighting hotly all the way, with
the enemy hanging upon their flanks like hounds upon their quarry. At
length they came within the protection of the forts, and the heavy fire
which was directed upon the Japanese from that quarter compelled them
sullenly to give up their hold and in their turn retire.
[Sidenote: Severe Casualties]
The losses suffered by the Russian destroyers, in this hand-to-hand
conflict, which lasted for about forty minutes, were not made public
officially, but they must have been considerable, if we may judge from
the damage incurred by their victorious assailants. Seven of the
Japanese were killed and eight were wounded, some of them severely.
Prominent among these was Engineer Minamisawa, of the _Kasumi_, who
peculiarly distinguished himself, and who received injuries which were
reported as likely to prove mortal. This gallant officer had already
covered himself with glory in the first torpedo attack upon Port
Arthur, and in the heroic but fruitless attempt to block the harbor
entrance on the 23rd of February. The damage done to the Japanese
destroyers themselves was serious enough, but not such as to unfit them
for service in a few days. The _Akatsuki_ received a shell in her
stokehold, which burst a pipe and filled the compartment with scalding
steam--an accident which alone accounted for four of the lives which
were lost. All three destroyers had their hulls and upper works knocked
about by the Russian shells, but the injuries were above the
water-line, and were made good with little difficulty.
[Sidenote: Another Hot Fight]
An even hotter and, for the Russians, more disastrous conflict took
place a few hours later. As the second division of the Japanese
flotilla, under Captain Tsuehiya, was leaving the roadstead at 7 A.
M., having concluded its work of laying submarine mines, it
encountered two other Russian destroyers which had been further out
to sea to reconnoitre, and were now returning to Port Arthur. The
Japanese at once threw themselves across the course of the newcomers
to intercept them. The Russians, though on this occasion the
outnumbered party, were nothing loth to face the danger which
confronted them, and advanced to meet it with unquenchable ardor. An
engagement of an even more terrible character than that held three
hours previously now took place, and lasted for upwards of fifty-five
minutes. The Russians fought with the courage of despair, and
succeeded in putting one of their formidable opponents out of action
for the time, though the damage done was not ultimately irreparable.
This feat was performed by the _Stereguschtshi_, commanded by Captain
Sergueieff, which was more heavily armed than her companion, and
carried a 12-pounder in addition to her ordinary 3-pounders. A shell
from this weapon struck the Japanese destroyer on the water-line and
flooded two of her water-tight compartments. The supply of
quick-firing ammunition was wetted and rendered useless, so that the
vessel was unable to take any further active share in the conflict.
Nor was this the only injury she sustained. Another shell burst upon
her bridge, shivering it to fragments. One man was killed; but a
lieutenant, a sub-lieutenant, and a signaller, who were on the bridge
at the time, in some miraculous manner escaped. The terrible missile
also carried away the binnacle and the engine-room telegraph
instruments, and sent the davits flying.
[Sidenote: Unprecedented Japanese Daring]
It was clear that the 12-pounder of the _Stereguschtshi_ was too
dangerous a weapon to be neglected, and, therefore, the other Japanese
destroyers concentrated their fire upon it, with the result that in a
short time it was completely dismantled and put out of action. In these
operations the _Sazanami_ played the most conspicuous part. She drew up
so close upon the _Stereguschtshi's_ quarter that one of her
bluejackets with extraordinary daring actually leaped on board the
Russian vessel, cutlass in hand. Just as he landed on the deck Captain
Sergueieff emerged from his cabin. The impetuous Jap rushed at him like
a tiger, and, beating down his guard, struck him a fearful blow on the
head with his cutlass, felling him to the deck. The Russian attempted
to rise, but before he could do so his terrible opponent kicked him
overboard and he sank beneath the waves.
[Sidenote: Carnage Indescribable]
Undismayed by the death of their captain, the crew of the
_Stereguschtshi_ still fought on with desperate gallantry against the
raking fire of the _Sazanami_. The lieutenant took over the command,
but immediately afterwards a shell carried away both his legs, and he
fell dead at his post. To him succeeded the sub-lieutenant, who
endeavored bravely but in vain to bring the little vessel, wounded
almost to the death as it was, into the shelter of the forts. He almost
succeeded in his heroic attempt, but the implacable foe was not to be
shaken off. The man at the wheel fell mortally wounded, and as the
young lieutenant stepped forward to take it from his dying grasp he
became himself the target of the terrible fusillade and dropped dead
among his fallen brothers. Now at last, with hardly a man out of her
crew of fifty-five still living, the _Stereguschtshi_ lay a helpless
log upon the waters, awaiting the long-deferred capture, but the fire
from the forts rendered the task of taking her in tow an extremely
dangerous one. Nevertheless, a Japanese lieutenant and a party of
bluejackets from the _Sazanami_ boarded her with a rope and made her
fast. The deck of the Russian destroyer presented a horrible spectacle.
Everywhere lay the corpses of her gallant crew, in some cases terribly
mutilated by shell. Even in the few hurried moments at his disposal the
Japanese lieutenant was able to count thirty bodies; the appearance of
the stokehold defied description. Two stokers jumped overboard, and
were picked up by the Japanese. The only other survivors were two
sailors, who, directly the enemy boarded the vessel, rushed out of the
conning tower, and, taking refuge in the after cabin, locked themselves
in and refused absolutely to surrender.
[Sidenote: Makaroff Outpaced]
Now began the slow and laborious work of towing the captured boat out
of range of the shore batteries, whose attentions were becoming
embarrassing and dangerous. Moreover, a new peril threatened the
Japanese. Admiral Makaroff, perceiving the plight of the
_Stereguschtshi_, had hoisted his flag on the _Novik_, and sallied
forth with that cruiser and the _Bayan_, to the rescue. The other
destroyer, it should be mentioned, thanks to the diversion caused by
the heroic stand made by her consort, had in the meantime managed to
reach the harbor. Things began to look black for the _Sazanami_, as the
Russian cruisers were rapidly approaching; but Admiral Togo was not to
be caught napping, and his own cruiser squadron was not far away.
Several of his ships advanced to the assistance of the plucky little
destroyer, and finding himself outnumbered and outpaced, Makaroff
reluctantly abandoned his attempt and steamed back to the protection of
the forts.
[Sidenote: A Useless Prize]
The _Sazanami_, however, was not destined to save her prize. The sea
was rough, and the Russian destroyer, riddled with holes, steadily
began to fill with water. After two hours' towing it became apparent
that her condition was desperate, and the Japanese were compelled to
cut the rope. A few moments afterwards the hapless prize gave one last
lurch and sank beneath the waves with her tragic freight of dead. It
was impossible to reach the two men in the cabin, and they perished
with their ship.
[Sidenote: Bombardment by Wireless Telegraphy]
Thus ended one of the hottest conflicts yet experienced in the course
of the naval fighting around Port Arthur. But this sanguinary affair
was only the prelude to more important operations. Admiral Togo had
made his arrangement for a bombardment of the town and fortress of the
heaviest description, arrangements which, like the manoeuvres of
Admiral Kamimura at Vladivostock, were conceived in the spirit of the
most scientific warfare. As long as the Russian fleet remained
undestroyed he was under an imperative necessity to risk his ships as
little as possible against the great guns of the Port Arthur batteries,
but to conduct a successful bombardment without coming within the range
of their fire presented obvious difficulties. An indirect cannonade
from Pigeon Bay, on the southwest side of the Liau-tie-shan Peninsula,
would indeed deprive the enemy of any opportunity of replying with
effect, but on the other hand in ordinary circumstances the gunners of
the attacking fleet would also have to aim very much at random, without
being able to judge the results of their shooting. Nevertheless this
difficulty was cleverly obviated by the Japanese Admiral. While
stationing his battleships in Pigeon Bay he dispatched his cruiser
squadron to take a position on the east side of Port Arthur Bay, at
right angles to the line of fire, to observe the effects of the
bombardment, and to communicate suggestions by wireless telegraphy
during its progress. The post of the cruisers in turn was adroitly
selected so that while they could see what was going on, they were
outside the angle of fire of the forts.
[Illustration: THE TOKIO MILITARY HOSPITAL--OFFICERS QUARTERS.]
[Sidenote: Port Arthur a Hell]
These careful dispositions were completed by ten o'clock on the morning
of the 10th, and at that hour once more "the red fire and smouldering
clouds out brake." For close upon five hours a storm of shells was
poured upon the devoted fortress. The defending guns attempted to
return the fire, but their efforts were intermittent and ineffective.
On the other hand, the great projectiles from the 12-inch guns of the
Japanese battleships wrought immense havoc both in the forts and in the
town. A shell burst close to the house of a lawyer named Sidorski, and
wrecked the building; M. Sidorski himself was killed on the spot. The
wife of Colonel Baron Frank, who was in the house at the time,
sustained terrible injuries, and her daughter's head was blown off. A
young lady named Waleritsch was so seriously wounded by another shell
that she died soon after her removal to the hospital. An English
advocate, a Mr. Newton, was blown to pieces. The house of General
Volkoff was completely destroyed, and two sentries only just escaped
death. A train which was entering the town from the North was struck by
a 12-inch shell; the engine was shattered into a thousand fragments and
the driver was killed. And now to add to the horrors of the situation,
fires began to break out in various quarters of the town, and the
panic-stricken inhabitants fled to the race course, where, behind the
shelter of the hills, they were able to find some respite from the
terrible tornado which had burst upon them.
[Sidenote: Golden Hill Silenced]
While all this devastation was being hurled upon the town, the forts
themselves were passing through a hot time. The Japanese, assisted by
the skilful manoeuvre before described, had found the range for their
high angle fire perfectly, whereas the batteries of the defending force
could do little or nothing in return. The official accounts issued from
the Russian side, while admitting the severity when the bombardment
visited the town, said little about the damage to the fortifications or
the losses sustained by the garrison; but the reports received from
other and independent sources, while varying a good deal in details,
agreed in representing the total result as being of the most serious
character. It is said that twenty soldiers were killed and that many
more were wounded. The Governor of Port Arthur himself, General
Stoessel, who was on the batteries during the hottest of the fire, had
a narrow escape. A shell burst near to the spot on which he was
standing with his staff, and bespattered the whole party with splinters
and sand. The forts on Golden Hill suffered severely, and two guns were
put out of action. Nor did the ships in the harbor come off scatheless.
Heavy casualties among their crews were reported, and it was stated
that the unfortunate _Retvisan_, which had already borne so much,
received still further damage.
The Port Arthur journal, the _Novi Krai_, gave a terrible picture of
the scenes on the cruiser _Bayan_.
"The bursting shells," said the writer, "bowled over man after man
until the decks were slippery with blood. Amidst this hell the captain
stood unmoved in the conning tower calmly telephoning his orders to the
captains of the guns. His wonderful coolness had a remarkable influence
on all the officers. The cockpit was soon crowded with wounded,
thirty-nine men being brought down before the fight ended.
"Amid the crash of the guns, the hiss of the flying projectiles, and
the thunder of their explosions, the smashing of splinters, and the din
of the working engines, the surgeons labored quietly among the wounded
on the hospital operating table. Although some of the men suffered
frightful agony, few groans were heard, in spite of the fact that
anæsthetics were only administered in one case."
[Illustration: SKETCH PLAN OF PORT ARTHUR'S MAIN FORTIFICATIONS.]
[Sidenote: Terrific Missiles]
For hours that to the heart-shaken inhabitants must have appeared
interminable, the great shells, each of the enormous weight of 850
lbs., continued to hurtle through the air and to burst over the
harassed stronghold. The sensations of a garrison in such circumstances
are well described in a letter which a wounded Russian officer wrote
from the hospital in Port Arthur to a friend in Russia. He is
recounting his experiences of the first bombardment, but the account is
so vivid and would apply so well to the more trying ordeal of the 10th
of March that it will bear reproduction here.
[Sidenote: A Vivid Picture]
"The sea," he says, "is quite white from the falling shells, and it is
impossible to hear the words of command. I cry out until my voice
becomes hoarse, but cannot make myself heard above the din. There are
more than 150 cannon belching forth smoke, shell and death. There is a
wild, choking sound from the machine guns. Amid the smoke, steam and
dust I hear a groan, it is that of a soldier whose nose has been torn
away by the fragment of a shell. He is surrounded by stretcher bearers.
Someone lays his hand on my shoulder, and I turn and see at my side a
soldier, pale, and his lips trembling. He wishes to speak, but his
tongue refuses to obey. He points with his finger, and I understand
what has occurred.
[Illustration: FUNERAL PROCESSION OF A JAPANESE OFFICER IN YOKOHAMA.]
[Sidenote: Blood--Blood Everywhere]
"There beneath the cliff I hear a little battery of rapid firing guns,
very small and elegant. There are 12,000 bullets speeding on their
errand in sixty seconds. They are destined to defend our shores against
the landing of an enemy. The orgy is at its height. The shells are
bursting around us like fireworks at a feast. A whistle, a hiss, and a
sharp ringing noise, as they rush through the air, then smoke and a
smell of burning, while the sand dances from the earth. I turn from the
battery and see a terrible picture. In the midst of the men a shell
bursts. One soldier is disemboweled, and another is wounded in the
head, a third is shrieking in the height of his delirium. One steel
cannon is broken to pieces as though it were straw. An awful picture,
with blood--blood everywhere."
[Sidenote: Further Naval Movements]
At last, at two o'clock, the inferno ceased. A great calm succeeded to
the thunder of the guns and the screams of the shells, and the
civilians of Port Arthur slowly and timidly returned to their ruined
homes. The separate divisions of the Japanese fleet rejoined one
another, and after the most destructive bombardment yet inflicted upon
the land defences of the Russian stronghold, they quietly steamed away
southwards. While these events were taking place at Port Arthur a
detached squadron of the Mikado's cruisers had proceeded northeast to
Dalny, or Talienwan, as it used to be called, and destroyed the
quarantine buildings erected by the Russians on the Sanshan Islands.
Outside that port the _Takasago_ and the _Chihaya_ scouted the western
coast of the entrance to Port Arthur in the hope that the bombardment
would draw Admiral Makaroff's ships into the open; but no enemy could
be found and the two cruisers then retired in the wake of the main
squadron.
[Sidenote: Hoist With its Own Petard]
It was not long before a Russian vessel fell a victim to the mines laid
by the Japanese destroyers at the harbor entrance on the night of March
9th. On the 16th the _Skori_, a torpedo-boat destroyer of the newest
pattern, was entering the channel when she struck upon a contact mine
and was blown up. Out of her crew of fifty-five men, only four were
reported to have been saved.
[Sidenote: Another Attempt to Bottle]
After an interval of twelve days Admiral Togo made a renewed attack
upon Port Arthur, the fifth in number since the outbreak of
hostilities. It was not so serious an assault as the last, its real
object being to tempt the Russian fleet away from the protection of the
shore batteries and to give battle at sea. In this design it was
unsuccessful, but incidently it was useful, as revealing the strength
of the squadron Admiral Makaroff had at his disposal after the repairs
which had been effected upon the damaged ships. At midnight on the 21st
two Japanese destroyers were discovered by the searchlights approaching
the outer roadstead. The guns of the batteries at once gave tongue, and
a violent fire was directed against the daring craft, not only from the
fortress but from the gunboats _Bobe_ and _Otvagni_; which, according
to Admiral Alexeieff's report to the Czar, compelled them to retire. A
second flotilla crept up at 4 o'clock in the morning, and this too, it
was claimed by the Viceroy, was repulsed. A different complexion,
however, was put upon the operation by Admiral Togo's dispatch to his
Government. The destroyers retired indeed, but seemingly not in
consequence of the Russian fire, which left them unharmed, but as part
of a preconceived plan to lure forth Admiral Makaroff's fleet. The
Japanese Commander-in-Chief's words were: "The combined fleet acted
according to program. Two flotillas of our destroyers were outside Port
Arthur, as instructed, from the night of the 21st till the morning of
the 22nd. Although during this time they were under the enemy's fire
they did not sustain any damage." It is clear from this that the aim of
the Russian gunners leaves much to be desired, for the attacking
flotilla were able to cruise about in the roadsteads without being
touched.
[Sidenote: Makaroff's Feint]
At eight o'clock on the morning of the 22nd the main fleet arrived off
Port Arthur. The same tactics as were employed on the 10th were adopted
on this occasion, but with some modification. Only two battleships, the
_Fuji_ and the _Yashima_, were sent to Pigeon Bay to undertake an
indirect bombardment of the town; while the Admiral, with his main
squadron, took up a position more convenient for an attack upon the
Russian fleet should it put out to sea. The cannonade lasted again for
several hours, but his main purpose, that of drawing Admiral Makaroff
into the open, was not successful. At one period, indeed, the hopes of
the Japanese ran high. The Russian fleet was seen to issue from the
harbor as if ready for battle, with the cruiser _Askold_, flying the
flag of the Commander-in-Chief, at their head. It was now observed that
the available naval force of the Czar at Port Arthur consisted of five
battleships and four cruisers, as well as destroyers, gunboats, and
torpedo-boats. The battleships of course included the _Pobieda_, 12,674
tons, and the _Sevastopol_, 10,950 tons, which were undergoing repairs
when the first battle took place. None of the five, it will be
remembered, was equal to the Japanese battleships, either in size or in
armament, and the cruiser strength was still more disproportionate.
Nevertheless, they made a gallant show, and for a time it seemed as if
they were prepared to come to close quarters on blue water. Admiral
Makaroff, however, bold and enterprising as he is, did not feel in a
position to take such a strong step, and, to the disappointment of the
Japanese, he kept his ships well within the zone of protection afforded
by the shore batteries, while he joined them in returning the fire of
the enemy.
[Sidenote: Wary Enemies]
The objects of the two Admirals were indeed identical. Each sought to
bring about a battle on his own terms, and each was too wary to be
persuaded. The Russian attempted to lure his enemy within the range of
the forts; the Japanese endeavored to draw the Russian away from the
range of the forts; and neither was successful in his blandishments.
Finally, Admiral Togo gave the order to cease firing, and his fleet
retired southwards once more. The Russians claimed to have struck one
of their opponent's battleships; but Admiral Togo in his report
distinctly stated that his ships suffered no damage, though a good many
shells fell near the _Fuji_ in the course of the indirect bombardment.
[Sidenote: Russians Taking Heart]
Although Admiral Makaroff did not venture out to sea with his smaller
squadron when the Japanese fleet was absolutely upon the spot, this did
not prevent him from engaging in active operations of a much more
daring character than any his predecessor had dreamt of. On the 26th,
for example, he took out the whole of the ships under his command for a
reconnaissance to the Hwang-Ching-Tau Islands, a group situated about
thirty miles to the southwest of Port Arthur, a proceeding that must
have heartened both officers and men considerably. No trace of the
enemy's warships was discovered, but while the fleet was making its way
back to Port Arthur, the _Novik_ fell in with a small merchant steamer,
the _Hanien Maru_, on board of which were a number of Japanese
newspaper correspondents. The crew were transferred to the warship and
the steamer was taken in tow and subsequently sunk. The whole Russian
squadron returned safely to Port Arthur after this excursion without
once coming in sight of the enemy.
[Illustration: A SKIRMISH BETWEEN JAPANESE AND RUSSIAN CAVALRY.]
[Sidenote: Individual Heroism]
But in the meantime the Japanese were busy with fresh plans. Unable to
draw Admiral Makaroff away from the protection of the forts when the
whole Japanese fleet was lying in wait, Admiral Togo determined to use
another card in this game of skill. The project of corking up the
bottle at Port Arthur, though a failure on the first attempt, had not
by any means been abandoned, and on the very night of Admiral
Makaroff's cruise to the Hwang-Ching-Tau Islands, a fresh effort was
made to block the harbor entrance. It resulted in operations which,
although again only partially successful, were most brilliantly
executed, and were marked not only by consummate skill, but by acts of
individual heroism and self-sacrifice of the most inspiring kind. Nor
was the gallantry confined to one side alone. The Russians were not
slow to accept the opportunities for glory vouchsafed to them by the
daring of their foe, and one of the features of the conflict was the
attack by a solitary torpedo-boat upon six of the Japanese flotilla.