Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-28
THEY MET A HOT RECEPTION.
Destroyer StiIni Struck Foremost
 Channel Stopper With Torpedo.
SEVEN KILLED. THIRTEEN WOUNDED
P1uc1xy Russian Destroyer Fought Six Jnpanese Torpedo Roats-Malka- rom Sailed Out, but Togo Declined the Combat, His Attempt to Stop the Channel Being Entirely Unsuccess- xul. .-

full. t.s.
 LONDON, March 2S.-A St. Peters
 burg dispatch says Vice Admiral Max aroff, commanding the Russian naval forces at Port Arthur, has sent the
 following official report to the en- l peror: "On Sunday morning before day light another daring but unsuccessful
 attempt was made by the Japanese to
 block the entrance to Port Arthur and bottle up the Russian fleet by sinking l four stone laden steamers in the en-
 trance to the harbor. The steamers
 were conveyed by eight torpedo boats.
 "As the Japanese fleet, consisting of
 sixteen ships, neared Port Arthur they were soon discovered by our torpedo boats acting as scouts. When the four steamers approached the harbor they were sunk by the guns of the forts and the Russian ships Bohr and Ot-
 ranjuy lying in the outer harbor, which opened a terrific fire.
 Fearing the enemy's ships might break through, Lieutenant KriniZki, commanding the guard torpedo boat
 Stilni, attacked the enemy and de
 stroyed the bow of the foremost Japa-
 nese steamer with a torpedo. This
 steamer turned to the right and was
 followed by two others, with the re-
 suit that the three were stranded to the right of the entrance. A fourth
 steamer went to the right of the ene-
 my's ships and likewise sank to the
 side of the fairway. The Stilni then
 battled with the enemy's six torpedo boats Engineer Artiflcer Swyereff of
 the Stilni and six seamen were killed, and the commander and twelve sea-
 men were wounded.
 "At daybreak the enemy's battle ship and cruiser squadrons appeared,
 and I proceeded with the fleet under
 my charge to meet the enemy. The torpedo fotilla was followed at con
 siderable distance by the battleships,
 which opened fire on the forts, SUD-
 porting the action of the fireships and torpedo boats. .,.........l.-.
 Owing to the heaviness of our ar- pedo boats the fireships did not reach the entrance to the harbor. Two of
 them grounded on a reef under Golden hill another sank behind the first turn i of the channel, struck by a torpedo from one of our boats. and the fourth
 sank, it's bow touching a Japanese l steamer sunk in the previous attempt off Majatschnaja Goroda The en-
 trance to the harbor remains clear
 "A Hotchkiss one inch caliber quick firer was found aboard one of the ] sunken steamers from which fire had been kept up on our torpedo boats.
 "A boat left each of the sunken ships l carrying their crews. One of these is believed to have been picked up. "
 Toward 4 o'clock a. In. the enemy's torpedo boats retired, and the bom-
 bardment ceased. at once proceeded emy's sunken steamers.
 The enemy'sj torpedo boats reap peared at o'clock. They were sighted south of Port Arthur, and the batteries reopened on them. Toward s o'clock the enemy's squadron again appeared on the horizon, and our ships steamed out to meet it. At 6:30 the batteries opened fire, Our ships batteries soon
 ceased, the Japanese drawing off to the southeast, evidently declining an en- gagement. At 10 o'clock they disap- peared below the horizon" It is believed that the Japanese lost two torpedo boats in the attempt. It Is acknowledged that one Russian torpedo boat was sunk in the engage
 ment. but it is thought the vessel can be refloated.
 1 When Vice Admiral Makaroff with
 his fleet sailtV out to engage the enc
 my Vice Admiral Togo decided to de- cline the issue and drew off
 Among all classes the gallantry of the Silni and her commander is the
 subject of high praise, but above all
 the moral effect of Vice Admiral Mak-
 aroff's willingness to engage the ene
 my, showing that he considered him. self strong enough to fight, produced i big impression.
 i In high official circles this new eff
 fort is looked upon as meaning only
 one thing-namely, that the Japanese
 are preparing for a heavy landing of
 troops in the gulf of Liaotung, either
 at Newchwang or on the west coast
 of the Manchurian neutral zone, to eff 1 feet which in safety the immobility of Vice Admiral Makaroff's fleet is ab- | solutely essential while the transports
 are being conveyed around the south
 ern end of the peninsula. If the at- 1 %ovnnf had xg7cceodod if voulH have y,a-