The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-03-10
JAP PANESE CLAIM
A GREAT VICTORY
FLEET SAID TO HAVE ENGAGED
vLADIvosToK SQUADRON.
RESULT OF FIGHT UNKNOWN
Toxic Dispatch Says It Is Believed
Russian Ships Were All Destroyed
of Captured-Marqui Ito
Goes to Korea.

London, March 9.-The Daily Tele-
graph this morning publishes dispatch
from Toxic dated March z, anT saying:
1T is reported that the Japs iese fleet
engaged the Russian Vladivostok squad
ron at sea yesterday. The result of the
engagement is not announced, but 1t is
believed that the Russian ships were de-
stroyed or captured.
Celebrating Victory.
Toxic, March 9.-Tne news of a
second great Japanese victory in the
destruction of the Russian vladivos-
tok fleet, while not officially made
public, is current talk in the city to-
day, and great demonstrations of Joy
were made. Reports of a sea battle
We're hourly looked for anI the news
came as no surprise, though the COM
plete destruction or captuGe OF the
feet was hardly expectedA No re-
port of the loss Of lie, if any, was
received.
The Russian fleet consisted Aof the
armored cruiser Gromovoi, the Abelted
cruisers Rossia and Rurik ann the
protected cruiser Bogatyr. Then are
believed to have left vladivo4tok
some days ago for the purpose OF hro-
tecting the troops in tie land opAr-
ations near Possiet bay, and werN
thought to be the object of search bA
the Japanese, whose squadron wasp
the larger, and which cut the Rus
slams off from Vladivostok.
Details Are Meaaer.
No details of the battle have been
given out, the Japanese government
following its usual course OF geerecA
until a rente from the commanding
G otylcss ;s e. definite
statement made is that the engage
ment took place on Sunday, which
would indicate thalylSrre Japanese
found the Russian warships soon ar
ter the bombardment of Vladivostok,
when they disappeared f.,,1m the sight
of those on the land batteries. They
were going south at the time, and,
Possiet bay being but seventy miles
away, it was possible for the battle
to have been fought eff that part o.
the coast that evening.
Coming as it does after Vice Admi-
raj Togo's victory at Port Arthur,
this last stroke at the Russian navy
is considered to put 1t completely out
of the sea end of the war. With the
Port Arthur feet practically bottled
up in the harbor and the Vladivostok
warshiDs destroyed, the Japanese be-
lieve they can do what they wish
along the coasts without interference
Armament of Fleet.
The largest warship of the feet is
the armored cruiser Gromoyoi, of a.
367 tons, with a complement of 500
men. She carries four S4-inch, six
teen 6-inch, twenty 3-inch, sixteen g.
pounder, and eight rapid-fr9 guns
and far submerged torpedo tubes.
The Rossia is belted cruiser or
12-500 tons, with a component of 735
men. Her armament consists of four
S-inch, sixteen 5.5-inch, twelve 3-incn,
and thirty-six rapid-fre guns and six
torpedo tubes above water.
The Rurik is of 10,950 tons and car
ries 727 men. She, too, is a belted
cruiser and has four S-inch, sixteen
5.5-inch, six 4.7-inch, twelve 1-pound-
er, and four machine guns and six
torpedo tubes above water.
The smallest Of the fleet is the pro-
tected cruiser Bogatyr, of $500 tons.
Her armament is twelve 6-inch, twelve
3-inch, eight 3-pounder, and two l.
FOUNDER guns, two submerged torpedo
tubes and two above water.