The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-03
HOW SERGEFF
MET HIS FATE
An incident of Torpedo
Boat Fight
Ing.

| Admiral Baron Yamamoto, SIrr iSsss-s
OF the Navy. has received the ss1Eosz-
ing letter. written in FreRcA, zszszz
Madame sergeff. wife of Lieut. seueE.
| Captain of the Russian orresssIsosmae
destroyer Stregustchi. which w&s SILK
during the fierce torpedo engageusss1-
off Port Arthur on March 1e.
Your Excellency: 1 respectfully
beg your Excelleney to take comp axss caz
on a poor humble woman, arl4o hsxa
been stricken by sorrow and rs In &gep
distress, and would ask you 1S TuzxzS
inquiries at the Sasebo Hospital as te
whether or not my husband EAsg9
| Sergeff. Captain of the StregGs1cfx.
which, hear. was destroyed, 'sSrSnE
| the naval engagement off Port AgsGsE.
on February 90. is alive or dead
have also heard it stated that Aornsra2l
Togo reported the saving of the w1dsr
of the crew of the Stregustcht by fkan
Sazanami, and that the Sasebo HISS
pital reported the recovery of the crex
owing to the skilful treatment % Ike
surgeons. j was exceedingly happy 10
| hear these reports. 1 at once made
efforts to hear of my husband by tele-
graphing to Japan. through the hands
of the French Ambassador bat hs z1-
jected my application on the grounE
that the japanese Government naauIG
certainly refuse my request,
But l believe that the japanese arc
not cruel. but are humane, this being
testified by their kind treatment sf cur
prisoners and wounded. to whom they
have accorded the same treatment as
their own Such thoughts maae nlE
write this letter l have spent twB
, months full of sorrow and aExie1x.
Will your Exeellency sympathize With
the misery of poor woman and favor
her with a reply? If my husband is
alive let me write to him. But if your
Excellency forbid it. I Will promise naf.
to communicate with him. but wig
await his return.
my revered Sir. please give me .
reply
Yours, etc.
NATALIE SERGEFF.
Baron Yamamoto speedily instructeR
his private secretary to forward this
following reply to Madame sergen:
Dear Madame: Regarding your ia-
quiries dated April % (Russian calen-
dar) and addressed to His Excellence
the Minister of the Navy, beg to for
During the naval engagement on
Port Arthur on March TO- our Destroyer
Sazanami perceivfng that the Stregust-
chi was unable to move, approached
her. Those who were still living or
board the Stregustchi were few az
number, and the greater part of thes@
attempted to escape by jumping over
board. The Sazanami tried her best 10
save three of the men. she being at tbs
same time heavily nred on by the Russ
sian forts, and was able to rescue tor
pedoman Yurfkoff and stokers Now
koff Vashinin. and Hilinsky. In add
ton, the SaZanami attempted to toar
the Stregustchi, but subsequently was
compelled to abandon her owing 10 her
heavy leakage and the approach or
Russian warshfps. Though it is be-
lieyed that the rest of her crew were
lost, nothing was clearly seen owing
to the confusion of the conflict Some
of them might have been saved by the
warshlps Of your own country
las the Navy Office could not ascer-
tain the fate of Lieut.. Sergeff, we rnadr
inquiries, through the Bureau of i'm
formation relative to prisoners of wax.
os nh mentioned fo4,r
ers, who are now at Matsuyama hos
pital, and obtained the following in
formation: Novikoff, Vasinin, and
Hilinsky state that on March 10 the
Stregustchi whilst approaching PORT
Arthur had her retreat cut off by the
japanese destroyers, and Lieut.. SergeT
was the first to be wounded He wa&
shot on his leg and fell on the deck.
Subsequently another shot struck him
on the head and proved fatal His
body remained on board.
.Yurikoff states that Lieut.. SergefT
having received a shot below the knee.
fell on the deck and remained there
but there was no one to help him oas-
ing to the fierce fighting that was TAX
ing place at that time. This Informant
states that the captain was then in
a dying condition. The former was thea
hit by shot and thrown overheard ana
saw no more of the captain. who he be-
lieves. with the other officers on boaE&s .
went down with the vessel. At thai
time the Russian warships We're far
away from her and moreover the off,
GERS had no life belts on, so that it was
impossible for them TO be saved either
by the Russian or japanese warshipS-
I'VE are not able to obtain any in
formation beyond the above, and adj
wise you TO apply to the Russian navaZ
authorities for further information