Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-02-18
ARTHUR BATTLE.
Detail Of the First Engagement Of tn,
War-Russians Completely
Surprised.

1CtQui Ov tU0 VUVoS 6OQaQSn00S OF xUQ
War-Russians Completely
Surprised.
Paris, Feb. 1.-THE correspondent at
Che Foo OF the Paris edition of the New
York Herald describes In a dispatch the
tranquil appearance of Port Arthur on
Monday night, when u Russian official
said he expected the Japanese feet In two
or three days. The weather was fine, and
tho Russian sailors impressively chanted
their evening hymn. At s o'clock the light
house was lighted n the guiding lights
were burning. Only one Russian warship
was using her searchlight, and this in a
l~eisu.cly fashion. Three torpedo boats
were patroling on the outskirts of the fleet.
All the others were inside the basin.
A deep silence settled down, but this
was broken at 1870 o'clock by three muf-
fed explosions. which made the steamer
Columbia vibrate violently. Instantly fir
Ing began. and the searchlights were used,
but without much method.
Il watched the operations" the CORE
spondent goes on. thinking they were
only maneuvers, until midnight, when the
firing almost ceased. 1t stopped entirely
at 8 o'clock In the morning"
Bleaching the Russians.
The correspondent then describes the
arrival n Bleaching Of the Russian YES
sells, which were at first supposed to have
been in collision. But at twenty minutes
OF 3 o'clock Russian naval officers board
ed the Columbia In a great state Of ex-
element, saying the viceroy la ordered
the Columbia not to attempt to leave.
This wa apparently done with the idea
of preventing the ship from acquainting
the Japanese with the extent Of the Rus
sian damage
Daylight revealed two Japanese cruis-
- 49,
break a strange apathy seemed to possess
tho Russians. The white faced, gaping
crews crowded forward on the decks of
the damaged vessels, and nom of the Rus
SLAMS showed a disposition to chase the
enemy or fire a single hot TIL the Japa-
nese had departed at twenty minutes past
8 o'clock, when the Russians started in
pursuit. gcing in shore towards Port
Dalny. They returned. however, at 9:15
o'clock without having fired.
Locking tho Door Late.
1t having apparently occurred to them
that the japanese had effected q complete.
surprise owing to their bad outlook, the,
Russians now nave outside five effective
battleships and five effective cruisers, be-.
sides smaller vessels and thirty-seven tor;
p~edoboats. i
It was almost II o'clock when the jap!
anese squadron Of sixteen. including f1vej
b%attleships. appeared in fine order. All
11:l5 o'clock there came the first FASH
from n Japanese vessel. ard a Pinch!
shell landed near the to~rpedoboats.
grouped near the entrance Of the harbor.
The aim was splendid.
Owing to confusion on the part Of thel
quarantine officials. or perhaps because;
the Russians thought the Japanese would
not like to nre near the British flag. the
Columbia was close to the Russian fleet.
and In the line OF fire. n the Japanese
shells fell thickly around her, several,
bursting near by and strewing her decks
with splinters n water. I!
The captain OF the Columbia then got.
under way in spite Of the protests Of thei
Russian guards on board. and got his
vessel out of danger. making full speed
for Che Foo. The Russian guards werel
praying ~fsrvently. and the Chinese crew.
Of the ship was frightened. but they
worked well.
No Ship Destroyed.
The bombardment lasted until 1l:l5i
O'Clock. Tho japanese aimed their IRE
well. two shells bursting ct the summit
Of n fort and q number on the cliff and
the beach. All were heavy shells. The
rate OF fre on both sides was slow. Three
Russian battleshtps. were hit. but the ex-
tent Of the damage could not DO obtained.
Apparently no ship on either side was
disabled. The Russian cruiser Novik
fought peuckily. keeping clossr BY far
than ~ other Russian vessel to the Jap
anese until the heavy are concentrated
on her compsllsd her to retire on the bat
tleships. The other Russian cruisers
fought 1t frst outside the line OF battle
chips.
The Russians seemed to fight with little
formation. but this was probably due to
the cfampod space, they being never
more than Or md . half miles from the
AmARA AAA- oAAAnA 49, 49,. 500