The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-08-15
JAPAN OWNS
THE SEA
Vladivostok Fleet Smashed
in a Running Fight.
BEST CRUISER SUNK
Attempt of Russia to Unite Her
Fleets Proves a Disastrous
Failure.
BEST CRUISER SUNK

LONDON, Aug. 10. a cablegram
from Tokyo says:
admiral Kamimura reports that our
squadron, after five hours of severe
fighting with the three ships of the
NladivOStok squadron on Sunday morn
ing off Tsushima island, in the strait
of Korea, sank the Russian armored
cruiser Rurik. The other two ships,
the Rossia and Gromoboi, which APP
peared to have suffered heavily, fled
n0rthward. Our damages are slight
A special from Tokyo says that Vice
Admiral Kaminura attacked the Rus
sian Nladivostok squadron at dawn
on Sunday north of Tsu island, in the
strait of Korea. The battle lasted for
five hours and resulted in a complete
Japanese victory. The Russian cruiser
sia and Gromoboi fed to the north
ward after having sustained serious
damage. The injuries inflicted upon
the japanese were slight.
The fate of the crew of the Rurik is
not known fully, but many of them
We're killed or drowned. Admiral Ka
minura had the Adsuma, ldsumo,
Iwate, Takashiho and other light cruis-
ers.
Tokyo is joyous over the news, ms it
gives Japan mastery of the sea and re-
stores commerce.
A special from Chefu says that the
Japanese made general assault on
Port Arthur this morning at o'clock,
and there is a persistent rumor that it
has fallen.
There Is a general belief, which is
borne out by the latest dispatches. that
the situation at Port Arthur is desper-
ate.
Apparently the Japanese are concen-
trating all their energies toward the re-
duction of the fortress in order to re-
lease heavy re-enforcements for the
operations against General KurOpatkin,
and it is thought that until this has
been accomplished the advance on Lao
yang will be suspended.
A st. Petersburg dispatch says that
by command of the emperor Foreign
Minister Lamsdorff has instructed NJ.
Nelidoff, the Russian ambassador at
Paris, to request that France on be-
half of Russia shall lodge a strong
protest with the French minister ut
Tokyo, NJ. Harmand, against what is
described as an outrageous violation
of Chinese neutrality and of univer-
sally recognized principles of interna-
tional law involved in the japanese at
tack on the Russian torpedo boat de-
stroyer Ryeshitelni in the neutral har-
Dor of Chefu.
A dispatch from Mukden states that
the japanese Port Arthur army has
been largely REINFORCED and has taken
up positions in two large bodies, one
on the heights between Lungwungtao
and Pigeon bay and the other on the
hills near Louisa bay. Guns have
also been placed on the heights east
of the Wolf hills.
A Chefu dispatch says that Captain
Matousevitch, the late Rear Amiral
Withoft's chief of staff, who was
wounded during the Japanese attack
on the battleshlp Cesarevitch, has died
of his wounds.
The japanese have demanded the de-
parture of the Cesarvitch, but the gov
ernor of Tsingchou replied that the
vessel would remain, but would be dis
mantled.
A Liaoyang report says:
"Twelve japanese regiments have
left in the direction of Port Arthur.
ut is stated on trustworthy author
ity that the mikado has ordered that
Port Arthur must be taken at any
cost, even If it necessitates the sus-
pension of operations in Manchuria,
and 1t is quite possible that the main
Japanese force will proceed to Port
Arthur within "a few days"
A report from Tokyo says that Jap
anese guns dominate the dockyards at
Port Arthur, and in view of this fact
1t would seem to be impossible again
TO make seaworthy or fightable the
Russian battleships which have re-
turned to Port Arthur. 1t is probable
that the Russian battleship Cesare-
witch will disarm at Tsingchau.
The best possible naval force that