Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-04-21

ST. Petersburg, April 1.-THE Jap
anese fleet attacked Port Arthur at
daylight Wednesday and a full Russian
squadron under command of Admiral
Makaroff went out TO meet it. The
Russian fleet was assisted by the fire
of the forts and according to some
dispatches was successful in driving
Jhe enemy off.
While going out to meet the Japan
csc fleet the Peropavlovsk struck a
mine in the outer roadstead, heeled
over, turned turtle and sank. Prac,
tically the whole of her crew of 500
men was lost. Only four officers were
saved among them being the Grand
Duke Cyril. The Petropavlovsk was
lying the flag of Vice Admiral Maka,
rolf.
The Japanese fleet, according to Off
cial reports, included 80 ships, sever
al being torpedoes and torpedo boat
uestroyers
Couldn't Prevent Disaster.
According to the Associated Press
Informant, while preparing to draw up
the line of battle in the outer road
stead, the Petropavlovsk struck mine
ON her starboard side amidships and
Immediately began to heel. Before the
crew could flood the port compart-
ments of the vessel to keep her on an
even keel. she turned turtle and sank
in a few minutes, carrying down almost
the entire crew Capt. n. Jakovloff,
the Grand Duke Cyril and two other
officers were saved because they were
standing on the upper bridge. The
trightful loss of life among the officers
and men was due to the fact that they
all were at their stations, ready for ac-
zion.
Like Victoria Catastrophe.
The Petropavlovsk turned turtle in
a manner similar to the British battle.
ship Victoria, which was rammed by
the Camperdown in 1898, and to the
incident in the China-Japanese war,
when a~Chinese warship turned turtle,
many of the crew remaining alive for
several days, hammering desperately
on the upturned hulk. When the news
of Grand Duke Cyril's miraculous es.
cape reached his parents here a te
deum service was held at the Vladimir
palace.
A Powerful Battleship.
The Petropaylovsk, which had twice
previously been reported damaged in
japanese attacks on Port Arthur, was
a first-class battleship of 1850 tons
displacement and 14,213 indicated
horsepower She was 46712 feet long
had 50 feet beam and her armored belt
was of about 16 inches of steel, with 1C
inches of steel armor on her turrets
Her armament consisted of four II
inch, twelve 6-inch, four smaller guns
and six torpedo tubes. The compile
ment of the Petropavlovsk, when fully
manned was 500 men. She was built
at st. Petersburg and was completed in
1898.
1t is believed that the mine which
sank the Petropavlovsk had drifted out
of its original position.
Official Explanation Unsatisfactory.
London, April 14-Rome has a ru
NOR that Makaroff's squadron was at
tackled by the whole Japanese fleet. his
retreat cut off and his ship damaged
while the Petropavlovsk was surround
ed by torpedo boats, struck by five tor
pedoes and blown up. While little at
tention is paid to the rumor. the opin
ION here is that the official explana
tions of the diaster are unsatisfactory
Killed While at Breakfast.
st. Petersburg, April 15-The Asso
%iated Press obtained last night wha
is practically an official version OF the
sinking of the battleship Petropavlovsl
and it clears up to a great extent thu
mysterious features of the vessels de
struction. Retiring before the advance
Of the superior Japanese fleet, the Rus
sian squadron approached the entrance
to the harbor. 1t was shortly after s
O'Clock in the morning and most of the
officers and members of the crew were
at breakfast Vice Admiral Makarof
was in his cabin and the ward room
was crowded with officers. On the
bridge Grand Duke Cyril, Lieutenant
Won Kobe, Captain Jakovleff. com
manding the vessel and two other ON
GERS We're on watch examining the en-
trance preparatory 10 entering Abou
$50 o'clock there was terrific explo
on Of the boilers, followed a few sec
onds later by detonations from tn,
magazines, Huge gaps we're torn in
the hull " the ship and water rushe,
IN. The ship rolled on her side an,
sank
Terrific Force Of Explosion.
All information tends to prove tina
a nine was responsible for the destruc
tion ot the Petropoylovsk. The scene
below will never be described. as. 81
far as known, not a single person be