The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-16
The Russian Disaster.

frF - :
sian fleet out OF commission. The Port
Arthur fleet consisted Of the six battle
ships Sevastopol, Peres CsareYitch.
$Toltava, Pobieda and Ritvizan. the four
cruisers Askold. Novik, Diana and
iPallada, and eight torpedo boats and de-
Sstroyers. The vladivostols squadron con-
sisted of the Rurik, the II ossia and the
Bromobio. 4 s5 a
The ships Mt Port Arthur were driven
Eout by the land fire Of the Japanese. AS
they came out the tlivostok squadron
came down to their aid. What was the
result? The Czarevitch was 50 badly dis
abled that sho will do no more service
during the war. Three of the other ships
which put back to Port Arthur are Grip
pied, while the cruiser Askold was al
most In a sinking condition wien ~ she
reached NYoo-5ung
The Novik is said to have escaped, but
iatslast reports the Paliada was missing
CT II the smaller craft, they are for he
most part Crippled. cap tured ,aSl Or de-.
stroyed. i % IN s q.
IL OF the 4vladivostok fleet. the Rurlki wa 8
sunk in 1.-THE straits of Korea, and the
Rossia and Gromoboi took to their heels.
both being badly damaged. "A Nj
g That Is a bad showing for Russia E'11' 81
Japan IS success seems to have been due
to the better mnrknansh hip OF the "A apss.t
ON mere tonnage ~, says the Phi1adel-
5phia Press, the three Russian cruisers,
with 5000 tons which met dnliral
}Jlamimura, are nearly equal II n the four
IJapanese cruisers of 300 tons each; but
lin armament the vessels match, carrying
each four eght-inch4 guns. In their gun I'M
fire, therefore, tile Japanese had a dis
Stinct advantage Their four Il heavy
cruisers had sixteen eight-inch S guns.
where the three Russian vessels 8had but
twelve. though they hat forty-el ght six
inch guns to forty SIKH cf guns On the
Japanese vessels. Int this cruis engage
3ment the Japanese had la 81 number OF;
smaller craft and their guns are better
protected. The Rurik and Rossias were
mere Shell traps. and while the Gromobo
has six-inch protection for its guns, this
was no heavier armor than }t1le5Efolur
heavy japanese cruisers had. In the r us-s
SllIl~ CRClS'IiNiie,
tie heavy engines. They were commerce
2destroyers and ina fight have Jared
but ill..'"s
The Press says that as farSas It goes
the battle Of the Korean Straits affirnls
the gment q our 81 ayy that heavy
Eun-firc counts for more than tonnage
and boiler power. III 55 IA
I'm the agement off Port Arthur the
Press says that tonna ge was evenly ven
matched. III n &.
/! The six Russian battleships had Y, S6S
tons and twenty four twelve-inch guns.
The five Japanese battleships 69,100 tons
and II twenty twelve-inch guns; but they
from two to three knots faster
and their guns We're Of a better ma ke.S
The Japanese fleet had also the aadyan-
tage Of cruisers more heavily armed
The Diana, p allada and ..Askold, 5000 ton
cruisers, carried no thing 2.!heaylerg than
siX-inch guns. 1T he IN ovik Is a small
cruiser Of 3,0s0Stons. having only SIX 47-5
inch guns former heavy bat terry and two
inch deck. The Nishin and Ilasuga are
each 1. 700 tons and carry four eight-inch
guns. The Yakunl in Admiral Togo s.
second line IS 8, $50 tons, and has four
eight-incl3 guns and twelve six-inch, with
six-incll armor over il Ter guns. The
chitose, Kasagi and ma kasago are each
heavier than the Novik In tonnage q 7a
tons, and carry two light inch guns sr
apiece. 5 I'm 339E Fl ~ 543
1t would appear from this that the
Japanese tonnage and gun -fire We're SUI
perlor to the Russians, a and l1 they had had
the men behind the guns.
s ------=-------- M S
The Control Of Thought.