The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-04-15
Serious Disaster to
the Russian Fleet.
tc~,ontinued from First paee-)

came two hours later in a message 90
the Emperor from Rear Admira Girl
~gorovitch. the commandant at Pert Ar
thur. A religious service was immedi-
ately held at Duke Vladimir's palace. in
which thanks were returned TO the Al
mighty for the sparing OF the life OF
the Grand Duke Cyril. but the Emperor
was SD overwhelmed with grief at the
death OF Vice Admiral EAR that
neither he nor the Empress attended
the service. Instead, the Emperor sent
a NIB OF his personal stan TO break
the sad news to Vice Admiral Makar-
ons widow. who is living In st. Peters
burg.
Meantime the city was filled with the
widest rumors, but the Official dis
patches, were so meagre and private
dispatches so conflicting regarding
what had occurred, that the pubic was
kept in suspense for six hours. Then,
although the report was incomplete,
dispatches were posted on the Nevsky
prospect and other wal bulletin boards.
h grief OF the crowds. whose worst
fears were thus officially confirmed.
was touching. The ministry OF m9rine
was soon surrounded by thousands Of
persons eagerly asking for more details.
In the. crowd OF ~enquirers were III
stricken relatives Of those who were On
board the Petropaylovsk. What occur
red prior to the blowing up OF the flag
ship was only vaguely known, except
that Vice Admiral Makarof. WITT his
flag flying on the doomed vessel. sailed
out TO engage the enemy until re-en-
forcernents were received.
The Associated Press learns that the
location Of six OF the mines planted
by h Yenesei was unknown, the
charts having been lost when hat
vessel went down. Probably 1t was one
OF those mines that he Petropavlovsk
struck.
Vice Admiral Makaroff's death is
really a greater loss than would be that
of several battleships. He was the
pride of the navy and enjoyed the i'm
plicit confidence OF his sovereign, as
we'll as of the officers and men of the
service. Speaking Of his death. Off
GERS here all remarked upon the strange
fatality that he should lose his life on
a heavily armored battleship to which
he had q particular aversion. This
morning for the first time he raised his
flag on a battleship. Previously he had
zone out on board the cruiser Novik,
or the cruiser Askold. 1t was at the
urgent request of his friends that he
did not risk his life in this fashion and
transferred his flagship to the Petro-
pavlovsk. 1t is now am open secret
that Vice Admiral Markaroff was moi
anxious to resign his command of Cron-
stadt to go to the far east, thus neces-
stating his leaving his wife and family,
but the Emperor held such a high
opinion Of him that he declined to con
slider other candidates, although it was
pointed out that Rear Admira Rojest-
vensky. chief Of the general staff OF the
navy. who has just been appointed to
command the Baltic squadron, and who
is now destined to succeed Makaroff.
as well as others, were anxious to dis
tinguish themselves.
The Emperor in his summons to Vice
- E
has fallen on you and il will not take
a refusal" And so the Admiral ven
to the far east. The Emperor's sorrow
is doubly keen On this account.
By emperial command a requiem SER
vice will be celebrated at the admiralty
church at noon tomorrow for the EN-
peror's favorite admiral.
Tonight the grief stricken widow, ac-
cordfng TO the Russian custom, had a
requiem service celebrated at her resi-
dence- She had been much worried
over the health of her husband who suf
fered from diabetes, reference to which
was made in : recent telegram from the
admiral in watch he said he was COM
PEELED to disObey orders as to taking
regular sleep.
Rear Admiral R~ojestvensky is a mar
of utterly different mould from Vice
Admiral Makaroff. He is a very able
sailor n a man OF talent and ability,
but ne is not 81 popular with the jack
les as was the the dead communicating
chief.
Makcroff is believed to have been In
the coming tower when the Petropav-
Jovsk was blown up.
The Petropavlovsk. which had twice
previously been reported damaged in
Japanese attacks on Port Arthur, was
a first class ~battleship of 10, $50 tons
displa cement, and 14.213 indicated horse
power. She was 367 IL feet long, a
69 feet beam and her armored belt was
OF about 16 inches of steel. with ten
inches of steel armor on her turrets.
Her armament consisted OF 4 twelve
inch, IL six inch. "a smaller guns and
s torpedo tubes. The complement of the
P~etropavlovsk. when fully manned was
burg and was completed in 1898.
Anothe Engagement With Japanese.
st. Petersburg, April 13.-An official
dispatch sent by an' aide-de-camp of
General Kuropatkin to the Emperor,
dated April II. says: General Kach-
talinsky, commanding the Russian
forces at the Yalu river, reports hi
April II. during an engagement OF out
posts our losses were one officer. one
sub-of+icer and two soldiers killed and
two soldiers wounded.
Sanitary Committee Met Last Night.
The sanitary comittee Of the board
Of aldermen, composed of Messrs.
Sweeney, Yopp an6 Behrends. met
last night for the purpose of discuss