Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-04-15
SUBMARINE BOATS USED
IT IS NOW BELIEVED
Expert Authorities Dispute the Mine Stories-Rumored
that Grand Duke Cyril is Dead-Now Reported that
Port Arthur Harbor is at Last Blockaded- Use
Wireless Telegraphy and Die is Russia's Command.


from st Petersburg of a belief that the
Japanese are using submarine boats in
their Port Arthur attacks are given
color by statement credited to a re-
tired naval officer in this city. He de-
clares it to be the only way in which
one can account for the. succession Of
disasters met by the Russian ships.
''It is incredible" he said, that
ships which undoubtedly have charts
OF the mines aboard should be blown
up by them. One of the first things
Vice Admiral Makaroff did when he
reached Port Arthur was to re-survey
the harbor and locate the mines.
what Is the sense of these constant
bombardments If they are not feints
made in order to entice the Russian
ships out? The theories that the Pc
tropavlovsk struck her own mines or
that the Japanese planted mine dur
ing night attack are untenable and
we know that the Japanese have sub
marines.
"a United States naval officer land
ed at the wrong dock. apparently an
unused Wizard, dn Japanese town be-
fore the war, and saw q submarine
surrounded on three sides by high
fences so that it was visible only
from the waterside. Before he had an
opportunity to examine it Japanese
soldiers on guard drove him away
with fierce threats. They seemed
highly indignant that he should have
caught sight of the boat at al"
Port Arthur, Thursday, April II
delayed in transmission).-An engage
ment occurred at 6 o'clock yesterday
morning between seven Russian tor
pedO boats and the cruiser Bayan and
Japanese vessels. The torpedo boat
destroyer Bezstrashni was sunk. Five
of the torpedo boat destroyers, with
the Bayan, returned at a. m.
The battleships Petropavlovsk, Po1
bieda and Peresviet- and the torpedo
gunboat Gaydamak then put to sea.
AT $50 a. m. a terrific explosion oc-
Cured beneath the Petropavlovsk and
the ship went down in two mintes.
The Japanese squadron, consisting
of about twenty ships, remained In
sight until o'clock in the afternoon.
The fighting between the opposing
flotillas of torpedo boat destroyers
lasted about an hour The Bezetrashni
was surrounded by three Japanese tor
pede- boat destroyers and sunk. ,4e
Japanese boats then withdrew and the
Japanese squadron appeared on the
horizon, whereupon the Russian squad
ron left the roadstead, steering In the
direction OF the enemy's ships, which
retired. Soon, however, the japanese
reappeared with formidable force of
about score of warships The Rus
sian squadron returned to the road
stead and took up a position in line of
battle, ready to receive the enemy.
The sudden explosion which de-
stroyed the Petropavlovsk occurred al
most Immediately thereafter, and the
battleship went to the bottom.
The Grand Duke Cyril, Captain
Jakovleff, the commander of the Pc
tropavlovsk, four officers and some
fifty men were saved
The battleship Pobieda was dam
aged amidshipS and went into the inner
harbor, where She anchored.
The enemy's vessels, which were
formed in two divisions, disappeared
in the course of the afternoon.
The fresh breeze which was blowing
throughout Wednesday developed into
violent gale towards night.
ID.
Russian torpedo boats which put tc
sea on Tuesday night, kept up run,
ming fight with the enemy until cary
Wednesday morning, when the cruiser
Bayan steamed out to aid the torpedo
boat destroyer Bezstrashni, which was
crippled and unable to shake off the
Japanese attack. The Bayan drove
the enemy off, but the Bezstrashni
sank at q. N. The Japanese torpedo
boats withdrew, but almost immediate
" six Japanese warships appeared or
the horizon. Admiral Makaroff or
dered the squadron out to meet them
and the Japanese retired, but soon re
appeared, reinforced until the fleet con
sisted of sixteen or seventeen warships
The Russians put back to the roadstead
and formed a battle line. when at pre-
cisely 10 o'clock, without warning, lie
Petropavloysk blew up and sank The
Pobeida received a breach amidships
and retired to the inner harbor, where
nm examination proved that her IN
juries were not very serious. Besides
Grand Duke Cyril. Captain Jakovleh
aad Lieutenant Yakovsky. Nidshipmer
Sylitte. Jcnish and Yakomleff were
rescued. Reports as to the number oil
seamen saved are conflicting, one
placing the number at thirty-two and
another ut flfty-one. They were res
cued by the torpedo gunboat Gayda
max.
The cause of the destruction of the
Petropavloysk has not yet been ascer
tanned.
st Petersburg, April ia tele
gram from Grand Duke Boris t.
Grand Duke Vladimir, dated at Liat
Yang yesterday, gives Grand Duke
Cyrips account of his escape from
death In the disaster to the Petro
paylovsk. According to his story Cy
ril fell at the moment of the explosion
to the port side of the bridge and from
there he lowered himself to the deck
He was then swept away by an i'm
mense wave and sank to a consider
able depth but succeeded in regainins
the surface. By his own efforts he
caught a floating fragment of the
Petropavlovsk's steam launch tc
which he clung for about ten minutes
when he was picked up by the destroy
er Bezshumi.
A telegram adds that Cyrirs aide