The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-25

lney prescribe tnc nunDer anu MINI
of lights to be shown by steam and sail
vessels engaged in fishing and give In
minute detail the rules guiding such vessels
when under way, trawing, line fishing and
lying-to These regulations control the
movements OF vessels under all flags In
the region north Of Cape Finisterre, Which
Is frequented by thousands OF vessels be-
longing to the countries lying on those
coasts. Navy officers cannot understand
how the Russian officers could have mis-
taken these vessels for Japanese torpedo
boats, since 1t appears that the lights were
displayed according to regulations and the
fishing fleet was In that part of the North
Sea frequented by IL.
RUSSIANS MUST HAVE BEEN IN PANIC.
The State Department is chiefly concerned
! over the incident in so far as 1t may serve
as the means Of embroiling European
| Governments in the Far Eastern troubles
1t has been the hope OF the United States
Government that the hostilities between
japan and Russia will be confined to remote
and sparsely populated regions, where the
chances OF dragging In other Powers would
be small. Assurances were given by Japan,
| 1t Is understood, that there would be no
hostile demonstration in European waters
| against the Russian fleet now on it's way
! to Asia.
! The United States Government was not
| prepared for the disclosure Of the Russian
state of mind as displayed by the Baltic
| fleet
The frantic assault upon the fishing vessels
revealed what seems to have been the fact,
| that the Russians were in state OF APP
! aL4- -. T..
| light OF that attack it now appears that
the Russians accepted as probably true
the rumors that Japan had secretly con-
veyed torpedo boats to the North Sea for
the purpose Of waylaying and destroying
the Baltic feet. These rumors were
thoroughly discredited both here and in
England, but at st. Petersburg there was,
1t now appears, disposition to attribute
an almost Satanic enterprise and malev-
olence to the Japanese.
CHANCES OF TROUBLE.
at is useless to speculate upon the pos
sibilities Of trouble growing out Of this in
cident, said an official Of prominence to-
day. 1T is sufficient to say that they are
numerous and Of the gravest character.
We hope, however, that some reasonable
explanation may be given by the Russian
Admiral. though it is difficult to conjecture
wherein reasonable excuse may be offered
for the act Of last Saturday morning. The
officers and men Of the Russian navy are
VIGOROUSLY hard drinkers, which may .ex-
plain, though not excuse, the mystifying
attack upon the British fishermen. II it
should develop that drunkenness was at the
bottom OF the affair the question arises
Co. - thf.< J,,txy ~ fha
to put stop to the journey OF the Baltic
} fleet before further havoc is wrought.
Indeed, such question might with
propriety be propounded now, granting
that the officers were sober and suffering
merely from panic that made them frantic.
The gross stupidity of their performance.
to put it mildly, at once rouses doubts Of
their competency. Is the commerce OF
any nation in the path of this Baltic monster
to be destroyed for no other reason than
that every vessel encountered is suspected
to be Japanese enemy?
ADMIRAL SHOULD BE RECALLED.
"The leaat that the Russian Govern
ment could do, It would seem, would be to
disavow the act. make proper. apologies
and financial amends to Great Britain, and
recall Admiral Rojestvensky as an evil
dence OF good faith. If the fleet is to be
permitted to steam around the world some
satisfactory assurance should ba given
that it will not repeat. on a larger scale,
it's folly of last Saturday. In this respect
the United States is as greatly interested
in the affair as Great Britain.
"No steps have been taken, 80 far as we
know, toward calling Russia to account
i -. tha toE
to-day by Great Britain. None will be
taken. probably. pending the reply of
Russia and a full explanation Of the North
Sea incident We sincerely hope that the
explanation may be forthcoming and as
surances given, upon which all nations may
rely. that no further outbursts Of such
murderous character will occur.
SOME EXCUSES OFFERED.
Some OF the younger officers in the Navy
Department expressed the opinion to-day
that the Russian commander was not to
be too severely blamed for firing upon the
fishing fleet. They recalled several ex-
periences with the late war with Spain
in which American vessels narrowly missed
being fred upon by other American vessels
in the confusion Of darkness and difficulty
OF exchanging signals. The safety OF the
fleet they argued, was the first duty OF the
Russian Admiral, and the approach Of
many small vessels through the mist might
we'll have served to arouse the gravest APP
prehension, having in mind the reports
that Japanese torpedo boats had been
secretly despatched to the English coast
for the very purpose of destroying the feet
One Of the older officers, who has made
at least ten trips through the North Sea
on board Of American warships, took an
entirely different view of the matter.
THE Russian officers had merely to read
the international regulations to prevent
them from making the fearful blunder
they made. The North Sea is filled with
small shipping. The steam uawlers which
we're fred upon are a familiar sight. They
do not resemble in the remotest degree a
torpedo vessel They look much like the