The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-03
RUSSIA'S FAR EASTERN LEADERS
Rear Admiral Spurs Topedog the Enemys Ships in the
Man and Beloved of His Men,
BY A RETIRED RUSSIAN OFFICER

desperate bravery and conspicuous
4 ability by the Gar. He was given
/ the Cross of St. George-most priced
I Of all Russian decorations-a gold
sword of honor. and the rank Of cap
/ tain After that. he was marked out
for distinction. and was rapidly pro-
NOTED through various important Of
| fees until he commanded successfully
the Baltic Mediterranean and Pacific
! squadrons.
Makaroff comes of a distinguished
naval family, his father having been
flag captain. Throughout his long
career he has shown remarkable pro-
| fessional ability and great skill In the
handling of fleets He is also famous
in all the navies of the world as an in
| ventor of naval appliances, of which at
least a couple OF dozen are now in use
aboard Russian warships. He made
two trips to the Arctic Circle to test
his ice-breaker "Yermak" against the
eternal ice of the Polar zone. That is
a good Illustration of his character
He leaves nothing to theory or chance
Commander of KrOnstadt.
Admiral Makaroff was commander at
: Kronstadt, the Russian Gibraltar, be-
fore he was ordered to the Far East,
and had held that post for many years.
! Unlike many Russian naval officers,
! he takes the keenest interest in the
welfare Of the enlisted men, and can
be approached by them with petitions
and grievances at any time. At Kron-
( stadt he used frequently to pay sur
| prise visits to the ships in port and
eat some of the dinner served to the
men, in order to make sure that the
pursers and cooks were doing their
duty.
| In person, Makaroff is a tall, finely
| built broad-shouldered man, with
bushy gray beard and whiskers. He
looks ten years younger than his age,
which is Sc. His manner is genial and
| friendly, whether he is talking to an
officer of his own rank or to an ordi-
nary seaman.
! Admiral Skridloff. the present COM
mander of the Black Sea fleet. who Is
expected to take out the Baltic fleet
to the Far East. was a Junior officer
under Makaroff In the torpedo cam
paign against the Turks, and has risen
along with him to the highest ranks in
the Russian service. He has copied his
old commanders methods to a great
extent, and. like Makaroff, believes
firmly in taking the initiative in war
fare when it is possible.
The Fighting ROmanOfYs.
The Romanoffs-the Russian impe-
rial family-were always a fighting
house, and every one of them is train
ed almost from infancy in the profess
sion of arms. They receive honorary
rank as matter of courtesy, but they
do not receive commands of practical
importance until they have been test
ed even more thoroughly than the av-
erage officer. In the Russo-Turkish
War no fewer than twelve members
of the imperial family, not counting
the Car, held positions at the front,
ranging from commander-in-chief to
captain on the STAFF, and every one Of
them more than justified the position.
The royal family will be we'll to the
front in the present campaign. Gen.
Kouropatkin was accompanied on his
journey across Siberia by the Grand
Dukes Michael Nicolaievitch, Boris,
Alexis Alexandrovitch and Nicholas.
The Grand Duke Vladimir may go la
ter. He is at present in command of
the military district of st. Petersburg
and is practically commander-in-chief
of the Russian army under the Gear
, A well-known American general has
said Of him: 1.-THE Grand Duke Vladi-