Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-04-20
Says ships were
lost IN BATTLE
PARIS REPORT DECLARES MAX
AROFF IS DEAD AS A RE-
suit OF NAVAL FIGHT.
DEATH OF GRAND. DUKE
CYRIL is RUMORED

CYRIL is RUMORED
Another Report Declares He Is Still
Alive and Improving-Semi-of OFF,
cial Version of Disaster to Rus
sian Navy.
Paris, April 16-Information received
in government quarters now establishes
the fact that naval battle occurred be-
tween the Japanese fleet, consisting of
IA warships, and the force under the
late Vice Admiral MakarOff. From this
the officials strongly incline to the con-
clusion that the destruction Of the Rus
sian ships and the loss of the admiral
resulted from naval engagement.
However, the only definite official infor-
nation is that battle occurred, and it
is believed that the Japanese submarine
boats took part in the engagement and
caused the destruction of the Russian
ships
Death of Grand Duke Rumored.
St. Petersburg, April 16.-persistent
rumors are circulating that Grand Duke
Cyril is dead, but the correspondent of
the press cannot secure any confirma-
ton. On the contrary, Lieut. Gen.
Prince Galitzine, master of Grand Duke
Vladimir's household, is authority for
the statement that a telegram was re-
ceived Friday morning reporting the
condition of Grand Duke Cyril as being
better.
Sequence of Events.
St. Petersburg, April 16.-Out of the
maze of conflicting reports regarding the
sequence of events leading up to the de-
struction of the Petropavlovsk it is now
established that Vice Admiral Makaroff,
early Wednesday morning, took out his
squadron to engage a weak division of
six Japanese cruisers which appeared
on the horizon after the Japanese tor
pC.o boats, which sank the Bezstrashni,
had been driven off by the Bayan. Par
ticulars of the torpedo boat fight are still
lacking. The Russian commander in
chief pursued the Japanese cruiser di-
vision until it was reinforced by II bat
tleships, when he retired into the outer
roadstead, where he was drawing up in
line OF battle when the disaster to the
PetrOpaVlOvsk occurred. It is absolute
ly denied that Admiral Makaroff's ships
participated in naval engagement.
The injuries to the Pobieda are de-
clared to be slight. The explosion which
injured her took place just at the water
line. The opinion expressed at the ad-
mlralty here is that it was produced by
a spent Whitehead torpedo which was
floating on the surface of the water and
which may have been fired during the
torpedo boat fight.
1t is reported that % officers were
lost on board the Petropavlovsk, includ-
ing Capt. Vasilief, belonging to the ship:
Admiral Makaroff, II members of his
staff, including Rear AdmiralSy tolas,
the chief of staff, and Lieut.. Won Kobe,
the aide-de-camp of Grand Duke Cyril.
Famous Painter Perished.
st. Petersburg, April 16. Vassili
Verestchagin, the Russian painter, was
Vice Admiral Makaroff's guest on the
Petropavlovsk. 1t is reported that he
was lost with the ship,
Main Force at Win.
Shanghai, April 16. 49, Advices from
Seoul, Korea, state that the main force
of the Japanese has arrived at Win.
It is also stated that in the future
Japanese troops will be landed at Chul-
san, near the mouth of the Yalu river.
1t is further reported that Japanese
transport has carried home 70 soldiers
who were wounded in the fighting on
the march to Wiju.
Version Practically Official.
St. Petersburg, April 16-There has
been obtained what is practically the Of
fetal version of the sinking of the bat
tleship Petropavlovsk at Port Arthur
and itsclears up to a great extent the
mysterious features of that vessels de-
struction. The version is as follows:
Retiring before the advance of su-
perior Japanese fleet which was not
fighting it's progress, the Russian squad
ron approached the entrance to the
harbor. 1t was shortly after eight
o'clock in the morning, and most of the
officers and members of the crew were at
breakfast on the flagship. Vice Admiral
Makaroff was eating breakfast in his
cabin and the wardroom was crowded
with officers surrounding the tables.
On the bridge Grand Duke Cyril, his
friend, Lieut.. Won Kobe, Capt JakovleR.
commanding, the vessel, and two other
officers were on watch examining the
narrow entrance preparatory to enter
Ing it.
The Explosion.
At about $3.50 o'clock there was ter
rifle explosion of the boilers, followed
few seconds later by detonation from
the well stored magazines Huge gaps
were torn in the hull of the ship, and the
water rushed in. The center of gravity
having gone, the ship rolled ON her side
and sank. All information tends to
prove that mine was responsible for
the destruction of the Petropavlovsk.
The scene below will never be de-
scribed as, SO far as known, not single
person between decks succeeded in es-
Gaping. The hot steam which scalded
the men on deck indicated what must
have been the character of the death
met by those in the engine room. The
men on deck were thrown in all direc-
lions, those falling into the water SWIM
ming and grasping the wreckage to
which some of them were able to cling.
The remainder of the squadron immedi-
ately stopped and lowered small boats,
and the torpedo boats steamed as quick