Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-12
RUSSIANS GET
AGGRESSIVE AT SEA
Their Torpedo Boats Leave Port
Arthur to Go Out and Meet
The Japanese,
S0RTIE WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
One Of the Latter's Boats Destroyed
Story Of the Fierce Fight at
PORT Arthur,

Mukden, Manchurla. March ll.--Ad-
miral Makaroff. commanding the Rus.
sian fleet, reports from Port Arthur as
follows.
six torpedo boats which went to sea
on the night Of March 10, four OF them
being under the general command of
Capt Mattoussevltch. encountered the
enemys torpedo boats, followed by
cruisers.
"A not action ensued, in which the
torpedo boat destroyer Vlastlni dis
charged whitehead torpedo and
sank one Of the enemy's torpedo boats.
on tie way back the torpedo boat de.
stroyer StereguschtchI, commanded nv
Lieut. serguelen, sustained damages.
her engines being disabled and she be.
gan to founder by s O'clock in tho
morning tve of our torpedo boat de-
stroyers had returned.
When the critical position OF the
Stereguschtchi BECAME evident hoist.
20 my nag on the cruiser Noylk and
went with The Novlk and the cruiser
Boyarln to the rescue, But as five of
the enemys cruisers surrounded our de.
stroyer and as their baitleshIp SQUAD
ron was approaching. / did not succeed
IN saving the Stereguschtchi, which
ioundered. Part Of the crew was made
prisoners and part was drowned
on the ships which participated I'm
the night attack one officer was serI.
ousiy wounded and three others were
signtiy wounded; two soldiers were
Killed and ~ wounded.
AZ y o'clock IA of the enemy's shlps
assembled before Port Arthur and A
commandment was begun with The
DeaVy guns OF their battleshlp squad.
ron at long range. '''
This lasted until l o'clock In the af.
ninoon. AZ ls estimated that the enemy
nreu lof iz-lnch shells. The damage To
our Vessels was insignificant and they
are again ready for battle
Our losses were one officer sI,o.n,,
wounded. io''
The illumination OF the sea nj mini,
ny the searchllghts molnteo n, sms
batteries was most satIsfactorv a vu
several times Isolated shots Yrom o',r
batteries forced the enemy's tor,e ~I,
boats to retire.
with the commencement NJ tho
bombardment at dawn The v,,ns 10 ny
fortress replied to the enemy's Arc Wv
The crews Of all the shIps engaged
gave proof Of remarkable coolness n,
action. Below decks. the work of tba
day Followed its ordinary course a.,
spite OF the shells falling between ne
vessels and covering them with frae.
ments. Wv" rus
"A bombardment at such distance
must BIO regarded as Ineffective. hui tbe
Japanese cruiser Takasoga laecond.
CLASS, 42zl t0ns). IL reported 10 have
been seen to suffer serious damage the
extent OF which, however, Il was ,mpos,
s'Dle 10 ascertain at distance of Ave
miles. Many shells were fred al n
range OF seven and one-half miles"
THE FIGHT AT PORT ARTHUR
ST. Petersburg, March u. -The co,,
Pv,o STORY OF the fierce fight off Port
nhur between the torpedo flotlllas.
, mn,yn occurred "wednesday, and the
commandment which followed on Thurs.
untll after midnight
TWO official messages from vlcoro,
Alexieff had been received durinS M
DAY and presented TO the emperor Inn,
the public remained In suspense.
All sorts OF rumors Of the Information
contained IN the dispatches were snread
among the officials, but they aid no,
have the texts and were under tho i'm,
preston that Admiral MakaItoff had
directed the attack upon the enemy's
fleet
When the texts OF the messages nm.
peared II became evident that tho col.
nsions between the torpedo notllas had
occurred accidentally during the nlght
while the Russians were scouting In
search of the enemy.
AZ far as Is known here, this is the
nfst time torpedo boats have engaged
each other at sea. Although the odds
Were against the Russians, az the Ian.
ahese hotllla was supported by a crui-
ser squadron, the Russians made n he.
Iolo Dash Tor the foe and apparently
h'ld tue better OF the combat (sinking n
Japanese torpedo boat, until the crul.
sers got within range and one OF thu
latlers shells crippled the Stereguscht.
chi,
Inc gallant action Of Vice. Admiral
Makafon IN transferring his flag to the
last cruiser NOyik ana sailing out I'm
the tace OF the enemy In an attempt 10
rescue receives unsiinted praise, stamp
ing him az the outset OF his command
as a man OF force and action who in.
sists ON being In the van OF the fight.
Ing.
Not much Importance Is attached here
10 the bombardment, on account OF Inc
great distance Of the enemy from the
batteries. Their cruisers took refuge
behind the Llatochln promotory. fear.
ing TO expose themselves to the direct
fire OF the forts
The removal Of the batteshlp Retyl.
Fan from the mouth Of the inner harbor,
which marked the assumption OF com
mand by Admiral Makaroff, will permit
the free exit of the heavy armored
ships
II had been believed that the reason
why the Russian ships had not made a
sortie before was the apprehension OF
meeting with superior force, but Il is
now clear that the ships were unable to
leave. With the channel open, II Is eX.
pected that Admiral Makaroff viii
make the squadron an aggressive force.
Approaching the misfortune of the d.
vision OF the fleet before the war II Is
belieyerd that Admiral M0karoff will
attempt TO unite his forces by bringing
the Vladiyostok squadron to Port Ar.