The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-02-17


Senator Ellsworth.
The Japanese have dealt the Rus.
slams a crushing blow at Port Arthur.
An advance squadron of the Japanese
rect, under command of Vice Admiral
Togo, and comprising 16 battleships
and cruisers with numerous torpedo
notilla. left the main feet off Shan
Tung peninsula on Sunday, immedi'
ately that the news of the diplomatic
rupture became known.
The Japanese scouting cruisers
had given accurate information Of the
precarious situation of the Russian
feet outside Port Arthur The squad
ron steamed slowly in battle forma
tion Sunday midday toward its goal
and came within sight of Port Arthur
under cover of darkness. 1t cruised
slowly outside without showing lights
The Russians were lying in the
roadstead apparently feeling secure
from attack. Nearly all the Japanese
torpedo boats were dispatched on their
dangerous and daring task. They
rushed full steam on the enemy, who
we're completely surprised. A great
rattle Of small arms greeted the inva-
ders, who, however, escaped unhurt
and the Retvizan, the Czarevitch and
the Pallada were almost Immediately
torpedoed.
The Japanese dashed along the en-.
tire line of the Russians. exposed by
this time to a terrible fire from ma.
chine guns and small arms from both
the ships and the shore. There was
the utmost CONSERVATION among the
Russians, which probably accounts
for the Japanese torpedo boats escap-
ing practically unscathed and rejoining
the admiral outside. The admirals
feet, during the attack, kept out of
range of the Russian searchlights.
The two battleships disabled are
the Poltava and the CZarevitch. The
disabled armored cruiser Boyarin and
the grounded battleships block the en-
trance to the harbor, preventing gun
boats from getting out and battleships
and cruisers from going II and getting
coal
Besides this Japan has the Russian
gunboats Variag and Koratz caught at
Chemulpo They were bound for
Vladivostock.
The disabled battleships are inside
Forts Huan Ching Shan and Chi Kwan
Shan. The cruiser Boyarin is out.
side but within range of the forts.
In dispatch from Tien Tsin a cor
respondent of the London Mail says it
Is reported there that the Russian
cruisers Variag and Korietz at Chem.
ulpo hauled down their flags without
firing a shot and that 5000 Japanese
immediately landed and the march to
Seoul commenced.
A correspondent of the London
Standard at Toxic gives this ac-
count of the Port Arthur encounter.
He says that Admiral Togo's fleet ar
rived Monday night and found the
Russian squadron drawn up in battle
formation outside the harbor and
under the shadow Of the forts, the
destroyers being spread out in front
over distance of five miles. Admiral
Togo decided on a night attack and
opened fire at II o'clock. While the
cannonade was hottest a number of
Japanese torpedo boats crept along
close in shore at the foot of the Cliff
and succeeded in the darkness in
getting between the Russian ships and
the land. Here they lay unnoticed
until the Russians began to give way
before the Japanese fire and sought to
re. enter the harbor. The Japanese tor.
pedo boats then opened fire at COM
raratively close range and sunk two
battleships and one cruiser close to
the entrance of the harbor. The effect
of this coup was the retreat of the
remainder of the squadron into the
harbor.
Considers Port Arthur Lost.
Admiral Candiani, who commanded
the Italian squadron during the Chino
japanese war, and who is considered a
most competent Judge of the present
situation there, has given an inter
view to the Giornale D'Italia He
said: ut is reported that Port Arthur
has provisions for 1S months and that
there are no civilians there, but this
is doubtful. | believe Port Arthur to
he lost to the Russians and that their
feet is destined to be gradually de-
stroyed, excepting the few ships talk
ine refuge at Vladivostock.
81 believe Russia can bring to-
gether 10000 men on land, and il
would be difficult to increase this num-
Ger, while Japan can concentrate 800
900 troops in Corea, where she would
be supported by local sympathy"
Torpedo Transport Blown Up,
A report was received from Viceroy
Alexieff saying that the Russian tor
pcdo transport Yenisei has been blown
up, as the result of accidentally strik
irg a mine at Port Arthur. The
lenisei sank and Captain Stepanoff
three officers and 81 men were lost.
Japan's Conduct Was Proper.
Professor Woolsey of the Yale Law
school, an authority on international
law, gave it as his opinion that in
breaking off diplomatic relations the
japanese government gave a perfectly
fair warning to Russia that war was
at hand.
"a declaration of war nowadays Ia
unnecessary said Professor WOOlsay