The extensive use made of wireless
telegraphy is another new and strik
ing feature of this war. Wireless tel
egraphy, however, has proved an ene
my as well as a friend; it was from a
wireless message sent out by one of
the Russian ships, on the night of
February 8, that Togo learned where
his enemy's main force was lying. The
Russians. in the later stage of the
siege of Port Arthur, hate used wire
less telegraphy to maintain their com
munications with that fortress, erect
ing an installation on neutral Chinese
territory at Chefoo and thence send
ing and receiving messages. The Jap
anese, in their indirect bombardments
of Port Arthur, employed wireless tel
egraphy to signal the fall of the
shells. A cruiser off the harbor
watched where the projectiles alight
ed, and then signalled exact particu
lars to the battleships which were be
hind the Laotishan promontory and
out of sight.
On land the Russians have em
ployed two new agents in war-land
mines and electric defenses. The ef
fect of the land mines is as yet a litrte
doubtful, but they appear to have
done considerable damage to the Japa
nese in the assaults upon Port Arthur.
though probably the loss which they
inflicted has been greatly exaggerated
in the Russian reports. They are said
to have been made by laying the heads
of torpedoes some feet underground.
Similar mines were employed at Nan
shan, but not with any great success,
as the Japanese found and cut the
wires leading to them.
At the battle of Liaoyang, Gen. Ku
roki's soldiers encountered a wire de
fence. Rushing to it to tear it down,
man after man was struck down as
the wire emitted crackles and sparks.
It was highly charged with electricity.
