Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-05-20

Troops Near Port Arthur - Only
Three and Ninety Saved
From Both Ships Out of n Crew of
One Thousand and FOrty-One.
LONDON, May 20. Advices from
Tokyo say Vice Admiral Togo has re-
ported two naval disasters to the Japa-
nese fleet off Port Arthur as follows:
"A report from Rear Admiral Dewa
says that the cruisers Kasaga and Yo-
Ishino collided during a fog off Port
Arthur on May II. The Yoshino sank,
only ninety of her crew being saved.
"On the same day the battleship
Hatsuse struck a Russian mine and
sank.'
Giving details of the disaster, Vice
Admiral Togo says:
AT fourteen minutes past l in the
afternoon of May 10, in Il deep fog off
Port Arthur, the Kasaga rammed the
Yoshino, sinking the latter in Il few
minutes. Ninety of her crew were
saved.
THE same morning the Hatsuse,
while cruising off Port Arthur cover
ing the landing. of the soldiers, struck
a mine ten knots southeast of the har-
Dor entrance. She signaled for help
and instantly struck another mine. She
sank in half an hour. Three hundred
of her crew were saved by torpedo
boats"
After the Hatsuse had been struck
by Russian mechanical mines a Rus
sian ftotilla of sixteen torpedo boats
and d~estrOyers appeared. but were re-
pulsed by the Japanese cruisers, which
saved 300 of the Hatsuse's crew, in
Guiding Admiral Mashiga and Captain
Nakao.
Only 800 of the crews of the vessels
sunk have been saved out of Il total
complement of 1,041 officers and men.
A Chefu report says thirteen Rus
slams, who arrived from Dalny by
junk, are authority for the statement
that during a b~ombardment of Port
Arthur by the Japanese Monday after
noon the Japanese battleship Hatsuse
and the cruiser Yoshino struck mines
and sank.
Others who have just arrived here
from Dalny reported to the Russian
consul that the Hatsuse sank in two
minutes after contact with the subma-
rine mine and that there was no time
to save the crew. The accident hap
pened, it is said, within sight of Port
| Arthur.
The party of Russians said that the
H%atsuse sank two minutes after run
ming on the mine and that the Yoshino
was being lowed away by Il vessel of
the bombarding fleet when she also
went down.
One report brought here says that
besides the ~battleship Hatsuse the
battleship Full, not the cruiser Yo-
shine, struck Il mine.
Arrivals say that the entrance to
Port Arthur was for Il time blocked,
but that one of the sunken steamers
was removed, and the entrance is now
open, but is still dangerous, and the
| Russian fleet has been ordered to re-
main in the harbor until the arrival of
| Admiral Skrydloff, who will take COM
mand.
A st. Petersburg dispatch says the
loss of at least two Japanese w%arships
is officially confirmed. A message
from Port Arthur, received by carrier
pigeon ut Mukden, was transmitted to
the emperor early yesterday morning.
saying that two Japanese warships
had been lost off that port. This mes
sage followed the emperor to Koursk,
and no one here knew its contents I'M
til late last night, when foreign tele-
grams brought full details of the Jap
anese loss.
When confirmation came of the sink
ing of at least two Japanese warships
the greatest enthusiasm was manifest
ed ut st. Petersburg.
A cable from Tientsin says:
ut is reported that 10000 Russians
are marching to the relief of Port Ar
thur, and the japanese are consequent
ly Fastening offensive operations.
"~Forty-five thousand troops have al
ready been landed at Kinchau and
Talienwan, thus entirely investing
Port Arthur.
"The Japanese advance lines are sew
en- miles from the Russian batteries.
"Skirmishes occur daily along the
railroad.
lit is believed that the Japanese in
tend attacking Port Arthur with the
entire force when it numbers $4,000
men. They are mounting six inch
naval guns on steel wheels with the
object of silencing the Russian bat
teries.
1.-THE Manchurian railway soNth of
Hardin is constantly broken by Chi
nese marauders, and the Russians
threaten reprisals.'
A Newchwang report says it is re-
ported there from reliable source that
the Japanese army from the Yalu river
has received a heavy blow and been
driven back to Fengwangcheng.
A Weihaiwef dispatch says the
British sloop of war Espiegle has stdTt-