The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-02-12
WAR IN THE ORIENT.
Japs Attack Russian War,
ships at Port Arthur
and Chemulpo.
TWO RUSSIAN VESSELS SUNK.

night on Monday. Two Russian
battle ships and one Russian
cruiser were disabled by torpedoes.
RUSSIAN BATTL EsHIPs DISABLED.
The Columbia was in the roads
at the time and felt the first shock
ola torpedo explosion at II o'clock.
The attack continued all night, and
at daylight Tuesday morning two
Russian battle ships and one first
class Russian cruiser were seen
to have been disabled and beached
at the entrance of the harbor. The
cruiser was badly listed to one
side.
The two battle ships disabled
are the Poltaya and the Czarevitch.
The disabled armored cruiser Boy
arim and the grounded battle ships
block the entrance TO the harbor,
preventing gunboats from going
out, and battle ships and cruisers
from going in and getting coal.
THE JAPANESE FLEET.
The japanese feet was under
the command of Vice Admiral
Togo, and consisted of four fast
cruisers, the Chitose, Kasigi, Tag
afago and Yoshino, which circled
outside, drawing the fire of the
Russians. They then joined the
main fleet, and all went in to attack
the armored cruisers. In the Jap
anese fleet which consisted of two
were Mikasa, the flag
ship, the first class battle ship
ASH, Full Spikishima, Yashima,
Hatsuse and the dispatch boat Tat
suma. The second vision of the
feet under command of Admiral
Kamimura on the flagship Idsumo,
of the armored cruisers
Asama and Iwatze, when
seen by the Foo Chow on Thurs.
lay.
ATTACK AT CHEMULPO.
London Feb. 10.-An official
dispatch received by Baron Hay.
ashi is as follows:
"On Monday a japanese squad
ron escorting transports met on
he way to Chemulpo the Russian
gunboat Korietz as the latter was
coming out of port. The Korietz
ook up an offensive attitude to-
ward the japanese vessels and fired
IN the japanese torpedo boats.
The latter discharged two tor
,edoes ineffectively, and then the
korietz returned to her anchor
4ge in the port. /,
early in the morning of Tues !
lay Admiral Urik, commanding
he Japanese squadron, formally \
allied on the Russian warships to i
cave Chemulpo before noon. The
added that if his demand v
vas not complied with he would /
e compelled to attack them in
he barber. The two Russian i
yarships left the port at about :
1870 a. m. and a battle ensued =
Inside the Polynesian Islands. !
lfter about an hours engagement,
be Russian warships sought c
efuge among the islands. Toward S
vening the Russian cruiser Variag
INK, and at about 4 a. m. to. day d
February 10) the Korietz was re- d
orted to also have sunk, having
cen blown up. >
1.-THE officers and men of the two ',
inken vessels sought refuge on
le French cruiser Pascal. There !.
ere no casualties on the japanese to
De- "
OF VESSELS DESTROYED
The cruiser Variag, which was 81
nilt at Cramps shipyard, Phila. s
slphia, in 1898, was of steel and NJ
lsheathed. She was of $500
ms displacement and her indi- oS
ted horse power was 10000. On - -
,eed trial she made twenty-four :
lots per hour for eight hours. =
ne was 400 feet long, 50 feet in
sam and had depth of 20 feet.
be Variag's armament consisted ID
twelve 6. inch quick firing guns,