River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-04-21
Kuropatkin Loses Hope.

nS AuAnOIo CduuOC We COuuIueu L he
Russians impatiently await a Japanese
landing.
Kuropatkin Loses Hope.
Mukden, April 18.-Russia's Baltic
fleet will not be sent to the far east.
The project of increasing the water
defenses af1oat at the seat of action is
on the point of being abandoned. This
decision involves the abandonment of
Port Arthur. Gen. Kuropatkin has adj
vised the car that Port Arthur is at
present useless and costly establish
ment and that it will be wise to aban-
don it and move the garrison farther
north. He considers that there is
danger in the concentration of troops
at Port Arthur.
All Quiet on the Yalu.
St. Petersburg, April 1S-Rumors
were in circulation here of a fresh en-
gagement on the Yalu river which had
resulted favorably to the Russians, but
dispatch received by the general staff
says that the situation is unchanged and
that all is quiet on the Yalu.
Says japanese Cruiser Was Lost.
st. Petersburg, April 1S-A dispatch
from Port Arthur says several eyewit-
nesses assert that a Japanese cruiser
was lost outside Port Arthur April IL by
striking one of it's own floating mines.
Russians Occupy Sungjin.
Seoul, April 18.-Thirty-three Rus
slams occupied Sungjin on the night of
April 16. Japanese refugees arrived at
Gensan Sunday morning. The rumor
that 5000 Russians are following the ad-
vance with the intention of diverting the
Japanese from the Yalu river is not
credited, owing to the possibility of the
Japanese landing and cutting them off.
There is no information here as to
whether two English missionaries left
S'-ngjin, but there are no fears for their
safety.
Sungjin is small port on the east
coast of Korea about $50 miles north
east Of Gensan and about the same dis
lance southwest of the mouth of the Tu-
men river which marks the northeast
ern boundary between Korea and Man
churia.
Five Days Bombardment.
Toxic, April 1S.-The official report
of the recent attacks by the japanese
fleet on Port Arthur states that the ac-
ton commenced on Monday, April IL
The bombardment was resumed the
following (Tuesdayt night at midnight
The Japanese deStroyers sunk a Rus
sian destroyer and narrowly missed
capturing another. The battleship
Petropavlovsk, the report says, struck
mechanical mine which had been
submerged by the japanese prior to the
attack. The fleet reOpened the attack
April "A and continued the lombard
ment until 1870 p. m. the next day
(Friday). In this action the guns of
the cruisers Kasuga anu Nisshin,
which were purchased from Argentina
before the outbreak of the war, were
found to work satisfactorily. The jap
anese loss was two men slightly
wounded. Some slight damage was
sustained by the Japanese ships This
since has been repaired. The Japan
csc fleet, the report declares, maneu-
vered among the enemy's mines with
out sustaining any damage.
Toga Reports.
Admiral Togo's report COVERING the
naval action outside of Port Arthur
which resulted in the sinking of the
Petropavlovsk and the injury to the
P1bieda is as follows:
"The fourth and the fifth destroyer
fotilla, and the Keryo Maru reached
the mouth of Port Arthur at midnight
Of the 18th, and effected the laying of
mines at several points outside of the
port, defying the enemy's searchlight.
1.-THE second destroyer flotilla discov-
cred at dawn of the 18th one Russian
destroyer trying to enter the harbor,
and after ten minutes attack sunk it.
Another Russian destroyer was discov-
cred coming from the direction of
Laotishan and was attacked, but it
managed to flee into the harbor On
our side no casualties except two sea-
men or the Ikatsuchi slightly wounded.
Lured to Destruction.
"There was no time to rescue the en-
emy's drowned crews, as the Bayan ap-
preached. The third fleet reached out
side of Port Arthur at eight a. m,
when the Bayan came out and opened
fire. Immediately afterward the Novik,
Askold Diana, Petropavlovsk, Pobieda
and Poltava came out and made an Of
fensive attack.
"Our third fleet, hardly answering
and gradually retiring, enticed the en-
envy Is miles southeast of the port,
when our first feet informed through
wireless telegraphy from the
third feet, suddenly appeared before
the enemy and attacked them.
Petropavlovsk Strikes Mine.
''While the enemy was trying to re-
gain the port battleship of the
Petropavlovsk type struck mines laid
by us the previous evening and sunk
at 1922 a. m. Although another ship
was observed to have lost freedom OF
movement, the confusion Of the en-
emy's ships prevented us from identify
ing it. They finally managed to re-
gain the port.
''Our third fleet suffered no damage.
and the enemy's damage beside above
mentioned was probably slight also.