Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-15
Naval Engagement I'm the Strait o1 Korea Resulted I'm Destruction of the Armored Cruiser
 Rurilk

on Sunday north of Tsu island, in the strait of Korea. The battle lasted for five hours and resulted in complete Japanese victory. The Russian cruiser Rurik was sunk, and the cruisers Ros- sia and Gromoboi fed to the north ward after having sustained serious damage. The injuries inflicted upon the Japanese were slight.
 The fate of the crew of the Rurik is not known fully, but many of them were killed or drowned. Admiral Ka- mimura had the Adsuma, Idsumo, Iwate, Takashiho and other light cruis- CTS.
 Tokyo is joyous over the news as 1t gives Japan mastery of the sea and re- stores commerce.
 A special from Chefu says that the Japanese made a general assault on Port Arthur this morning at 4 o'clock, and there is persistent rumor that it has fallen.
 There is a general belief, which is borne out by the latest dispatches, that the situation at Port Arthur is desper- ate.
 Apparently the Japanese are concen- trating all their energies toward the re duction of the fortress in order to re- lease heavy endorsements for the operations against General Kuropatkin, and it is thought that until this has been accomplished the advance on Liao- yang will be suspended.
 A St. Petersburg dispatch says that by command of the emperor Foreign Minister Lamsdorff has instructed M. Nelidoff, the Russian ambassador at Paris, to request that France on be- half of Russia Shall lodge strong protest with the French minister at Tokyo. M. Harmhnd, against what is described as an outrageous violation of Chinese neutrality and of univer- sally recognized principles of interna- tfonai law involved in the Japanese at tack on the Russian torpedo boat de- stroyer Ryeshitelni in the neutral har- bor of Chefu.
 A dispatch from Mukden states that the Japanese Port Arthur army has been largely re-enforced and has taken up positions in two large bodies, one on the heights between Lungwungtao and Pigeon bay and the other on the hills near Louisa bay. Guns have also been placed on the heights east of the Wolf hills.
 A Chefu dispatch says that Captain Matousevitch, the late Rear Amiral Withoft's chief of staff, who was wounded during the Japanese attack on the battleship Cesarevitch, has died of his wounds.
 The Japanese have demanded the de- parture of the Cesarvitch, but the gov- ernor of Tsingchou Nreplied that the vessel would remain, but would be dis mantled.
 A Liaoyang report says:
 Twelve Japanese regiments have left in the direction of Port Arthur.
 Ut is stated on trustw orthy author ity that the mikado has ordered that Port Arthur must be taken at any pension of operations in Manchuria, and it is quite possible sthat the main Japanese force will proceed to Port Arthur within a few days"
 A report from Tokyo says that Jap anese guns dominate the dockyards, at Port Arthur, and in view of this fact 1t would seem to be impossible again to make seaworthy or fghtable the Russian battleships which have re- turned to Port Arthur. It is probable that the Russian battleship Cesare- witch will disarm at Tsingchau.
 The best possible naval force that Russia can now concentrate at Vladi- vostok is four cruisers.
 VYioorou Iovaioff i1, diayao%n @rN kho emperor gives. the following report from Captain Matousevitch, the late Rear Admiral Withoft's chief of staff:
 :'At dawn our Port Arthur squadron began to make for the open sea and emerged from the port at o'clock. The squadron consisted of six battle ships, the cruisers Askold, Diana, Pal lada and Novik and eight torpedo boats.
 '"The Japanese opposed us with the following force: A first detachment consisting of the battleships Asahi Mikasa, Fuji, Yashima and Shikishima and the cruisers Nissh1n and Kasuga, a second detachment consisting of the cruisers Yakumo, Kasagi, Chitose and Takasago and third detachment con- sisting of the cruisers Akitsushimas Idsumo, Matsushima, ItsukushiIRa and Hashidate and the battleship Chin Yen, with about thirty torpedo boats.
 "Our squadron maneuvered to gain 8 passage through the line of the enc my's ships. Meantime the Japanese torpedo boats were laying floating mines in the way of our squadron, thus rendering evolutions very difficult. At ?. m. our squadron, after forty l minutes fighting, succeeded in effect ing passage and shaped its course toward Shangtung. The enemy. fol- lowing at full speed, caught up with us slowly, and at 5 o'clock fighting again began and continued for some hours without either side obtaining | any advantage.
 ''In the battle Admiral Withoft, the commander of our squadron, was kill. ed, and the captain of the battleshtr I (iaaaTpyffrh wAa wounded and lost