The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-04-23
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the torpedo room of the Bezstrashni.
There was a severe explosion and the
boat was completely wrecked. The
other torpedo boats turned back to aid
the Bezstrashni and the armored
cruiser Bayan also came to help the
Russian torpedo boats The Japanese
fire was concentrated on the Bayan,
which picked up FIVE of the Bezstrash-
mis- crew and then covered the with
drawal of the rest of the fotilia, which
reached the harhor safely. On the ar
rival of the fiotilla, Vice Admiral Ma
karoff left the harbor with the battle
ships Petropavlovsk. Poliava and Po-
bieda and the protected cruisers AS
kold, Diana and Noyik and attacked
the Japanese fleet. The latter began to
retire, whereupon the Russian battle
ships returned towards the narbor.
On their way back the explosion oc-
Cured on board the Petropavlovsk.
which sank. in two minutes. Seventy
five members of her crew were picked
ed. Verestchagin the painter, who was
on board the Petropavlovsk, persisted.
This afternoon the bodies recovered
after the explosion We're inferred"
THE PETRoPAvLovSK MYSTERY.
ST. PETERSBURG. April Is, 1905 p.
m.-No further details have been re-
ceived of yesterdays bombardment of
Port Arthur except that it was prac-
tically without result as far as injury
to ships or Notifications is concerned.
The loss of life was insignificant. r
The mystery of the sinking of the
battleship Petropavlovsk has not been
cleared up. That she touched mine
placed by japanese torpedo boats dur
ing the night is not officially admitted.
but there is a growing disposition in
unofficial quarters to accept this as pos
|. sibly being the true explanation. That
the mine was laid by a ruse of the
| japanese is generally believed, although
some speculation is INDUCED in which
may almost be described as fanatic.
For example, the possibility of the in
| PRODUCTION of an internal machine into
the coal-bunkers is advanced as an ex-
PLANTATION of the explosion which un-
doubtedly occurred on board the bat
tleship. The only thing affirmed with
absolute certainty is that it was not a
japanese shell. as no fighting was in
progress. All the papers scout the
! theory of the destruction of the Pet
ropaylovsk having been caused by a
submarine boat except the Novoe
| vremya; which Indignantly rejects the
| idea that Vice Admiral Makaroff COM
United unintentional suicide by being
| blown up by one of his own mines,
contending that both the Petropavlovsk
and Pobieda were struck by torpedoes
| fired from submarine boats, affirming
/ its conviction that the two new Jap
| anese cruisers which appeared with
the fleet for this first time on this oc-
casion brought with them a couple of
English or American submarine boats,
and limiting that they might have been
manned by British sailors.
/ There is considerable criticism at the
meagreness of the official dispatches
some of the papers strongly appealing
70 the Emperor for fun. complete in
formation, saying the Empire and peo-
pie are ready to make sacrifices and
are strong enough TO accept any news,
ssven the worst, adding that the EN-
peror's subjects desire something more