The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1904-02-12
RUSSIA AND JAPAN AT WAR
RIKsT BLOW STRUCK Al PORT ARTHUR
AT RUssIA's COST.
Beth Countries Freps-iDg for the StruEEIs
and Troops Being 8Iassed in Eorea
and Manehuria-Issus Involved
in the War.

]
I in the War.
Russia and Japan have practically
! gone to war. And as a sequence to the
hOstiIities now existing, Japan, auxious
to strike vital blows IN the beginning
sounded the first gun Of the conflict Al
about l:4O O'Clock Monday morning,
[ February s. when the Japanese torpedo
/ feet dashed into the outer harbor OF
Port Arthur and attacked the Russian
feet, sinking the cruiser Palada and
wrecking the battleships Cezarevitch
and Retvizan- The three ships dam
aged OF destroyed were the best in the
Russian feet.
The Russian battle ship Retvizan was
built by the Cramps at Philadelphia.
She Is Of 12.7OO tons displacement, has
5000 indicated horsepower, and had a
speed of Is knots an hour. Her armor
IS Of KruPp steel. from four to ten in
ches in thickness and her armament
consists of four Pinch guns, twelve
6-inch guns, twenty 3-inch guns and
twenty-six smaller raPid-fire guns.
The Cezarevitch Is a battle ship of
Is, ITO tons, built in France. In armor.
armament and speed she about equals
the Retvizan.
The Paliada IS a cruiser of &, $50 tons.
She was built in Germany and was
completed in 1902 Her armament con
sists of six 6-inch guns, twenty 3-inch
guns and eight 1{-inch guns. Her
speed is estimated at 20 knots.
Her protection lies IN an armored
deck 2iz inches thick and the coal
bunkers are so as to keep out an en-
emy's Projectiles.
The latest count of Russian warships
in the far east total 81. including eight
battle ships, IS cruisers, II gunboats
and So torpedo boat destroyers and
torpedo boats. Three more battle ships
and nine torpedo boats are to 20 to the
far east In the spring.
The open and hostile attack by Japan
Precipitates state Of war. Russia Is
amassing troops in Manchuria, and
Japan IS moving her military camps
upon Korean ground Naval battles
will perhaps be the first shocks of the
contest, but before long Russian and
japanese soldiers wiu meet somewhere
near the boundry between Manchuria
and Korea.
Late last week Japan broke of diplo-
matte relations with Russia, and her
ambassador to St. Petersburg Is on his
way home.
Japan, fearful that a satisfactory set
Element could not be made, became ex-
asPerated at the dilatOriness of Russia.
which all the while kept moving more
troops near to the seat of trouble. Rus
! sia's attitude toward her antagonist was
thus anything but reassuring. and Japan
considered she was forced TO take the
initial step.
The cause of this present difficulty has
its origin in the ending in 1894 OF the
war between Japan and China. The
military occupation of Manchuria by
Russia was considered by Janan as IN
friendly But more than this. Russia
has even evinced signs of extending her
authority into Korea, and there's the
rub In the negOtians Japan agreed
that Russia's interest should be para
mount TO hers in Manchuria, If in re-
turn Russia should consider Japan 5
interests paramount in Korea Russia
refused, and the result Is war
In a naval battle between the fleets
of Japan and Russia IN Port Arthur
bay Wednesday, the Japan guns sunk
| two more Russian cruisers, disabled two
battleshiPs, and at another time cap
tured three Russian transports loaded
with 1000 soldiers In the battle 10
Russians were killed and 81 wounded,