Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-20
MASSINC AT KAREN
Russia Preparing to Crush
 Japan's Land Forces.
WILL SOON HAVE 4oO,o MEN ON YALU
Survivor Tells Story of Chcmulp~ EnEagement-Coolne of the Rus-
 sians Fighting Against Over-

sian troops to the number of 100000 At the Russian base at Harbin, Man churia, it is said that that number of men will have been distributed through Mnnchuria within twelve days. at
 The soldiers are taking all the pro- visions and fodder of the country, the value of paper money is falling, and an exodus of the demoralized populace has set in. Thousands clamor for transportation to western Russia by the Siberian railroad, which is unable to carry them owing to the demands upon it for the conveyance of troops.
 The following account of the fight is from Shanghai by survivor of one of the Russian ships held on board the French cruiser Pascal:
 "A Japanese squadron consisting of six armored cruisers and eight torpedo boats arrived off Chemulpo prior to the declaration of war. Admiral Uriu, commanding the Japanese squadron, requested the cruiser yariag and the torpedo gunboat Korietz to put out to sea, threatening otherwise to attack them at their anchorage. A protest was made by the captains of the French cruiser Pascal. the& British cruiser Talbot and the Italian cruiser Elba. The captain of the United States gunboat vicksburg alone refrained from protesting.
 The heroism displayed by the crews of both the Russian warships so im- pressed the foreigners present that many of them wept, believing the Rus sians were going to certain destruc- tion. As the Variag and the Koiietz steamed past the foreign war vessels the crews manned the sides and cheer ed continuously, and the strains of the Russian national anthem accompanied the Russian sailors as they went into battle .g5as.. .s.t s,
 AS soon as the Russian sl1ips ap- preached the mouth of the harbor the Japanese poured out their fire upon them. Every guu took part in the ter rinc, cannonade which lasted for an hour At ] o'clock in the afternoon tue Variag, severely damaged. and the Ko rietz returned to their anchorage,
 ''Thc Russian officers and crew, be- haved spIendidly Three times flames broke out on board the1Nariag while she was under fire, and each time they were extinguished as coolly as if the men had been at, drill. The wounded men were carried below. and the mem bers Of the crew who lost their lives were replaced by others The holes made in the Variag by the projectilcs of the enemy were not stopped I'D. The Variag sustained terrible damage. Both starboard andfp port bllwarks were destroyed, her guns were crippled. aud her hull was riddIad with shot. Thir- ty-tlree men on board of her were kill ed. including NIidshipman Count Nj rod. The captain of the. NariaG was bruised. The Korietz suffered no in jury.
 "The Japanese squadron lost many men. Two Japanesc cra.s:rs were se- verely damaged, and one torpedo boat was sunk aFS5 ss, Mfs4s:.s.zs.33
 For four hours we remained in the harbor expecting the Japanese to en- ter and renew the attack. Enc inju- ries of the Variag made it Impossible for her to fight any longer. and in or der to prevent the Japanese from get ting the vessels as spoils of war both the Variag and the Korietz were sunk. and the tender Sungari was burned. w
 All the Russian survivors of the en- gagement were taken on board by the foreign warships present excepting the Vicksburg. The Japanese admiral de- manded the surrender of these men as prisoners of war, but this the foreign captains chivalrously refused to do
 It is said that the czarina occupies herself every day, in compauy with la dies of the nobility, iI preparing Red Cross material for the empires wound ed
 A Tokyo dispatch says the Japanese government has expressed a willing ness to do all compatible with it's mil itary interests to enable American officers to observe hostilities from the Japanese side. AS result of this Colonel Enoch H. Crowder of the gen. eral staff, Captain John F.. Morrison, Twentieth infantry, Captain Peyton c. March of the artillery corps and gen. eral staff and Captain J. E.. Kuhn, corps of engineers, will as soon as pos sible report to the Japanese govern ment. Colonel Crowder, is in Washing ton now and probably will leave for the far east at once.
 From Chemulpo comes a report of disturbances in north Korea, saying that the United States minister, MT. Allen, was sending the transport Zafiro to remove American women and chil- dren from the Pingyang district.
 General Alexeieff, viceroy of Russia in the far east, has been criticised in some quarters since the Russian de- feats at Port Arthur and Chemulpo, but there is no intimation that he will not retain the viceroyafty. It is proba- ble, however, that the active direction of field movements will pass out of his hands. .,rs..4,.,z .h%.
 War Minister Kuropatkin, who is going to the far east, will be appointed commander in chief of the army opera tiOns there and Vice Admiral Maka- rolf, who is now on his way east on a train which is expected to reach Port Arthur in ten days, breaking all previ- ous records, is to be commander in