Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-03-12
DESTROYERS SUNK.
Russian Torpedo Boats Make
Sortie From Port Arthur.
EACH NATION HAS BOAT DESTROYED
MaIsaroT Cleared Channel Of Disa-
BLEED Retvizan, Hofsted HIS Flag
and Sailed Forth to Engage
the Japanese Fleet.

the Japanese Fleet.
LONDON, March 12.-An official st.
Petersburg cable says Viceroy Alex
eieff has sent the following message to
the emperor:
'"The Russian torpedo boat fiotilla
left Port Arthur at broad daylight Fri
day morning and attacked the Japa-
nese fleet.
lone japanese torpedo boat was
sunk and one Russian torpedo boat de-
stroyer, the Bezposhtchadni, was sunk.
admiral Makaroff has indugurated
his assumption of the command of the
Russian feet at Port Arthur by a COM
| plete change of tactics. AS SOC as he
arrived he ordered the removal of the
battleship Retvizan, which was strand
| ed at the mouth Of the harbor and
| barred the channel at certain stages
of the tide, making the egress of bat
| tleships impossible.
Admiral Makaroff, commanding the
Russian fleet, reporting yesterdays
action at Port Arthur, says:
six torpedo boats which went out
to sea the night of March 10, four of
them being under the general COM
mand of Captain Mattoussevitch, en-
| countered the enemy's torpedo boats,
followed by cruisers.
"a hot action ensued, in which the
charged a Whitehead torpedo and sunk
one of the enemy's torpedo boats.
"On the way back the torpedo boat
| destroyer Stereguschtchi, commanded
by Lieutenant Sergueieff, sustained
damages. Her engine was disabled,
and she began to founder. BY s o'clock
in the morning five of our torpedo boat
destroyers had returned. When the
! critical position of the Stereguschtchi
became evident l hoisted my flag on
the cruiser Novik and went with the
Noyik and the cruiser Boyarin to the
rescue. But as five of the enemy's
| cruisers surrounded our destroyer and
as their battleship squadron was ap-
%proaching | did not succeed in saving
the Stereguschtchi, which foundered.
| Part of the crew was made prisoner
and part was drowned.
ION the ships which participated in
the night attack one officer was seri-
ously and three others were slightly
wounded, two soldiers were killed, and
| eighteen were wounded.
sat 8 O'Clock fourteen of the enemy's
ships assembled before Port Arthur,
and a b~ombardment was begun with
1.-THE heavy guns of their battleship
squadron at long range.
'"This lasted until 1 o'clock In the
| afternoon. 1t is estimated that the
enemy fired 1914 twelve inch shells.
The damage to our vessels was in
significant, and they are again ready
for battle. Our losses were II officer
| slightly wounded and one soldier kill
| ed and four soldiers wounded.
1.-The illumination of the sea at night
by the searchlights mounted at our
batteries was most satisfactory, and
several times isolated shots from our
batteries forced the enemy's torpedo
boats to retire.
"Vith the commencement of the
bombardment at dawn the gums of the
fortress replied to the enemy's fire.
"1The crews of all the ships engaged
gave proof of remarkable GOODNESS in
action. Below decks the work OF the
day followed its ordinary course in
spite Of the shells falling between the
! vessels and covering them with frag-
ments.
"a bombardment at such q distance
must be considered ineffective, but the
Japanese cruiser Takasago is reported
| to have been seen to suffer serious
| damage, the extent of which, how
ever, it was impossible to ascertain at
a distance of five miles. Many shells
were fired at a range of seven and a
half miles"
A report from Nagasaki says Russian
tars to the number of forty went down
with the destroyer Stereguschtchi. The
remainder of the crew were rescued by
the Japanese and are now prisoners of
war.
General Kuropatkin, who left st. Pc
tersburg today for the far east to take
command of the military forces there,
had a long farewell interview with the
emperor. He also paid parting visits
to the empress and the grand dukes.
About 5000 men are going forward
over the Siberian railroad every day,
and by the middle of April all the
troops necessary to put into effect the
plans of the government will be In
east Asia. The land railroad around
Lake Baikal is expected to be COM
pleted by the middle of April, and
thereafter the transportation of sup
plies and munitions of war will not, il
is believed, give any further trouble.
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