The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-09-23
ADMIRAL TOCO'S
LONG VIGIL
THE PECULIAR TACTICS RUSSIAN
THUR-vEssELs REPORTED FIGHTING coND1-
T1oN WHEN THERE Is ONLY
JAPANESE CRUISER

on Board Chicago Daily News Dispatch
Boat Fawan, ChefOo, August 30.-Night
attacks at Port Arthur usually come off
between 8 p. m. and midnight. As the
Fawan has been forbidden to approach
the coast after dark by the Japanese OF
course we can see nothing and can only
make surmises, but from all appear.
ances the program Is about the same
as by day. l am led to l,,lieve from
what have seen that the cruisers and
battleships are keeping well out of the
way OF mines since the loss of the Hat
suse. AS far as I can judge they have
not been in near enough for two weeks
to fire a shot, but remain quite out of
range watching the torpedo craft at a
distance which renders themselves safe
from mines and is still near enough for
them to support their small companions
in case any of the Russian cruisers
should Unexpectedly issue from the
harbor.
One night the fleet made one of these
approaches and from what 1 have beer
able to learn put two Of the Russian
cruisers out Of business. In the even
ing the guns on the fort opened Lp
with the tremendous roar which always
indicates Japanese approach. A f7w
moments later we spied two apparently
new searchlights In the direction of tbs
entrance to the channel. These were ia
all appearances quite separate from the
hill lights and were sweeping the hor!-
zon and sea with their white rays.
For an hour or more the cannunad-
ing was terrific and almost uninter-
rupted and then seemed to cease or
the forts. but to be continued at g
greater distance on the other side Of
the town. Until 2:3O a. m. this dull un'
dertone, as of thunder, continued, pune.
tuated every few minutes by the crasf
, of heavy siege guns. We were not able
to learn anything definitely at the
time, but / have since learned that the
searchrghts which we saw early in thC
evening were those of the Russian
cruisers coming out of the harbor.
A Japanese officer on one of the tor
pedo craft tells me that two. the Diant
and the Askold. were torpedoed Ait
badly damaged and were Obliged to re-
treat into the harbor. This would seen
to be another case of Russian misman
agement and inconvenience in handi.nt
their fleet. The Japanese strength. az
all know, Is in their daring and fearless
handling of their torpedo boats and tn
proper time for torpedo action is a
night, as by day no protected cruise
need fear even three or four TORPEDO
boats. as her secondary and rapid fir
batteries are supposed to be able t.
destroy the small steel shells with cas-
long before they are within torpedoinl
distance. Yet, Notwithstanding thes
well-known facts, the Russians sen,
out two of their still intact boats t.
cone with the arm of the navy in whicl
Japan excels most of all at the yer,
time when the destroyers and topped
boats can act with the utmost degre
of efficiency.
IF tho Tfssions have these aNail9n nj
and conditioned boats why under N
sun 10 they not send the.u out IN til
davtina To rooot tho JqnaUeea to~pe8
boats when they are lowering 7bpu- tn
Z bluffs. even running the risk of an en-
Pa ro"oont with the cruisers that or
supporting them? In this sort of a figh