Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-07-28
a RUSSIAN HERO.
Ctories of Commodore STANDARDIZATION He
Fooled a British Captain.

Ctories of Commodore SkridloH-How He
Fooled a British Captain.
1t is scarcely known even in Paris
that il was Commodore Skridloff who
was selected to accompany Admiral
Gervais at the time of the reception at
Cronstadt. and consequently the high
honor which Emperor Alexander paid
to his French hosts by this selection re-
manned almost secret.
Nicholas Harionovitch Sl1ridloff. now
forty-eight years old. is on the point of
coming rear admiral. His past history
is glorious He wears upon his breast
the cross Of st. George, the highest or
der that can be conferred in Russia, for
an act of daring bravery which signal
lied his debut in the war of 1877 be-
tween Russia and Turkey. The Russian
army was preparing to cross the
Danube on pontoons when two Turk
lSh monitors appeared. Young Lieut.
Sl<ridloff was selected to oppose the al :
vance of the Turkish vessels with six
sailors ard his friend. the painter
NcrestchaTin, who insisted upOE going
with him. Skridlof boarded the
pleasure yacht of the late emperor, the
Schutka- and prepared to put torpe-
does under the monitors
Let us take a glass of sherry said
he to Ferestchagin. when the yacht
moved ont; lit will doubtless be our
last
The Turks were astounded at the
approach of the little craft and sent n
perfec. shower of shot at it; but, fear
ing to be blown to pieces, they quickly
steamed back, leaving the Russians to
cross the river unmolested. The Schut-
Ia. having accomplished her mission,
brought back Lieut.. Skridloff with
four serious wounds. He was the first
man wounded in the campaign
This act of bravery Won for the Young
man a rapid promotion. In 1887 he was
captain of the Strelok, a warship of
fifteen hundred tons He was cruising
in the Atlantic during the Afghanistan
difficulty. 1t will be remembered that
the Russian Gen. KcmarofT fortified the
strategic line of the river kOuschka.
thus threatening the English in India.
A war runner passed over Europe. The
English government instructed its am
basSador at St Petersburg to obtain
from the ear refusal to sanction the
action of EoInaroff under penalty of a
rupture of all aHicable negotiations
Alexander Ill was not inundated,
and his bold reply was that komar-
off had acted under his orders
Everybody expected declaration of
war. Charged with a secret mission
for the United States Skridloff was fol-
lowed by an English vessel of a ton
mage double the size of his cruiser. and
the big Britisher was commanded by
Capt. Hand
When anchored in the harbor of New
port. Skridoff resolved to escape from
the Englishman, and this is the way he
managed If. 1t was Saturday and
performance was to take place at the
theater in the evening. In the after
noon Skridloff ordered all the linen OF
his sailors to be HING ont on the yard
arms. as is the custom ON waSh-days
He himself went ashore and proceeded
to the theater, accompanied by num-
her of his officers At the close of the
performance he invited the actresses and
Capt Hand to supper. The invitation
was accepted. Toward midnight. leaving
his cap and parade sal Der in view, he made
an excuse for temporary absence from
the dining-room. But he didn't come
back. He quickly boarded his vessel,
weighed anchor and escaped, and Capt
Hand was afterward court-martialed.
During this same cruise the Strelok
put into San. Domingo, where Capt
Skridloff sent two officers ashore to get
news from the continent The HaYti-