Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-04-14

calamity of yesterday. Sorrow for
the loss. but undiminished confidence
in ultimate victory is the note struck
by this mornings papers. An editor
ial In the Russ may be taken as voic-
ing the NATIONAL feeling. "Let us" it
reads. remain calm. 1t is black
day, but we have been struck by
blind fate, not by the enemy
The people sat up last night, await
ing further details of the catastrophe
and news of the result of Rear Ad-
miral Ouktomsky's encounter with the
japanese feet and this morning hur-
ried out in raging snow storm to
scan the bulletin boards, but nothing
further had come.
The Associated Press is authorita-
lively informed that the dispatches
given out last night were in the text
as originally received and represented
the sum total of the emperors adyices.
The emperor himself directed that ev-
cry word should be published. The
meagreness of the kilograms is attrib-
uted to the confusion due 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 y0lu-
minous cipher telegram which was
immediately sent to the admiralty to
be deciphered. This may take a
long time and it is doubtful if the
contents will be given out before late
in the afternoon
In the opinion of the emperor's ad-
vtsers the Petropaylovsk disaster oc-
Cured yesterday morning about Z
O'clock. 1t is presumed that Vice
Admiral A1akarof had sailed out from
Port Arthur on the previous day to
locate the enemy and had been cruis-
ing all night when he sighted the en-
emy, giving pursuit until the Japan
ese reinfoIcements appeared and then
putting back for the shelter of the
guns of Port Arthur. This explains the
second sentence in Rear Admiral
Grigorovitch's telegram: "Our squad
ron was sunder 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.
Not a single paper here has a special
telegram from Port Arthur this morn.
ing.
The Associated Press is informed
that Chairman Doubassof, of the tech
nical board of the admiralty, is more
likely to succeed Vice Admiral Max
arof than Rear Admiral ROjestvensky.
Doubassof is one of the heroes of the
Russo Turkish war and with MakarOff
helped to blow up the Turkish fleet in
the Black Sea.
Tt transpires that the first person to
hear of Makaroff's death was his wild
ow, who received private telegram.
She was on her way to st Petersburg
to see the admiral's brother, an officer
of the guards. when the emperor's
aide de camp reached her residence
at Peterhof with the message from
his majesty breaking the news and
condoling with her. The admiraI's s
brother returned with her to Peterhof.
She was Frustrated with grief. 1t is
reported by those who went to see the
widow that they found the whole
town talking of nothing but the loss
OF their beloved Stepan Osipovfch. (ths
patronymic of Makaroff). The adj
miraPs house was silent and dark
ened, and the eyes Of the sailor order
ly at the door were red with weeping
The late Vice Admiral Makarof
leaves in addition to a daughter Lille
(who is 1S years of age. and is known
as the belle of Cronstadt), an 11-year-
old son, to whom he frequently wrote
and te1egraphed. His last message
was dated April 13 and conveyed his
Easter greetings. The deceased adj
miral added that he was passing Eas-
fer evening on board a gunboat sta
toned at the mouth of the harbor.
st Petersburg. April 14.-Rear Ad-
niral Prince Ouknoski wires from
Port Arthur that the Vezsprakhni,
one of the Russian torpedo boat de-
stroyers sent out during the night to
reconnoiter, became separated from
the rest of the fleet owing to the bad
weather prevailing. 1t was surround
ed by Japanese torpedo boat destroy
ers and was sunk Five men were
saved.
Rear Admiral Ouknoski has taken
command Professionally since the dis
aster to the PetropaVlovsk. During
some of the maneuyers of the battle
ship squadron to-day, the Pobreba
struck against a mine amidship on the
sldFDOdF0 Sue 1lS Injuries were llOl
SO great as to prevent her from reach
Ing the port by herself. No person
on board the ship was killed on in
Jured
The Podieda (Victory) is a battle
ship of 1864 tons displacement and
Df 1880 horse power. She is 401A
feet long, has 711a feet beam and
draws 26 feet of water.
In the official lists the Pobieda is in
rluded in the Baltic fleet, but she has
been at Port Arthur for some time. ar
irving there previous to the outbreak
bf the war. She was completed in
1901. has complement OF 732 men.
her. estimated speed is 18 knots, and
The can carry over 1000 tons Of coal
The steel armor of the battleship
varies in thickness from 4 to 915 inches
along her belt. and she has an armored
aeck pa inches thick, 8 inches of side
lrmor above her belt, 8 inches of bulk
head arrnor. 8 inches over her heavy
gun positions and 6 inches over the
secondary gun positions. The arma-
s4ar1< af tho p0binf1a consists 0f four