The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-10

lance OF IOlIy miles rom Hdl-CuenSs and three batteries of the Fifth brigade are at Kin-Chou.
 The greatest activity prevails here, and ammunition is being served law ishly.
 Che Foo, Feb. 9.-The steamer Foo Chow, from Dalny, passed through the Japanese fleet to-day. The fleet con sisted of six battleships, four first-class cruisers and six other vessels. They were eighteen miles from Port Arthur this morning and were proceeding in a southeasterly direction. The Foo Chow brought three hundred Japanese refu- gees.
 The Russians left one cruiser outside to watch for the Japanese ships. The cruiser was fired upon by the Japanese and the other Russian vessels took up their anchors and cruised around the roadstead The Japanese fleet came up within three miles and a battle com menced. The Japanese fired upon the ships and forts which replied. Two Russian ships were struck by shells, but were only slightly damaged. The Russian fire fell short. The Columbia steamed away while the battle was in progress, but later saw the Japanese fleet leave One Japanese cruiser, with torpedo boats, is reported north of Che Foo.
 The two battleships disabled are the Poltava and the Czarevitch. The dis abled armored cruiser Boyarin and the grounded battleships block the entrance tx,e a1,raelf fc from getting out and battleships and cruisers from going in and getting coal. Besides this, Japan has the Russian gunboats Variag and Koratz caught at Chemulpo. They were bound for Vla- divostok.
 The Japanese fleet was under the command of Vice-Admiral Togo, and consisted of four fast cruisers, the Chi 1 tose, Kasagi, Tagafago and Yashima, which circled outside, drawing the fire of the Russians. They then joined the main fleet and all went in to attack the armored cruisers.
 | In the Japanese fleet, which consisted of two divisions, were the Mikasa, the l flagship; the first-class battleships Sahi, Fuji, Yashima, Shikashima and Patsuz and the dispatch boat Tatsuma.
 The second division of the fleet, under
 command of Admiral Kamimura, on the l flagship Idsumo, consisted of the ar mored cruisers Yakuma, Asama and Iwat, when seen by the Foo Chow on | Thursday.
 | Che Foo, Feb. 9.-A member of the crew of the Columbia tells this story 1 of the naval battle at Port Arthur:
 'The Columbia was lying in the road stead surrounded by fourteen Russian 1 battleships and cruisers. At 11:S0 Mon- day night a severe shock was felt on board the Columbia. The Russians inn mediately commenced to operate their searchlights and opened fire towards 1.-the sea. The firing lasted only a short Itime. At 1 o'clock more shocks were felt and the Russians again commenced l firing.
 "The Japanese did not return the fire. ! At o'clock two Russian battieships went in and were beached across the entrance of the harbor They were ] soon followed by Russian cruiser,
 which also was beached. None of the
 vessels were, damaged above the water line. More shocks from torpedoes were felt during the early morning and then all was quiet.
 l At 10 o'clock Tuesday morning 1 three Jaanese cruisers passed Port Ar thur in sight of the Russian feet The whole Russian fleet immediately weigh ed anchor and went after them but re- turned in hn hour.'
 l Che Foo, Feb 9-Steamer Columbia has arrived from Port Arthur with ad- ditional news of the attack by the i Japanese fleet upon the Russian fleet in i the roads outside of the harbor of Port l Arthur The Columbia was in the roads at the time and felt the first shock oi la torpedo explosion at Il o'clock on Monday night The attack continued all night and at daylight this morning two Russian battleships and one first I class Russian cruiser were seen to havt been disabled and beached at the en- trance of the harbor. The cruiser Was
 badly listed to one side.
 This morning the Russian forts open. ed fire on the Japanese fleet, which was about three miles distant. Int I Japanese vessels returned the Ire, nlI'
 ting several of the Russian ships bu
 doing little damage. The Russian
 cruisers then went out and the Japan
 csc vessels disappeared. They were
 seen later going in the direction of Dal
 ny apparently undamaged. Although
 the officers of the Columbia say tha
 there were seventeen in the attacking
 party only sixteen were seen later il
 the day by the steamer near Foo Chow London. Feb. 10.-In a despatch iron
 Che Foo dated February correspon
 dent of the Daily Express says: Tn,
 Japanese have dealth the Russians {
 crushing blow at Port Arthur An ad
 vance squadron of the Japanese fleet
 Continued on Third Page.)