Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-11-04
THE RATIFIED RUSSIANS.

No act of the Russians since Iney
began their heretofore illmanaged war
witbJapan has euualed the oneby their
Baltic fleet in the North Sea, when IL
fred on and sunk some defenseless and
harmless English fishing smacks. This
Baltic fleet which has been starting
for such length of time to the war,
had q fourteen Thousand mile trip be-
fore it, indeed there was no japanese
shin of any kind or character nearer
than that, but the Russian admiral
was wary, he would take no chances
and like all other scared animals he
was on the lookout for danger so keen
ly and afraid of it so certainly that
little fishing smack was magnified into
afour funnel battleship and the smallest
craft into torpedo boat. The adml-
raj began cleaning the ocean before
him, and he sent shot and shell after
all he saw. But for dense fog under
which the fishermen crept, there is no
telling what damage the great Baltic
feet might have done. The world was
shocked at the act. The English na-
ton was appalled, and outraged. They
knew there were no Japanese in those
waters, and there was no understand
ing the motive save that from the first
they as did most others, believed there
had been another characteristic Rus
sian blunder. This is now assured.
The Russian admiral says he was at
tackled by two Japenese torpedo boats
and in defending himself sunk one OF
the boats and the other fled. This he
still maintains. AS a matter of fact
no Japanese war vessel could stay in
those waters without a breach to Brit
ish neutrality, and another evidence
that there were no Japanese torpedo
boats there, all of the Russian battle
ships are still afloat.
But that naval squadron should
be started out to make trip of four
teen thousand miles and before it had
more than started it should blunder
after this fashion, what fool acts may
its officers not be guilty of before it
reaches its destination, and in what
trouble may it not involve its native
country? Any soldier, or for that
matter anybody who has ever been
stampeded, can easily understand the
Russian admiral. This was the first
time he had possibly ever been out of
sight of land, 1t was surely the first
time he had ever been out looking for
a real enemy, and he was cautious, he
was Vigilant, he was careful and with
al he was brave. Nothing In the shape
OF vessel was to come near him with.
out first bowling and scraping to him,
a floating log, or any bit of wreckage
would not only be examined with a
telescope but also with a rapid firing
gun, who knew but the innocent look
ing thing might not contain a crafty
Jap with his internal explosives. Japs
haunted the dreams of the admiral.
they sat upon every wave, and could
be seen in every cloud. At the battle
of Port Republic after Shields had been
whipped the army of Fremont
marched upon the heights beyond the
river, an Austrian officer who had
some artillery under him and who i'm
agined he saw rebels everywhere, mis-.
took rail fence over near the battle
field for line of Confederate infantry
and he poured shell into it for half an |
hour in the most furious way, and in |
his report afterward made his gallant
and watchful as we'll as most soldiery
action one of the browning events of |
the campaign. 1t is safe to say that if |
the Russian fleet is as dangerous on
the rest of its course as it was in the |
beginning, 1t will make record never
equalled, but will be badly in need of |
ammunition by the time it reaches the
seat of war. 1t will have had much
needed practice however, and will have
found few vessels it could whip.