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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1904)
VOL. II.. "NO, 304. PORTLAND, OREGON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 2t. .1904. PRICE FI VE CENTS. GRAVE ARE THE FEARS Fresh Reports at London Cause Government to Watch JFrpce. CHINESE JOIN FORCES The Fact No Longer Disguised That China Will Assist in Preserving ' r Her Own Integrity and WiH ' Fight to the finish. 4 (Journal Special 8ervice. 4 London, Feb. 27. The advice received yesterday concerning (Thlnn'a titttmaA (n4ntlrt A Awh the Russians as allies of the Jap- anese, are augmented In serious- ness today by a dispatch re- oelved here this afternoon from e Tied Tsln which states that 20,- 000 welLeaulpped Chinese trooos are preparing tdfc Join the Jap- anese detachments which were landed late yesterday on the Llao Talng peninsula. It is also stated here that the Chinese of communication with the Jap anese outposts north of the Yalu r)ver and that In skirmish fight ing which Is tin progress, the former are acting as guerrillas and are a terror to the poorly ac coutred Russian soldiers. " Officials of the foreign offioe here are open In expression of the gravity of the situation; and while no expression., will be given of the believed attitude of France, there la positive , evl- dence that the republia across the channel la being watched la every move. , V ' Eleven additional men of the secret -service were despatched - to Paris this morning. This fact .. leaked out and la causing ' great comment as it practically announces that Great Britain Is guarding against any surprise. ' (Journal Special ferric.) London, Feb. 27. The landing of Jap anese troops at various places on the Llao Talng peninsula - la reported to have successfully taken place yesterday end last night followed by the retreat of the Russian advance guard In their line In the rear of the strategic terri tory. The Russian announcement that her troopB are going to .the front rapid ly Is partly confirmed. 1 A St. Petersburg dispatch from re liable sources saya that an army of 126.000 men is already in the far east and that It Is the Russians' object to concentrate an immense force before striking a blow. . , " i It is not understood what the ciar intends to do to offset the Japanese ad vance on Vladivostok and Port Arthur. An authoritative statement from St. Petersburg today says: VRussia is not greatly alarmed over the situation at the latter place and that in the face of Japanese reports of their successes the latter have been driven away from the harbor with repeated losses. Russia says she can hold Port Arthur, from both land and sea until her., army Is ready to advance to the relief of that point, also that Japan has been circu lating reports of victories to influence Kuropean powers to Impair Russia's credit. . - Japan's, ostensible raising of Jthe cen sorship applies to direct cables only. No news can be brought from the front over , land lines or from places where active military and naval preparations are on..'; . ' Reports posted at the Russian war office are read with suspicion by the Russian people, as they were the second time deceived In glowing accounts of a Japanese defeat at last Tuesday's Port Arthur engagement, when In fact there was not a sign of a Russian victory. t f , v . 1 a - . - f t 4 m - " """" ns - U' , . . nfM "':"1 "K, V . - v ,x, - I ' , f 0 1 , - " t , " - j - , f - - a ff nil CM . J , . - i it w X ',.M, 9- r 9 A A c s4 sfc- jBnvf-sft, " I I i I li J1" - l-BsSiK-ri. " ; t, . .' . .. .. . . ' i'.isi-h' " J. .. ii.Ti r in'""- immmJto J(mH?lto' tft 1 W . OKEffl f ACTIVE Unusual Preparations for Defense Being Made at San Francisco. HARBOR FULL OF MINES Seriousness of Far East Situation Causes Government to Exercise Every Means for Better Protection, THE ICE-FILLED HARBOR OF PORT ARTHUR. SHOWING EXACT PLACE WHERE SHOTS FROM THE JAPANESE WARSHIPS CRIPPLED THE RUSSIAN VESSELS. ' ' This photograph' was takert'from a merchant vessel in the harbor just before the war cloud settled In the asst. The warships of the Russian Port Arthur fleet are seen steaming in, breaking channel through the'already fast-forming Ice. In the picture are -aome of the ships that two weeks ago were surprised by the sudden appearance of Rear-Admiral JUriu's fighting fleet, and after m ona-aided engagement, driven, defeated, on tne beaon. (uopyrigntea iw By w. rt. nearst. . yf- Loss:$800,000, insurance Only $6,000--Governor Fights Fire. (Journil 8pHl Srrlc.) Madiaon. Wls.M Feb. 27. Fire started at S o'clock , this morning from crossed electrlo : wires and completely gutted Wisconsin's beautiful capitol building. The : loss was $800,000. The Insurance was only. 1 6, 000. The fire was not dis covered until it was under great head way. Thf local firemen were unable to cope with the fire and appealed to Mil waukee department, but the aid came too late. The loss Involves the building of a new capitol. A special session -of the legislature ' will be called and probably renew the agitation to remove the capi tal from Madison to' Milwaukee. The east and west wings are entirely ruined. The building cost tl, 000,000. , . - Governor Laf ollette personally di rected the fight against the flames. ' Stu dents and citizens assisted In removing the records and law books.' The vaults are believed to be intact. .. . There was only $8,000 on, hand.. Fire Chief Bernard waa seriously Injured by falling bricks. , , ' ; . ... . . t ENGLAND DOES NOT SLEEP THREATENS "Hong Kong, Feb. 27. I have returned here from Toklo after three weeks' hard effort to secure a. forecast of the plana of the Japanese government in the even-of war, with Russia. . All over the Island there was a feeling that war could not be averted, and a general in clination to doubt the honeyed worda of Russia la her alleged try for the main tenance of peace. Japan I like the mechanical creation of "The Coming Race," ready to feel the rill of the master hand and act with -. deliberation and almost inconceivable surety. Every where that the government is interested, at dock yards, military headquarters, and' in business centers, the same care ful, non-communicative spirit Is extant, and if Japan strikes it will be with as tonishing suddenness and with the self satisfaction in the . knowledge that v her preliminary plans have hot been handed to the Russian war board. The most Interesting of all things that have happened In the pending struggle Is the activity .of England in the far east - Hong Kong, being the stronghold of the. British in the Orient, is of necessity the center of naval and military preparation. On both sides of the harbor the troops and engineers are busy and all day the sound .of military commands to men drilling hai'd and fast behind batteries, drift across the waters. There Is no doubt that England la preparing to protect ' India, should she become involved in the controversy between Japan and Russia. The govern ment has quietly ordered a number of vessels in the Indian' service to ply be tween the ports where they, can be reached at short notice. Many of these vessels are naval reserve, craft and can be fitted aa auxiliary cruisers in a brief time. The navy, too, is- on . the go. There Is no concentration of, the Asiatic By Alfred Barkan, Special Correspond ent of the Xearst Papers on Duty 'at Bong Zong, China. . t fleet, but 'the ahlps are kept on . the move and report frequently to head quarters. It would not take long to bring the great bulk of Great Britain's sea' power together. Hong Kong Is well protected. Small lines of railroad have been constructed leading, to and from the batteries to Arsenals. A great quantity of ammuni tion of modern kind has been accumu lated and. a battery of the most de structive of. latter-day guns commands the naval station from Queen's road to the extreme limits of the yard. . At Kowloon, where the torpedo-boats are lying in long, queer-looking., rows of steel, there Is employed an army .of men who are working night and. day to place the fleet of needle-like vessels in the finest of 'fighting condition. That all warships may coal from a pier in stead of from junks the government has let a contract for a concrete coaling OUR WAR MAP The unusually fine map In colors which The Journal prints on its twelfth page today should be preserved by. all readers. It fully meets every requirement and Is strictly accurate. - dock that Is to cost $500,000, work to be completed by winter of this year. An Immense force of workmen is employed, and aU possible haste is being made to finish the Important undertaking. , Japan has showed a -spirit of resent ment at what is termed the laxity of Turkey in' allowing war material to pass through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus. It Is claimed that the vessels of Rus sia's volunteer fleet have been transport ing arms and ammunition, - besides a number of recruits to the far east, and Turkey has shown no disposition to stop them. . The Japanese secret : service states that it has found out .that two vessels of the volunteer, fleet ; which left Odessa some weeks ago carried nearly 100 quick-firing: guns for1' the Russian Pa cific squadron. Seasoned troops that have been 'sent from the Black sea are listed ss passengers, dV -men fo regi ments that have been weakened My dis ease or', time-expired enlistments. -1 think it will be known that Russia has more soldiers in Manchuria and along the Yalu river than the rest of the world suspects. A party of 80 Japanese have arrived at Nagasaki 'from Vladivostok after: a hard trip over the Ice. They left there on the 29th of last month, and they re port that their vessel had to make her way through 14 miles of Ice, the floes extending that distance from the shore at the mouth of the harbor, and all along the coast for miles. Ice cruisers were working at all hours of the day and night In an attempt to keep-the channel clear, but no sooner would the Ice be cut. than it would reform and close up the narrow passage again. .Four Russian men of war . were in (Continued on Page Three.) Get -Two Years Each for Postal Frauds-Are Fined $10,000. , ' 1 (Journal Special Bertlo.) Washington, Feb. 27. A. W. Machen, O. "E". Lorens and B. ' Oroff ' were each sentenced ' this forenoon to two years in the penitentiary at Moundsvllle, W. Va;. and to pay a fine of $10,000 each. The sentences are to date from the time they arrive at the penitentiary. Samuel Groff has a motion pending f "jf a new trial.' Judge Kumaler, the attorney for Lorens; made an eloquent plea for his client when the latter stood up to re ceive sentence. He told the court, that he had borne a reputation that-had re flected credit on his family. Judge Prltchard said he would make n re marks on the rase -at .present aa one other - condemned man remained to be sentenced. .. The sentence was delivered to an empty court froom, none being present except , the prisoners ' and their attorneys. . ' Prior to the sentence the' defendant's attorney, Douglas,- moved for new trials for Machen, Lorens and the two Grofts. Judge Prltchard overruled the motion, making exception, however, -of Samuel Oroff. .. (San Francisco Bureau of The Journal.) San Francisco, Feb. 27. The United! States government is getting ready for the defense of San Francisco and othen coast- cities on the seaboard. Prepara tions to lay an elaborate system ot mines in the local harbor are being rap idly made at the torpedo station on Goat Island,' anil no sudden emergency that may by any chance grow out ofi the complicated and aerlotis reondltloB of? International affairs will find tha United States war department unprepared for the protection of the principal' American, harbors on the Pacific. The artillery branch of the army serv Ice recently assumed charge of the sub marine mine defenses which are - to be Hitronen in connection w n n tne na bor fen-tiflcations, instead of being op erated: as' formerly by the engineef corps. Artillery Capt. W. S. Overton. Is now at the head of the submarine mining work, and has a force of '' ex perts 'Under the direction of Sergt. O. V. Uodgman, Twenty-eighth company coast artillery, overhauling and testing cables and getting them in readiness for use. .From 100 to ' 200 large reels of cable are at Goat Island, kept in salt water .and ready to be run out in the bay at a moment's notice And placed along the lines of the charted -system, which has been carefully studied out for the destruction of any hostile vesstl that .might, get past tha guna of tha outer .forts. The immense plana, it is ststed, call for. more than 100 miles of cable. "... JAB ABB SB WOT DAMAGED. Ons Beport Bays Loss Was Sustained! " Another Contradicts, 4 (Journal Special Berries.) V . London, Feb. 27. -The , Chefoo cor respondent Of the- St. James Gazette wlrea that one Japanese gunboat was badly damaged ' in the attack .Tuesday on Port Arthur and then tried to maka Chefoo, but sunk before reaching port. Eight of the crew arrived at Chefoo and reported several boat loada ot survivor had landed east of Chefoo. - Japanese Minister Hayasht, however, received the official report this morning of the Tuesday battle at Port Arthur in which the statement is made that up to the present time no Japanese ships bav been damaged. ' BTJS8IA GETS STATEMENT. Viceroy Alexieff States That Two Jap anese Boats Ware Sunk. Usuroal Special Service.) 'St. Petersburg,' Feb. 27. Viceroy Alexieff reports that In the Port Ar thur attack February, 25, the Retslvsaa apparently sunk two Japanese destroy ers, subsequently several Russian tor pedo boats went out to sea and one was cut off and took refuge in Golubinaja Bay, where it waa shelled by the Jap anese. ..... -...i -. London. Feb. 27. Reports that tha Russian cruiser Askold has been lost at Port Arthur were this morning officially dented. St Petersburg, Feb. 27. Leo Tolstoi has contributed 1,000 sets of his books to be sold for a war fund. TOTJB Z.OGGEBS DBOWBXB. (Journal Special BerTlce.) Knoxvllle, Tenn., Feb. 27. Four rafts men bringing los to Knoxvllle were drowned today at the Campbell shoals above herd. TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A HEARST CORRESPONDENT (Heart Special Serriee. Copyrighted.) San Franolsco, Feb, 27, Jack London, author and newspaper man writes of his adventure with the Japanese secret service who "placed him under arrest for photographing "scenery" at Mojl Japan. . Mr. London represents tha' Hearst newspapers aa special corre spondent and was on his way to Che mulpo when arrested. , ; Shlmonoseki, ,Feb. S. Mojl is a fortl-1 fled city and visitors are not allowed to photograph ."land or water scenery." I did not know this, but X know It now Just tha same. I snapped my, camera, at some boys and Una of coolies cor rylng coal. ; : x Passing by a two-story frame building ' I noticed g middle-aged Japanese stand ing in a doorway. Ho smiled and beck oned me to enter. " Some chin ohm and tea thought I, and I obeyed, but alas;.. ltldestlned to ba too much chin chin and no tea at alL, It was tha police sta tion. .. -.. . . iThe middle-aged Japanese waa what. the American hobo calls a i'fly cop." ' Great excitement ensued. - Captains, lieutenants and ordinary policemen all talked at once .and ran hither and thither. I had run into ar lilve of blue - uniforms, brass buttons and cutlasses. . The populace clustered like files at the doors and windows to gape at the "Rus sian spy." . At first it was all very lu , dlcrous "capital to while away some time ere my steamer departs," was my judgment, but when I was taken to an ' upper room and hours began to slip by, I decided It was ' serious. I explained that I was going to Chemulpo. "In a moment," said the interpreter. I showed my ticket, passport' my card and my credentials, and always and Invariably came the answer, "In a mo ment.", i ' ' . Also the Interpreter stated that he waa very sorry. He stated this many times. He made special trips upstairs to tell me he was very sorry. Every 'time I told him I was going to Chemulpo he expressed his sorrow until we came to vie with each other, I in 'explaining my destination, he In explaining the state and degree of his emotion regarding me and my destination. ,' And-so it went The. hour of tiffin had long gone by. I had an early break fast My appetite waited on his "in a . moment" till afternoon waa well along. "Then came the police 'examination ' re- . plete with searching questions concern ing, myself, my . antecedents and every member of my family. All of which Jn- . formation waa gravely written down. An unappeasable interest In my family was displayed. Tha remotest relatives ' were hailed., with keen, satlaf action and placed upon paper. Exact ascertainment of their" antecedents and birthplaces seemed necessary to the point at issue, . namely, the snapa I had taken of coolies ' carrying cotton, tha five little boys play ing and the string of coal coolies. Next came my movements since my arrival In Japan. , "Why did you go to KobeT"- ' i . - "To, go -to Chemulpo," waa my answer. And In this fashion I explained my pres ence in various cities of Japan. I made manifest, that r my r only reason for ex- ' lstence was to go to Chemulpo; but their conclusion from ihy week's wandering ' was that. I had no fixed place of abode. I began to shy. , The last time the state - of my existence had been so designated- It had been followed by 80 days Impris onment in a vagrant cell. Chemulpo suddenly grew dim and distant and be gan to fade beyond the horizon of my mind. . "What is your rank?" was the Initial question of next stage of examination. I was nobody I explained, a mere citi zen of the United States. -I waa given to understand that by rank was meant my business profession. "Traveling to Chemulpo," I said was my business, and when they looked pus sled I meekly added that I waa only a correspondent.- The next questions were the hour and minute I made the three- exposures and were they of land and water scenery, 'No, they were of people' I said. "What people?" . I ! . f Then I told of tha coolies carrying cot ton, the five small boys playing andthe strlng-of coal coolies. . , Did I stand with my back to the water while making) the pictures or did I stand with my 'back to land? Somebody had Informed them that I had taken -pictures In Nagasaki (a police lie and they sprang many such on me). I atrenuously denied this. Besides It had rained all the time I was at Nagasaki. What other, pic-: turns had I taken in Japan? v Three of Alt Fuji and one of a man aelllng tea at a railway station. . Where were the pictures? ' In my camera. : . i , To cut a simple narrative short I pass on from this sample of examination I underwent to the next step in the pro ceedings which was the development of the film. Guarded by a policeman and accompanied by an Interpreter, I was taken through the atreeta pf Mojl to a native photographer. I described the lo cation of three pictures on a film of 10. Observe the simplicity of it These three pictures he cut out anu developed, seven other exposures, possible expos ures, being returned to meMindeveloped, They might have contained secret for tifications of Mojl for all the policemen knew, and yet I waa permitted tq carry them away with me and I hava them ..noW, ..1.v;'s',::i'! v. :.:,... For the penc of Japan let me declare that they contain only pictures of Fuji and tea sellers. I asked permission to go to my hotel , and pack my trunk In order to be ready to catch the steamer for, Chemulpo. Per mission was accorded and my luggage ' accompanied me back to the police sta tion, where I was again confined In the upper room listening to the "In a Mo mont" of the Interpreter and harping my one note that I wanted to go, to Chem ulpo. ; .' ., .Next morning, bare-headed and stand ing, I was tried by three solemn black capped Judges. The affair waa very seri ous. I had committed a grave, offense and the public procurator stated that while Ijlid not merit a prison sentence 1 was nevertheless worthy of a fine. After an hour's retirement the judges achieved a verdict. It was pay C yen and Japan was to get the camera. All of which was eminently distasteful to me, but I managed to extract a grain of satisfaction from the fact that they quite forgot to mulct me of S yen. There Is trouble brewing for somebody because of those yen. .There is a Judgment. I am a free man. But how ar they to balance accounts? r ; Next day I received word from tha United States minister at Kobo that ijy camera would be returned and that a ajeamer would sail for Chemulpo an the morrow. WMMmxjK.arMjLtM.r.a.m9M.JiJtaiMjt .9 si J.e 9.9JfM.v x .MPmmmmn