The San Francisco call., 1904-04-15

Vice Admiral Skrydloff, whom he ap-
pointed this evening, telegraphing nm
to go direct from Sebastopol, where he
Is in command of the. Black Sea heet,
to Port Arthur, and assume command
there.
Next to Vice Admiral Makaroff, Vice
Admiral Skrydloff is the most popu-
lar man of this generation in the Rus
sian navy. He is considered a very
able sailor and strategist, but the tools
son with those in the hands or the
enemy, and 1t is feared he will be un-
able to accomplish much.
A requiem mass for the repose OF tne
souls of Admiral Makaroff and the
other officers and men of the Petro-
pavlovsk was celebrated to-day In the
Admiralty Church here.
The scene was touching in the ex-
treme. Outside 10000 persons, among
whom were many relatives CT the sail
ors lost. stood with barred heads and
streaming eyes, while the service was
in progress. Inside the beautiful white
marble church, its walls hung with
militant tokens, were assembled the
Emperor and the imperial family, nigh
officers of the army and navy and the
entire diplomatic corps, all in full uni
of the officers drowned. The galleries
were crowded with Russian bluejack-
cts. The widow of Vice Admiral Maka-
rolf entered on the arm OF the Grand
Duke Constantine followed by her son
and daughter and took a place beside
the imperial party. Every one present
wore a band of crepe.
The Emperor, who wore the uniform
of a captain in the navy, entered last
al The grief felt hV him was
written on his face. The Empress was
not present
Just before the service began the
Dowager Empress embraced Admiral
Makaroff's widow, who sank on her
knees, almost at the feet of her Maj
esty, and remained there until the end
of the service.
The beautiful ceremonial of the r.
thodox church left no dry eye in the
building
The Emperor an6 all others present
held lighted tapefs.
SOBS SHAKE LISTENERS.
When the rector prayed for "Stepan
and all the warriors who died for their
country" to the soft intoning of the
choir singing Christ Is Risen-He Has
Overcome DEATH" the Emperor fell
upon his knees. In an instant all pres
ent were kneeling and sobbfng, the
sobs being drowned by the music of
the choir. The Grand Duchess Vladi-
mir, mother of the wounded Grand
Duke Cyril, broke down completely.
When the service was finished the
Emperor personally raised the stricken
widow and kissed her hand. Then for
several minutes he spoke to her con-
solingly, also shaking hands with her
daughter and son.
The press is authoritatively informed
that the dispatches given out last night
were in the text as originally received
and represented the sum total of the
Emperor's advices. The Emperor him
self directed that every word should
be published. The meagerneSS of the
kilograms is attributed to the death of
Vice Admiral Makaroff. Not until 10
o'clock this morning had fresh news
reached the Winter Palace, and then
in the form of a voluminous cipher
telegram, which was Immediately sent
to the Admiralty to be deciphered.
In the opinion of the Emperor's ad-
visers the Petropavlovsk disaster oc-
CURED yesterday morning at about Z
o'clock. 1t is presumed that Vice Ad-
miral Makaroff had sailed out from
Port Arthur on the previous day to To-
cate the enemy, giving pursuit until
the Japanese reiDforcements appeared
and then putting back for the shelter
OI l1e RuIlS u 1OII AL lis CA
plains the second sentence in Rear Ad-
miral Grigorovitchs telegram, Our
squadron was under Golden Hill"
From private advices it is learned
that Grand Duke Boris was standing
on Golden Hill watching his brothers
ship when the catastrophe occurred.
WIDOW LEARNS NEWS FIRST.
The first person to hear of Makaroff' )
death was his widow, who received a
private telegram. She was on her way
to st. Petersburg to see the admiraTs s
brother, an officer of the guards, when
the Emperor's aide-de-camp reached
her residence at Peterhof with the mes
sage from his Majesty breaking the
news and condoling with her. The ad-
miraPs brother returned with her to
Peterhof. She was SO prostrated with
grief that she took to her bed. 1t is
reported by those who went to see the
widow that they found the whole town
talking of nothing else but the loss OF
their beloved Stepan Osipovich (the
patronymic of Makaroff). The admir-
ais house was silent and darkened. and
the eyes of the sailor orderly at the
door were red with weeping.
The late Vice Admiral Makaroff
leaves, in addition to a daughter, Lii
lie, who is IS years Of age and is known
as the belle Of Kronstadt, an 11-year-
old son, to whom he frequently wrote
and telegraphed. His last message was
dated April 13, and conveyed his Easter
greetings. The deceased admiral added
that he was passing Easter evening on
board a gunboat stationed at the
mouth of the harbor.
Vice Admiral Stark, formerly in COM
mand of the russian fleet at Port Ar.
thur. in an interview to-day is quoted
as saying:
I'm my opinion, the Petropavlovsk
struck on one of the contact mines
laid off Cape Liaoshan, but which had
been torn from its moorings by the
terrible storms prevailing last week,
and which drifted, under the stress Of
the south gales. into the roadstead 1t
could not have been a mine laid near
the. entrance of the harbor, because the
latter are not contact mines. but are
fired by an electric wire from shore"
The loss of life was more serious than
supposed, it being learned that Maka-
roff's whole naval staff was on board
the Petropavlovsk.
Among the stories current-but from
what source it comes it is not known
is one to the effect that Makaroff was
sitting in his stateroom with Rear Ad-