The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-04-05
CHEMuLP0's TRAGEDY

How Russian Crews Met Their
Fate In the Korean Harbor.
NEUTRAL SHIPS OHEERED HEROES
scenes When the Brave Men ON the
Russian ships variag and KOriets
Fought Against Hopeless Odds In
Battling with the Japanese Fleet
Described by nm Eyewitness.
The first full accounts from witnesses
Of the naval battle Of Chemulpo, the
opening of the Russo-Japanese war,
which recently reached New York city
tell Of a fight which for dramatic Incl
dents has seldom been equaled In his
tory, v the New York Globe.
An eyewitness writes that the Rus
sian accounts admit that the first shot
was fired from the gunboat Korietz on
Feb. 8. 1t was done by accident, the
Russians declare. The vessels In the
harbor at the time included the United
States gunboat Vicksburg, collier Pom
pey, and transport Zafiro, the British
cruiser Talbot, the italian gunboat FL
ba, the French cruiser Pascal, the Rus
sian protected cruiser Variag, Ameri-
can built; the gunboat Koriet.;, and the
Russian merchant steamship Sungar1.
The cause Of the Korietz leaving the
harbor, 1t seems, was a message de-
spatched from the Russian minister,
M. Pavloff, to Viceroy Alexeief at Port
Arthur. 1t was about 2.30 o'clock in
the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 8, that
! she started. About fifteen miles from
her anchorage, at the entrance OF the
outer harbor, the Japanese Admiral
Uriu's fleet was encountered, composed
Of two battleships, six cruisers, seven
torpedo boats and five destroyers, con-
veying transports on which were $500
troops bound for Chemulpo.
The shot was due to the fact that
one of the Japanese torpedo boats
crossed the Korietz's bow. In ''clear-
ing ship a gun was set off without
the Russian commanders order. Eat
once five Japanese torpedo boats We're
detached and circled about the Korietz.
The Russians say they all discharged
torpedoes which missed the mark. The
Korietz ran, full speed, back to her
anchorage and the Japanese feet fol-
lowed cautiously, coming to anchor
about $50 o'clock that evening.
1t was at Z o'clock on the following
morning, Feb. 8, that Uriu gave his
notice to the Russians that they must
surrender or quit the harbor by noon
During the night the Japanese trans
ports had discharged their troops and
the entire fleet had withdrawn out
side the harbor.
The signal bravery Of the Russians
which was commented on in the early
cable dispatches, ELECTS the warmest
praise of all the correspondents. The
keenness, humanity and detailed plans
of the Japanese are the noteworthy
) points on their side of the case. Thu
: situation of the two Russian vessels
could scarcely be worse. The Variag
j, Of $500 tons, had twelve six-inch guns
. and the K%orietz, of 1,213 tons, two
eight-inch and one six-inch gun. OPP
; posed was a fleet of twenty vessels
] Both weighed anchor and made fol
> the harbor entrance at 11:3O a. M, sc
lecting the channel passing to the east
e ward by Round island, amid cheers
: from the neutral vessels, the Variag':
: band playing national airs.
At Round island, eight miles dow
k the channel, they met the Japanes'
3 feet lying under a projecting head
v land. The Japanese opened fire. TIL
o Variag steamed back and forth, he'll
@ back by the slower Korietz. The Kc
q rietz kept we'll under the lee and es
O capped the raking fire that quickly pu
d every gun aboard the Variag out Q
action. The first shot from the Japa
: nese flagship Mikasa struck the Var
: ag amidships on the port side at til
water line and disabled two boilers
: The second struck forward, also at til
water line, knocking in port and stat
board coal bunkers and listing the shi
: heavily, SO that the port battery wa
useless. Midshipman Count Niett
!, who was standing on the bridge, wa
instantly killed. The ship was set o
fire by a projectile, close to the afte
: magazine. Ten large projectiles h
y the Variag, each riddling a spot ten c
!. a dozen feet in diameter. The Koriet
!, was untouched.
y One hundred and nine officers al
:; y men were killed or wounded out of
!. complement of $40, in half an hour, b
the raking fire Of the Japanese. I'll
Varlag had not a gun working, tw
boilers were useless, her engines a
~ most out Of business and she was afr
re o.. -.aa 50 49,. 80, - a,o,o