Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-04-16
RUSSIANS ST0UTLY DENY IT.
They Say the Enemy Was Ia No Way
Responsible for Sinking the
Battleship.
STILL HAVE A FLEET IN BEiNG.'
Are by No Means Discouraged More
Details of the Sinking Of the
Torpedo Boat Beztrasbui.

Toxic, April l6 $3.50 p. m.-The report
OF Vice Admiral Togo on the seventh
attack on Port Arthur has been receiv-
ed here He says at midnight on April
II the japanese sunk mines of Port Ar
thur. At S o'clock the next morning he
withdrew his ships 10 miles out. The
Russian battleship Petropavovsk
struck one Of the mines.
DENY THAT JAPS DID 1T.
St. Petersburg, April IS. 2!2O p. M.
One OF the highest authorities at the
admiralty makes the following state
ment to the Associated Press,
you can deny with absolute assur-
ance the reports that the enemy was in
any way responsible for the disaster to
the Petropayloysk Admiral Makaroff
never left the harbor without dragging
for mines. We believe the Petropav-
loysk's boilers blew up. They were of
the old Scotch type. We also consider
1t quite likely that an unexploded
Whitehead torpedo caused the Pobe-
dia's injury, as the explosion occurred
Just at the water line"
Vice Admiral Skrydloffs appointment
to command the naval forces at Port
Arthur has been received with great
satisfaction by both the navy and the
public He is great fayorIte with the
tackles.
Skrydloh Is considered to be one of
,he ahlssI seamen and strategists in the
Russian navy lie is tho natural sue
cessor OF Makaroff. whose comrade ne
was during the Turko- Russian war
both distinguishing themselves, The "a.
pers unanimously commend the selec-
tlon in the highest terms.
The N0yosti reviewing the naval ait
uatlon, argues that there Is no cause
for despair, the ships left at Port Ar
thur and Nladlvostok still constituting
What capt Mahan calls fleet in being.
when leaves the japanese not free to
act.
The first two brigades Of the nine ST.
berlan rifle brlgades have been ordered
TO be converted into nine divisions, in
creaslng their numerical strength to
about 100000 men.
The Russ prints q sensational tele.
gram from Moscow saying its corre-
spondent has noticed during the last
three days that the Chinese are hur-
rledly leaving that city owing, II Is
sald, 70 orders received from China.
The idea Is ridiculed at the Chinese le-
CATION here, whore II is said that the
relations between China aud Russia
are good, the last case Of friction re-
gardng the japanese instructors with
the Chinese army having been salts
factoriy settled, as set forth in these
dispatches April II,
FORTS NOT DAMAGED.
Port Arthur, Friday, Delayed in
transmissiol, April l5.--At 6 o'clock
this morning n small Japanese squadron
appeared OF the horizon and soon drew
or but at about 10 o'clock a hostile
feet numbering 20 vessels was again
sighted, They formed IN two divisions,
one taking up position behind Cape
Lao Shan and Smelling the shore and
the Tiger peninsula. while the other
bombarded the Golden Hill and other
batteries from point opposite the
roadstead, The fire was continued In
tcrmittently until o'clock In the after
noon. The Russian ships replied with
an indirect fire, and made good prac-
tlse. one shot damaging Japanese
cruiser, According to some reports
two japanese ships were injured. There
was no damage done to tho forts or the
town. Some Chinese were killed ai(l u
few Chinese and Russians were wound
ed,
FURTHER DETAILS OF FIGHT.
London, April l6 u:50 p. MIA dis
patch to the Central News from Port
Arthur dated yesterday gives the fol-
lowing account Of the mid-week fight
ing
Late Tuesday night eight torpedo
boats put to sea TO scout At about
$3.50 the next morning when the tlotilla
was returning, two boats, che Beg
strashni and the Smyell were over
hauled by the ships Of the enemy, which
had been cruising In the neighborhood
but out Of range OF the guns Of the
forts The Bezstrashni and the Smyeli
were attacked by six japanese torpedo
boats which were covered by four
cruisers and two battleships. During
the firing a japanese she'll struck the
torpedo room OF the Zezstrashn!. There
was a severe explosion and the boat was
completely wrecked. The other torpedo
boats turned back to aid the Be2strash.
nj aud the armored cruiser BayOn also
came 10 help the Russian torpedo boats.
The japanese fire was concentrated on
the Bayan, which picked up i've Of the
Be2strashniS crew and then covered
the withdrawal of the rest OF the no.
tilla. which reached the harbor safely.
on the arrival Of the dotila, Vice Adj
mlru Makaron' left ,he harbor with
the battleships petropayloysk Poltava
and pobieda and the protected cruisers
Askold, Diana and NoyIk and at
tackled the Japanese heot The latter
began to retire, whereupon the Rus
nan battleships returned towards the
harbor. ON their way back the eX-
plosion occurred ON board the Petro-
paylovsk, which sank IN two minutes.
Seyenty.nvc members Of her crew we're
picked up, but the rest. about $50 men,
persisted Norcstchngln, the painter,
who was ON board the Peuopaylovsk,
perishpd Thig afternoon the bodies re-