The San Francisco call., 1904-08-23
CHINA WILL BE COMPELLED TO ENFORCE NEUTRALN
Repairs to the Damaged Vadivostok Cruisers Are Pro
ceeding Rapidly and They Soon Will Be
Again in Commission.

vLADIvIsToK, Aug. 22.-Repairs
to the cruisers Rossia and Gromoboi
are proceeding rapidly. 1t is believed
it will be possible to complete them
without docking the vessels and that
it will take a comparatively short
| time.
There is a big reserve of naval guns
here, all ready for installation, and
officers and men have been already
chosen from the Siberian reserves to
fill up the places of those who were
killed or wounded in the fight with
Vice Admiral Kamimuras squadron.
Captain Berlinski, who was mortally
wounded in the battle with the Japanese
squadron ON August IA. was buried last
Wednesday with impressive military
honors. Nearly all the inhabitants of
the Unattended the funeral. Most of
the wounded officers now in the hos
pital are expected to recover and OF
the wounded men the recovery Of 312
is now assured.
Vice Admiral Skrydloff has visited
the hospital, -complimented the surviv-
ors and distributed among them
crosses of st. George.
The death of Lieutenant Brash Of
the cruiser Gromoboi is reported to
have been particularly tragic He was
hurled from the bridge of the cruiser
by the explosion of shell. Although
mortally wounded the lieutenant
pulled himself together and continued
to issue orders and encourage the men
until he was removed between decks.
A man seriously wounded by the same
shell continued doing his duty and did
not report to the surgeon for treatment.
until the next day. -
The Gromobofa and the .Rossia pre-
sent shattered appearances. Their
smokestacks show great rents,F while
the masts. bridges and ventilators look
! like sieves and there are marks of
battle everywhere. Guns are disman-
tied, boats shattered and there are
enormous holes in the cruisers hulls
] through which a man could easily pass.
Many of the cabins were completely
wrecked.
FREAK ACTION OF SHELLS.
Some of the Japanese shells per-
| formed queer actions. On the Rossia
a shell burst in a clothes cupboard.
| Garments therein wcre torn to shreds,
but mirror was not scratched. Photo
graphs and knicknacks on a writing
table near by were not disturbed.
In another part of the cruiser the
walls were blackened by the smoke of
fierce fire in which eight men were
burned alive, yet almanac on the
wall was not even scorched. Aboard
the GromobCi a shell entered the ward
room and wrecked the furniture, but
| parrot cage was untouched
! All the officers are full of praise for
the GOODNESS and bravery of the men,
who died in the battle without a mur-
mur. Comrades took their places with
out awaiting orders. 1t was deadly
work on the upper deck, where the
! gunners were without protection and
shells striking, bursting into a thou
i sand fra gments, killing and wounding
men until the deck became a veritable
shambles-strewn with dead and dying
and slippery with blood. Not a single
gunner protected by easements lost his
life The value of protective armor was
demonstrated, whenever shots struck
| the armor portion of the vessel
Many deeds of heroism were displayed
during the five hours battle, but the
! greatest praise of all belongs to Cap
tain Dabich of the Gromoboi. who re-
maned at his post on the bridge from
! the beginning to the end of the fight.
When wounded in the back he persisted
in resuming command directly the
wound had been dressed. but yielding
! to the entreaties of his officers he
sought shelter in the coming tower.
WOUNDED A SECOND TIME.
No sooner had he entered than shell
struck the foot of the tower, glancing
upward to the overhanging cover, and
! entered through the peephole, killing
! lieutenant and two quartermasters,
wounding two lieutenants and again
wounding Captain Dabich in the head
and breast Not a single man in the
tower escaped. There being no one to
steer the ship, the captain, severely
wounded though he was, dragged him.
self to the wheel and managed it until
another quartermaster had been sum-
moned.
! Subsequently, learning that the men
were depressed by the fact that he had
been wounded second time, the cap
tain insisted after the second dressing
on being supported along the decks to
the easements, encouraging the sailors,
saying:
Il am alive, brothers. Go on smash
| ing the Japanese"
| When Captain Andreieff of the Rossia
ascertained that only three out of her
twenty big guns could be fired he cool
| ly gave orders to get explosives in read
mess to sink the ship. Captain An
dreieff is usually nervous but in battle
he was surprisingly cool. When not
giving orders he was cheerfully con-
versing with the gunners at their. sta
| tions.
Captain BerIinski was killed by a
splinter which struck him on the head
at the outset of the fight.