Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1904-04-16

only 81 out OF Crew OF 600 Men Were
Saved, tho Grand Duke Cyril Being
Among the Reconsideration Oc,
CURED at Port Arthur and Is the
Worst Of Succession Of Tragedies
Of Which the Russian Fleet Has
Been the victim-AdmiraI Makaroff
Was the Pride of the Russian Navy.
st. Petersburg. rg.-The awful disaster
to the battleship Petropavlovsk at Port
Arthur April 13, with the loss of al
most her entire crew of more than
600 men, and the death of Vice Ad-
miral Makaroff, has been terrific
blow
1t would have fallen less heavily il
the ship and the commander-in-chief
of the fleet had been lost in battle, but
to be the result of another accident.
following upon the heels Of success
sion of tragedies of which the Port Ar
thur fleet has been the victim, it has
created something like CONSERVATION.
"Reverses we can endure" said a
prominent Russian, "but to have the
Petropavlovsk meet the fate Of the
Yenesei and the Boyarin is heartrend-
ing"
1t has just become known that the
battleship Poltava several weeks ago
had hole rammed in her by the bat
tleship Sevastopol while the latter was
maneuvering in the harbor of Port
Arthur.
The day has been one Of intense ex-
element in st. Petersburg. The first
inkling of the catastrophe transpired
on the receipt of a telegram by Grand
Duke Vladimir from his son, Grand
Duke Boris, announcing the loss of the
Petropavlovsk. and the wounding Of
Grand Duke Cyril, who was first Off
Ger.
The Grand Duchess Vladimir was al
most frantic on the receipt of the tee-
gram, being convinced that the mes
sage was only precursor of worse
news, as it was signed by Grand Duke
Boris, instead by the aide to Grand
Duke Cyril, Lieut.. Won Kube.
The reason why the telegram was SO
signed afterward became apparent, as
Lieut.. Won Kube had gone down with
the ship.
The youngest son Of the Grand Duke
Vladimir, Grand Duke Andrew, dash
ing young guardsman, rapidly drove
to the winter palace, the admiralty and
elsewhere, seeking confirmation of the
irh tvrrr, lot IN,
message to the emperor from Rear
Admiral Grigerovitch, the command
ant at Port Arthur
A religious service was Immediately
$50 % .t-o---s--~-'-------- - i'''''Ne'
in which thanks were returned to the
Almighty for the sparing of the life
of Grand Duke Cyril, but the emperor
was so overwhelmed with grief at the
death of Vice Admiral Makaroff that
neither he nor the empress attended
the service.
The emperor sent member of his
personal staff to break the sad news
to Vice Admiral Makaroff's widow who
is living at Peterhof, few miles west
of st. Petersburg.
Meantime the city was filled with
the widest rumors, but the official de.
spatches were so meagre and private
dispatches so conflicting that the pub
lie was kept in suspense for six hours.
Then, although the report was in
complete dispatches were posted o.
the war bulletin boards. The grief OF
the crowds, whose worst fears were
thus officially confirmed, was touch
ing The ministry of marine was soor
surrounded by thousands eagerly ask
ing for more details.
Relatives of those who were or
board the Petropavlovsk anxiously in.
quired as to the fate. of their loved
ones.
What occurred prior to the BLOWN!
up of the flagship was only vaguel
known except that Vice Admiral Max
aroff, with his flag flying on the
doomed vessel, sailed out to engage tho
enemy until his reinforcements ap-
peared.
1t is thought possible that Vice Ad-
miral Togo planned an ambuscade b.
sending in small squadron in thf
hope Of drawing out the Russian com
mander to the open and then cutting
him off,
The Associated Press learns that The
location Of six of the mines planted
by the Yenesei were unknown, the
charts having been lost when that yes
sci went down. Probably it was one o!
these mines that the Petropavlovsk
struck.
Vice Admiral Makaroffs death is
really a greater loss than would be
that Of several battleships.
He was the pride of the navy and en-
joyed the implicit confidence of his
sovereign as we'll as of the officers
and men Of the service.
Speaking of his death, officers here
all remarked upon the strange fatality
that he should lose his life on heavily
armored battleship, to which he ha6
particular aversion.
This morning for the first time he
had raised his flag on battleship
while previously he had gone out or
board the cruiser Novik or the cruiser
Askold. 1t was at the urgent request
of his friends that he did not risk his
life in this fashion, and so transferred
his flag to the Petropavlovsk.
1t is now an open secret that Vice
Admiral Makaroff was not anxious tt
resign his command of Cronstadt
which necessitated his leaving his
wife and family. but the emperor held
such high opinion OF him that hc
declined to consider other candidates
although it was pointed out that Real
Admiral Rojestvensky, chief of th'
general staff Of the navy, who has just
been appointed to command the Baltic
squadron, and who Is now destined tc
Japanese Progresiveness.
The Japanese always want the latest
"tip" of science; they are all for prog