Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1904-04-21
RUMORED HARBOR
HAS Been CLOSED
Japanese Are Said to Have
Succeeded in At
tempt.
TRAGEDY OF THE FLAGSHIP

Mystery Attending Disaster Is Ex-
planned BY observation-disclosures Are
s Persistent. However. That Japan.
csc Torpedoed Makaroff's VESSEL
st. Petersburg. April 15.-(5:52 a.
m.)-Rumors are current here that
Vice Admiral Togo sent in a humber
of steamers on the night of March 81
and succeeded in sinking several OF
them and in blockading the channel
Of Port Arthur. The rumors cannot
be confirmed at this hour.
The date referred to by the cores.
pondent in the above dispatch, Marcn
81, is probably according to the old
style calendar, by which the event
would have taken place on April Is,
according to the new style calendar.
London, April 15.--The Daily Mails
Che Foo correspondent declares that
ldvices from both Russian and Japan,
sse sources indicate that the battle
snip Petropavlovsk was torpedoed. BY
pretense of an attack on the har.
Dor by the enemy, Admiral MakaroffS
says the correspondent, was enticed
outside for the Japanese torpedo
boats, which crept behind him and
awaited his return and dealt the blow
as he was nearing the harbor on the
return. ''..
st. Petersburg, April 15.-The AS
ISOLATED Press obtained last night
what is practically the official version
of the sinking or the battleship Petro.
pavlovsk at Port Arthur and 1t clears
up to a great extent the mysterious
features of that vessels destruction.
This version is as follows:
Retiring before the advance OF a
superior Japanese fleet, the Russian
squadron approached the entrance to
the harbor. 1t was shortly after 5
o'clock In the morning and most of the
officers and members of the crew OF
the flagship were at breakfast. On
the bridge Grand Duke Cyril, his
friend, Lieutenant Won Kobe, Captain
Jakovieff, commanding the vessel, and
two other officers were on watch ex.
aiming the narrow entrance prepare,
tory to entering 1t.
At about $3.50 o'clock there was a
terrific explosion of the boilers fol-
lowed few seconds later by detona.
ton 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 a
single person between decks succeed.
ed in escaping. The hot sun 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 directions, those falling into the
water swimming and grasping the
wreckage to which some Of them were
able to cling.
The remainder of the squadron i'm.
mediately stopped and lowered small
boats, and the torpedo boats steamed
as quickly as possible to the rescue Of
the survivors.
The escape of Grand Duke Cyril and
Lieutenant Won Kobe was nothing
short of miraculous. The force of the
explosion sent Grand Duke Cyril fly.
ing across the bridge and the base OF
his skull struck on an iron stanchion
Fortunately he did not lose conscious
ness. Believing that the ship was
about to sink he climbed hastily down
its side and boldly plunged into the
waIer. He succeeded in reaching a
piece of wreckage to which he clung
The grand duke was in the water
about twenty minutes before he was
picked I'D by a torpedo boat Lieuten.
ant Won Kobe was also found swim.
ming and was picked UP. Captain
Jakovleff was thrown against stanch.
ion with such force that he was killed.
The exact number Of Vice Admiral
Makaroff's staff on board when she
sank is unknown, but 1t is thought by
the admiralty to be probably fifteen or
sixteen. The exact number OF the
crew lost is also unknown.
Grand Duke Cyril's injuries were Sc
we're. Besides receiving blow on
the neck, his legs were burned and ne
suffered serious shock. He was
Immediately taken to a hospital at
Port Arthur where his injuries were
attended to. He will remain there for
three days and will then be brought
to st. Petersburg. .a..