Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 April 1904 — DONE BY A JAP MINE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DONE BY A JAP MINE

Admiral Togo Tells How He Blew Up the Petropavlovsk Off Port Arthur. LAID HIB TRAP IN THE NIGHT Dropping Submarine Volcanoes Across the Mouth of the Harbor. Tempts the Russians Outside and Then Drives Them Back to Destruction—Tien Tsln Hears of More Shooting. ■ » St Petersburg, April 21.—The general staff has issued the following statement “According to official report* all has been quiet at Port Arthur and Yin Kow and on the Yalu during the last few days. There is no further change In the general situation to report” Londons April 21. —A dispatch to the Central News from St Petersburg says it is reported that a Japanese force has landed near New Chwang. St. Petersburg, April 20.—Viceroy AJexieff has applied by telegraph to the emperor to be relieved of his position of viceroy In the Far East It Is expected that the request will be immediately granted. The immediate cause of the viceroy ’s application is reported to be the appointment of Vice Admiral Skrydloff, one of Admiral Alexieff’s strongest enemies and sharpest critics, as sucessor to the late Vice Admiral Makaroff. Port Arthur, April 18.—Rumors are current here that twenty Japanese transports convoying troops have been sighted steaming in the direction of Yinkow. The rumors cannot be confirmed. The Russians Impatiently await a Japanese landing. St Petersburg, April 18. A dispatch from Port Arthur says several eye-witnesses assert that a Japanese cruiser was lost outside of Port Arthur April 12 by striking one of its own floating mines. Tokio, April 18.—At last an official report of the action off Port Arthur in which the Russian battleship Petropavlovsk was sunk has been received by the Japanese government from Admiral Togo. The report says that at

midnight of April 12 a Japanese torpedo flotilla laid mines at several points outside of Port Arthur, across the channel, and that on the 13th the Japanese squadron enticed the Russian squadron outside the harbor, and then attacked it The Russians started to retreat and the Petropavlovsk struck a Japanese mine and was sunk. Another Russian ship wo* seen to lose her freedom of action, but conld not be identified. Sinking of * Russian Destroyer, At dawn of the 13th, after the mines had been placed, the Japanese flotilla discovered a Russian destroyer outside the harbor, attacked It and sank It; another Russian destroyer discovered outside managed to escape. The Japanese had two men slightly wounded In this action. The bombardment of Port Arthur on the 14th is then detailed, but does not differ from the dispatches heretofore printed, Admiral Togo says the Japanese Bbipe suffered no damages In these actions. Japs Are Very Much Elated. The Japanese are elated over the successes they have won at Port Arthur. They are also proud of the achievements of Vice Admiral Togo, particularly of his newest strategy of countermining the enemy'* harbor and decoying him across this field of mines to an equally dangerous flank attack.

JAPS JUST TOOK A FEW NOTES Tben Engineered, the Scheme That Brought Disaster to the Russians. Thd sueee*s of the system of placing deadly counter-mines Is due largely to a series of careful observations made by the Japanese during their previous attacks on Port Arthur. The Japanese saw the Russian fleet leave the harbor and return to it several times, and they discovered that the Russian warship* followed an identical course every time they came out or went in, evidently for the purpose of avoiding their own mines. The Japanese took

bearings on this course. When the destroyer division* of the Japanese torpedo flotilla laid the counter-mines during the night bf April 12-13 they placed them along this course. The weather of the night of April 12-13 favored the work. There was a heavy rain, the night was dark and cloudy, and the Russian searchlights playing over the channel failed to reveal the presence of the Japanese destroyers. Rear Admiral Dewa was in command of the Japanese squadron which decoyed the Russian ships over the field of mines. His squadron consisted of the cruisers Chltose, Yoshlno, Kasagl and Takasago, all unarmored vessels, which presented a tempting bait for the heavier Russian ship*. Vice Admiral Togo directed the flank attack. He had the battleships Hatsuse, Mlkasa, Asahi, Sbiktshima, Yashima and Fuji.--He waited thirty miles out at 'sea until Rear Admiral Dewa signaled him by wireless telegraph to come In. His vessel* then dashed at full speed toward the entrance of the harbor. AH the battleships under Vice Admiral Togo are capable of a speed of 18 knots, and they quickly covered the distance. It is not clear what warned the Russians that they had been trapped, but they probably discerned the battleship squadron on the horizon and retreated precipitately to the harbor. Vice Admiral Togo diid not succeed in preventing the Russians from entering, but did force them to a disastrous retreat which ended in the destruction of the Petropnvlovsk and the disabling of the Pobieda. After these occurrences the cruisers Niskln and Kasuga were used to bombard Port Arthur. They possess the highest angled guns In the fleet capable of throwing shells to the elevated Russian land works, which are beyond attainment by the average navel weapon. Expressions of regret at the death of Vice Admiral Makaroff are general here. Speaking for the naval staff Commander Ogasawara has published a lengthy statement in which he laments the death of the Russian vice admiral, and pronounces it to be a loss to the navies of the world. The Japanese report that the wreck of the Petropavlovsk lies southeast of Golden Hill, one mile outside the entrance to the harbor.

HOW THE SHIP WENT DOWN Correspondent Tells It Who Saw the Disaster to the Petropavlovsk. Lioa Yang, April 18.—The Associated Press correspondent, who was at Port Arthur at the time, describing th« destruction of the torpedo boat Strashni (correct name of the Russian torpdfc© boat that was sunk April 13 In a fight with the Japanese off Port Arthur), says that it fought bravely against odds —four Japanese torpedo boats—until It wossunk. All on board perished. He tben says: “The Petropavlovsk was almost without headway, when suddenly I saw her tremble. She seemed to rise in the water, a tremenodus explosion rent the air. then a second, and then a third. Fragments flew in all directions and wreckage and men were mixed up in a terrible mass. , “I was hardly able to realize the horror %f it when the ship began to list. In a moment the sea seemed to open ad the water rushed over her. The Petropavlovck had disappeared.”, Another account says twenty men escaped from the disaster to the Petropavlovsk. Grand Duke Cyril was only saved from death by a miracle. His brother. Grand Duke Boris, witnessed the catastrophe through a njarlr.e glass. It is officially announced that Vice Admiral Makaroff was drowned at the time of the sinking of the battleship Petropavlovsk. It Is estimated that from GOO to 700 men perished when the Petropavlovsk sank.

RUSSIANS MASS ON TALC Force 20,000 Strong Ready to Oppose Japanese Invasion of Manchuria. Tokio. April 18.—Private advice* from Korea confirm the reported mossing of 20,000 Russian troops on th# right bank of the Yalu river, with the object of opposing (he Japanese Invasion of Manchuria. Although it is unknown when and where the Japanese will attempt a crossing of the Yalu, It Is still believed that when ready they will force a passage without serious loss. Vice Admiral Togo’s report of the seventh attempt upon Port Arthur is eagerly awaited here, although no misgivings are felt on account of. the delay. It Is believed that Vice Admiral Togo is aware that serious damage was inflicted' upon the Russian* on Wednesday Last, and* that he has decided a final blow to the Russian fleet. The reason for detaching one torpedo flotilla on Thursday last has not been revealed, but it is probable that it carried orders to Rear Admiral Uriu to bring up his squadron or to send either colliers or an additional supply of ammunition.

GRAND DUKE CYRIL.