Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-03-17
AT CLOSE RANGE
Admiral TOga Tells of Fourth At
tack on Port Arthur

been captured.
St. Petersburg, March IA. noon
There is no truth in the rumors that
the Russians have abandoned FORT Ar
thur. Admiral Abazs, secretary OF the
Commission on Far Eastern Affairs, au-
thorizes the Associated Press to deny
the story. He says the situation at
Port Arthur is unchanged and that moth
ing of importance has occurred there III
the last "a hours.
Toxic. March l3.-Admiral Toga's re-
mort of the fourth attack on Port Arthur
by the Japanese fleet on March 10
reached Toxic late Saturday afternoon.
1t is as follows:
"Our squadron, as prearaanged. at
| tackled the enemy at Port Arthur March
| 10. Our two torpedo fotilas reached
the mouth of the harbor at Port Arthur
at one o'clock on the morning of March
10. Finding no enemy and waiting un
til dawn. one hotila engaged in sinking
special mines in the harbor entrance.
Notwithstanding the enemy's fire,
our flotllla succeeded in sinking the
mines. The other fotilla met the enc
my's torpedo fotlla,- consisting of six
boats, in the Lao THE channel, south OF
Port Arthur, at 4:30 o'clock. A hot
engagement occurred at close range for
80 minutes. The enemy then took
flight.
"Our fire greatly damaged tie Rus
sian ships, one of which was badly Grip
pied by shot through the boilers, and
another was observed to be on fire. SO
close were the two hotlla's to each 9th
err that our destroyers, the Asashio, Ka-
sunni and Akatsuki, nearly touched the
enemy's ships and our crews could even
hear the cries of agony of the wounded
men on them.
We sustained some damage and loss.
The Akatsuki had steam pipe brok-
en- and four stokers were killed thereby
Our loss was seven killed and eight
wounded. Among the latter is Chief
Engineer Minamasawa, of the kasumi.
Our other f1otilla, while leaving the
ha, Dor entrance, observed two Russian
torpedo boats coming from seaward and
Immediately engaged them, the battle
lasting one hour. After causing them
severe damage one of them effected it's
escape, but our destroyer, the Sasanami,
captured the other boat, which proved
to be the Steregnschtchi.
Notwithstanding the land batteries
poured heavy fire on our hotilla, the
captured vessel was taken in tow. Ow-
ing to the high sea the towline soon
parted, and the Sasanami found it nee
essary to take the crew from the Rus
sian boat and abandoned the Steregus.
chtchi, which finally sank at 1890 |
O'Clock.
"The enemy's crusiers, the Novik
and the Bsyan. steamed out of the en-
trance of the barbor toward US, but OBJ
serving the approach of our crusier
squadron, retired to the harbor. Our
aotilla suffered some damage but not
1eavy. The Sasanama and the Akatsukl
lad two sailors killed and Sub-Lieuten-
mt Shmi of the Akatsuki, and three
ailors we're wounded.
"Our main and cruiser squadrons ar
lved off Port Arthur at eight o'clock.
The cruisers Immediately advanced to-
Yards the harbor entrance to protect
he torpedo fotilla. The main squad
on advanced near Lao THE Shan and
nd opened an indirect canonade against
he inner harbor from 10 O'Clock to 40. r
according to the observation made by :
ne of cur cruisers facing the entrance,
be bombardment was remarkably effect
re. During the cannonade the enemy's
md batteries fired, but none of our =
hips suffered any damage.