The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-21

CONTINUED from First Page.)
army at the strength determined
upon.
Depends on Baltic Fleet.
The assignment Of four cruisers to |
Vladtvostok and the damage sustained |
by the Retvizan. Czarevltch and Pal
lada rendered the Russian Asiatic feet |
Pallada Is again In active service.
The Czarevitch cannot be repaired |
In time for the projected fleet opera
tons. Repairs are being pushed upon
the Retvizan. The feet will not par
tictpate in offensive operations, but
aged. it Is hoped, under the guns of
Port Arthur.
Russia believes Japan's fate will be
decided by the new fleet, which is to
be formed in the Baltic and which
will arrive in the far east the last of
will comprise five hrst-class and three
second-class battleships, one armored
and five protected cruisers, six
auxiliary cruisers, twenty-one torpedo
boat destroyers and a number OF oil
ships and Golfers.
The battleships are the Imperator,
Alexander III, Orel, Kniaz Suvaroff
l-all Of which are under construction
the Boridono and the Osliabya, Sis
sio Veliky, Navarin and 1mperator
lNicolat l., which are in commission.
There Is but one armored cruiser
available for the new Russian fleet
the Baltic feet as it is called. This
is the Dmitri Donskoi, built twenty
years ago and partially reconstructed
in 1895. -.-
The Dmitri Donskoi is only Of 5000
tons, her greatest speed is 1916 knots,
and her heaviest guns are only
inches in caliber. 49,.
:: In anticipation of the dispatch Of
this fleet to the far east, men are be-
ing drilled, especially in gunnery. in
commander, of the feet will be Ad-,
niral Rojestvenslky. a man In whom
the emperor and the naval service
have the greatest confidence.
| Russians Are Confident.
The army, filled with courage, is
. batting itself on the back and telling
the navy, in a good-natured way, that
it will see that the Japanese are de-
, feated. ... .........
The navy accepts thebanter, but
J it Is determined to avenge the initial
7 squadron. ..
t The other day met Baron Fersen,
who served until recently as naval
: attache of Russia in Washington.
I'm blowing up his ship he said,
: "the commander OF the Varlag TOOK
the only proper course. 1t is tradi-
: ton in our navy never to surrender;
8 to go down first. That tradition will
>, be observed"
l Naturally, it is pure speculation to
discuss the plan Of operations to be
: followed. The general naval staff
e and the general army staff have been
= considering this important matter sep
afe1v and tONether.
Had thegeneral naval staff had
it's way" I was told by an authority
i, when I first arrived in st. Petersburg,
Il "the Asiatic fleet of Russia would
never have been weakened by the de-
f tachment of four armored cruisers
4 and their assignment to Vladivostok.'
:. All speculation resolves itself into
i this: The greatest care will be taken
# to guard the Port Arthur squadron
8 from further damage until the arrival
Y of the Baltic fleet. The squadron is
: not to be engaged in offensive opera
n rior force with which it may have
n opportunity to deal. The four ar
q 1 mored cruisers at Vladivostok are also
e to be ket instact If possible. They
= are not to lombard fortified cities MOI
e run over mines in japanese waters.
II Leave Early in June.
e The Baltic fleet will leave as early
as possible for the far east. It will
sail probabaly in June. It will go a
the, most economical speed, burning
oil as much as possible and reservint
oil burners and for active operations
France will, not permit the ship
l. to take coal from her ports, but sh'
J. will raise no objection to thei
l. coaling from golfers within tn
lie shelter Of her harbors. Thus tn
" Russian fleet can take fuel at Mar
n settles and again at Jtbuti, OPPOSITE
III Alden.
We Entering the Indian ocean, the flee
will have passed the halfway poin
er between Port Arthur and Cronstadt
rs It can put into an Indian or Cyclones
a. port and demand coal to enable it t,
ID reach Port Arthur. The Englisl
Of their ally, but If they should gran
the request, they would not violat
neutrality, and IL they should fail t
do so, Russia might become angered
i. What viii Togo Do?
It is recognized in st. PETERSBURG
that Japan will never permit the Bal
~ tic and Port Arthur fleets to effec
a. a. junction If it can be prevented. Ad
-. miral Rojestvensky may be instructed
I'll however, not to proceed at once t.
- Port Arthur, but to arrange to NEE
II. the vladivostok squadron.
Mt It is expected that Admiral Tog
ed VIII statlon mas force just 70 ne sou.
of Korea, g. position which will enabl
Irf him to guard the Yellow sea and tn
e. Korean starts.
elk So much depends upon Russia gain
ct | ing mastery Of the sea that militar
81 operations will be conducted slowl
gs and circumspectly by General Kuro
ipatkin until the Baltic fleet arrives i
o1t the east. If the Japanese navy b
81 destroyed, the Japanese troops mus
81 finally succumb. Without help fror
nd Japan, without means Of escape t
their own country, they cannot avoi
annihilation.
an Russian authorities will be pro
e. nounced good by all war experts. Blu
he the question will be: Can they exc