Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1904 — JAPS LURE TO DEATH. [ARTICLE]

JAPS LURE TO DEATH.

Latest Disaster to Russian Warships Is Fully Explained. 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 counter mining the enemy’s harbor and decoying him across this field of mines to an equally dangerous flank attack. The success 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 Tort Arthur. The Japanese saw the Russian fleet leave the harbor and return to it several times, and they discovered that the Russian warships 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 divisions of the Japanese torpedo flotilla laid the counter-mines during the night of April 12-13 they placed them along this course. The laying of these counter-mines w’as exceedingly perilous, because, if any Japanese boat with mines on board had been struck by a lucky Russian shot she would have been annihilated.

The weather of. the night of April 1213 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 Chitose, Yoshino. Kasagi and Takasago, all unarmored vessels, which presented a tempting bait for the heavier Russian ships.

Vice Admiral Togo directed the flank attack. He had the battleships Hatsuse, Mikasa, Asahi, Shikishima, Yashima and Fuji. He waited thirty miles out at sea until Rear Admiral Dewa signaled him by wireless telegraphy to come in. His vessels then dashed at full speed toward the entrance of the harbor. All the battleships under Vice Admiral Togo are capable of a speed of eighteen 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 did not succeed in preventing the Russians from entering, but did force them to a disastrous retreat, which ended in the destruction of the Petropavlovsk and the disabling of the Pobieda. After these occurrences the cruisers Nishin 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 naval weapon.