The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-02-20
FACTS ARE SCARCE
,,1uOR MONGERS IN FAR EAST
HAVE FULL SWAY.
-, Far as Is Definitely Known There
Have Been but Two Engage
ments Between Japs and Rus
sians--CorrespOnd Dispatch
Boats Held.

London, Feb. 16.---The curtain of
,,vstery which shadows the view of
tho theater of hostilities in the far East
:. a. dense as ever. The air is full of
,,,mors. but definite facts are scarce,
.nd the only thing that seems settled
il that decisive land fight has not yet
heen fought and may not be for some
days to come.
The Japanese transport service has
uot been the overwhelming success
+hat the followers of the mikado would
like to have it appear, and the offens-
i've plans of Admiral Alexieff seem to
have been of less moment than the st.
Petersburg officials would have it ap-
,,aar, Of course, battle must come,
hut it may be postponed for some days,
a. Japan will not attack until her force
j. sufficient to insure success. Russia
will fight, but only on the defensive,
~ the force under the control of Ad-
miral Alexieff is not strong enough to
undertake an offensive attitude against
the army Japan has available.
According to dispatches received in
St Petersburg from Major Pflug, Adj
miral Alexieff' 8 chief aide, the Japan
ese are preparing to attack near Tsin
Wen Dao, on the Liao Tung promon-
tory. near which the japanese are re-
ported to be landing troops.
Situation at Sea.
The situation at sea seems unchang-
ed Japanese cruisers Nishin and Ka-
saga are believed to be in commission
and flying their war flags. 1t is the
opinion in naval circles that they are
searching for the Dimitri Donskoi and
the Aurora, the two Russian warships
that pursued them nearly from Genoa
The Siberian squadron, which escaped
the ice and has been in evidence off
the north coast of Japan ever since is
mystery That it actually sank a
Japanese merchant vessel because it
had no time to bother with prizes,
seems we'll founded, and it is certain
that there will lbe round of protests
from civilization should the report be
true that Russian action in the prem
ises violated the rules of warfare.
1t is reported, and in many quarters
credited that the fleet bombarded the
unprotected town of Matsumaye, and
is now sailing south, ready to destroy
all Japanese property encountered.
Russia claim that she scored small
success at Dalny is apparently sub
stantiated, but the fighting did not
get beyond the skirmish stage. There
fore success in this instance means
very little one way or the other.
Reports of further loss to Russia in
the Port Arthur fleet continue to re-
ceiye wide circulation, but are abso-
lutely without confirmation from any
source. No credence is placed in them.
Owing to the fact that the dispatch
boats of the newspaper correspondents
are held up in the various ports by the
belligerents, the men at the front who
could usually be depended upon to get
news through are blocked. They can
do nothing but stay where they are
and hope that conditions will SOON
place them so that news can be sent.
In the meantime the rumor mongers
have full sway.
The first fight at Port Arthur has
been repeated as separate engagement
from day to day and published as such
by the newspapers here and on the
continent for what they are worth.
The result is that the public is bewild-
cred and believes that Japan has scored
series of unbroken successes, while
the truth is there have been but two
naval engagements, the one off Che
mulpo and the Port Arthur fight
Viscount Hayashi and the japanese
legation here are in an expectant
mood and believe that important news
Will come from the scene of hostilities
within "a hours. What it is likely to
be they decline to mention, but they
tell all the newspaper men to keep up
their spsirits and watch the legation.