The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-15

Y Ire.
 
 St. Petersburg, April 14-The Associated Press obtained tonight what is practically the official version of the sinking of the battleship Petropavlovsk at Port Arthur, and 1t clears up to a great extent the mysterious features of that vessels oe- struction. The version is as follows:
 Retiring before the advance of su- peror Japanese fleet, which was not fighting its progress, the Russian squad ron approached the entrance to the har- bor It was shortly after o'clock in the morning and most of the officers ana members of the crew were at breakfast on the flagship Vice Admiral Makaroff was eating breakfast in his cabin, and the ward room was crowded with Of ficers surrounding the tables On the bridge Grand Duke Cyril, his friend Lieut.. von Kobe, Captain Jakovloff, commanding the vessel, and two other officers were on watch examining the narrow entrance preparatory to entering 1t.
 Huge Holes Torn in Hull.
 At about S:SO o'clock there was terrific explosion of the boilers, followed a few minutes later by detonatioh from the well-stored magazines. Huge holes were torn in the hull and water rushed'1n. The q
 rolled on her side and ga Sst
 AM efforts to prove that mine was resnonsible for the destruction of the flagship proved fruitless. Not a single person between decks succeeded In es- caping The hot steam which scalded the men on deck indicated what must have been the chaacter of the death met by those In the engine room. The men on deck were thrown in all directions, those falling into the water swimming and erasping the wreckage to which some of them were able to cling The remain der of the squadron immediately stopped and lowered small boats and the torpedo boats steamed as quickly as possible to the rescue of the survivors.
 Escape Was Miraculous.
 The escape of Grand Duke Cyril and Lieutenant von Kobe was nothing short of miraculous The force of the explo- sion sent Grand Duke Cyril flying across the deck, and his skull struck on an iron stanchion Fortunately he did not lose consciousness. Believing that the ship was about to sink he clambered hastily down It's tide and plunged into the water. He succeeded in reaching piece or wreckage to which he clung. The grand duke was in the water about 20 minutes before he was picked up by torpedo hoat Lieutenant von Kobe was also found swimming and was picked up. Captain Jakovloff was thrown against the stanchion with such force that he was killed.
 Grand Duke CyriPs injuries were severe Besides receiving a blow on the neck his legs were bruned and he suf- fered a serious shock. He was taken im- mediately to a hospital at Port Arthur, where his injuries were attended to- He will remain there for three days and will then be brought to St. Petersburg.
 Count Grub I;;:Ae aide to Grand Duke Vlad- imir. accompanied by a physician, start ed tonight for the far east. He will meet Grand Duke Cyril probably at Baikal. The exact number of Vice Admiral Nakaroffs staff on board the Petropa- vlovsk when she sank Is unknown. but it is thought by the admiralty to be probably fifteen or sixteen. The exact nunber of the crew lost is also unknown. The Petropavlovsk had a complement of about $50. of which 52 were saved at last accounts.
 Japs Not Responsible.
 Rear Admiral Uriu's statement that Vice Admiral Togos fleet was responsible for the sinking of the battleship Petropa- vlovsk at Port Arthur, is officially denied here A member of the general staff in- forms the Associated Press that the ad- vices received do not show that naval arrangement took place, unless the cor nering and sinking of the torpedo boat destroyer Bezstrashnl can De so denomln- ated.
 The destroyer and four consorts were outside scouting during the night. The Bezstrashni Jagged behind and became lost in the midst. When day broke she tried to creep In along the coast but was discovered. cut off and overpowered and sunk, only five of her crew escaping. The fate of the other members of the crew is unknown, although it IS believed that some of them may have been cap tured That the Petropavlovsk was blown up by a mine placed at the entrance to the harbor to prevent the blocking of the channel Is the opinion entertained by the general staff
 If is true that the vessel sank in full view of Vice Admiral Togos fleet which was seen on the horizon. but her loss was not caused through the agency of that fleet. There Is a disposition. how ever to raise controversy as to wheth- CT the explosion occurred inside or out side the battleship, similar to the contro- yersy which followed the destruction of the United States battleship Maine in Ha- vana harbor The fact that many of inc wounded including Grand Duke Cy- Til, were badly burned seemed to support the theory of an internal explosion.
 The first dispatch received from Rear Admiral Grigorievitch. commandant at Port Arthur, distinctly stated that the ship struck a mine. but Rear Admiral Prince Ouktomsky's telegram todays re- fers only to an explosion.
 Boris Describes the Accident.
 Grand Duke Boris, who witnessed the disaster from Golden Hill, in a telegram to his father, Grand Duke Vladimir, de- scribed how the ship lifted, at the same time being enveloped in flame and smoke,