Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-15
DIR. NILES MEDICAL CO, La

Dulh.
DIR MILES MEDICAL CO.. LA
Messages of sympathy are being sent
| to Russian officials by numerous pouie5
| throughout France.
| St Petersburg, April 14.-Ihe ponce
| contiscated copies of newspapers coii-
tanning accounts of the explosion ana
ordered subsequent accounts 10 be sup
| dressed. 1t is now stated that the room
| in the Hotel Du Nord was rented by
| two persons. one of whom is missing.
| A search of the ruins resulted in the
discovery of one of the victims legs
with the hosiery still on it, and also
the lower part of IL boot containing
| toes.
st. Petersburg, April 15.-VicerOy
Alexeff has arrived at Port Arthur
| and assumed temporary command of
the fleet until Vice Admiral Skrydloff
hoists his flag.
Paris, April 1.-THE Petit Parisien
St Petersburg correspondent says that
Grand Duke cyril, who was on the
| bridge of the Petropavlovsk would have
been drowned but for the fact that a
| buoy was thrown to him by Lieut..
Won Kobe.
The correspondent says that Aide De
Camp KOdroff was betrothed to Vice
Admiral Makaroff's daughter
St. Petersburg April 1.-THE Emperor
choice of a successor to the late Vice Ad-
miral Makaroff as commanderin-chief of
the Russian naval force in the Far East
has fallen upon Vice Admiral Skryloff.
whom he appointed this evening, tee
graphing to him to go direct from Sebas-
| torol. where he is in command of the
Black sea fleet. to Port Arthur and as
| sumo the command there.
| Next to Vice Admiral Makaroff. Vice
| Admiral Skryloff is the most popular man
| very able sailor and strategist but the
| tools at his disposal will be few in com
parison with those in the hands of the
enemy and it is feared he will be unable
to accomplish much.
St. Petersburg. April 1.-THE Associat-
ed Press obtained. tonight. what is prac-
| tcallv the official version of the sinking
of the battleship Petropavlovsk at Port
| Arthur. and it clears up to Il great extent
the mysterious features of that vessels
| destruction. This version is as follows:
! Retiring before the advance of Il Supe-
rior japanese fleet which was not fighting
it's progress. the Russian squadron ap
| preached the entrance to the harbor. 1t
was shortly after o'clock in the morning,
and most of the officers and members of
| the crew Were at breakfast on the flag
! ship. Vice Admiral Makaroff was eating
breakfast in his cabin and the wardroom
the tables. On the bridge. Grand Duke
Cyril. his friend. Lieut.. Won Kobe, Cap.
tain Jakovleff. commanding the vessel,
and two other officers. We're on watch eX-
| amining the narrow entrance, preparatory
| to entering.
| At about $50 o'clock there was ter
rifle explosion of the boilers. followed a
| few seconds later by a defamation from,
| the well-Stored magazines.
Huge gaps were torn in the hull of the
| ship and the water rushed in. The cen
ter of gravity having gone. the ship roll
| ed on her side and sank.
| All information tends to prove that a
| mine was responsible for the destruction
| of the PetropavlovSk.
| The scene below will never he described,
| as. so far as known, not single person
between decks succeeded in escaping. The
hot steam which scalded the men on dcck
indicated what must have been the char
| acter of the death met by those in the
| engine room. The men on deck wera
| thrown in all directions. those falling into
the water swimming and grasping th-
| wreckage vomitcd up in the vortex which
| caused the sinking of the ship
| The remainder of the squadron immedi-
| ately stopped and lowered small boats.
| and the torpedo boats steamed as quick
~ as possible to the rescue Of the sur
| vivOrS.
| The escape of Grand Duke Cyril and
| Lieut. Won Kobe was nothing short of
| miraculous. The force of tn" explosion
sent the Grand Duke Cyril flying across
| the bridge ana the base of his skull
struck on an iron stanchion. Fortunate
| ly he did not lost consciousness. Believ-
! ing that the ship was about to sink. he
| clambered hastily down its side and bold
| ly plunged into the water. II" succeeded
| in reaching a piece of wreckage. to which
he chung. The grand duke was in the wa
ter about % minutes before he was picked
up by Il torpedo boat. Captain Jakovleff
| was thrown against stanchion with
| such force that he was killed.
| The exact number of Vice Admiral Max
| aroff's staff on board the Petropavlovsk
\ when she sank is unknown. but it is
thought by the admiralty to be probably
| l. or IL The exact number of the crew
lost is also unknown. The Petropavlovsk
had Il complement of about $50, of which
| - were saved at last accounts.
London. April 15.-No further news from
Japanese sources concerning the Port Ar
| thur disasters have reached London.
The Daily Mails Che Foo correspon-
dent declares that adviceS from both Rus
| sian and japanese sources indicate that
| the battleship Petropavlovsk was torpe-
| doed BY a pretenco of an attack on the
harbor by the enemy. Admiral Makaroff.
| the correspondent says. was enticed out
| side by the Japanese torpedo boats. which
! crept behind him and awaited his return
| and dealt the blow as he was nearing the
| harbor.
| St Petersburg. April 15.-3o2 A. NJ
| Up to the present hour not a single new
| dispatch has come from Port Arthur. al
though several newspaper correspondents
are there.
| Nicholas T. Kravtchenko. the we'll
| known Russian literary man, who was
acting as correspondent of The Associated
| Press at Port Arthur. il is believed went
down with the Petropavlovsk. Telegrams
| to him remain unanswered
| ST. Petersburg. April 15-55a A. NJ.
| RumorS are current here that Vice Ad-
miral. Togo sent in n number of steamers
| on the night of March 81 and succeeded
| in sinking several of them and in block
! ing the channel of Port Arthur The ru-
mors cannot be confirmed at this hour.
| The date referred to by the correspon-
usitL al i, 'isu cnrin 70 rho old d. IS