The San Francisco call., 1904-02-09
SEA FIGHTS
WILL PROVE
NAVIES' POWER
Japan Has the Benefit
of Ports Close to
Scene of War.
South American Ships
May Increase Mika-
dos Fleet

1t is generally conceded that the ma
vies of Russia and Japan will be the
most prominent factors in the conflict.
and it is possible that the world may
at last learn the actual fighting values
of modern ships of war. There is but
slight difference in the strength of
the two contending navies, for the Iarg-
er number of Russian armored ships is
offset by better types and superior per-
sOnnel of the Japanese battleships and
aEmored cruisers, and the fact that
Japan's facilities for supplying and
maintaining her fleet are vastly supe-
rior to those of Russia gives the smaller
navy distinct advantage.
Russia's fight is practically away
from home. Port Arthur and Vladi-
vostok. nearly 1900 miles apart. are it's
only two naval ports in the Orient.
and. VladivostOk being inaccessible
during the winter months, only Port
Arthur remains as a harbor Of refuge
and defense for upward Of eighty YES
sells. including destrOyers, torpedO-boats
and transports.
DOCKS FOR WARSHIPS.
Japan, on the other hand, has four
dockyards and five naval harbOrs, five
of which are distant only 24O to 5S5
miles from Port Arthur. The latter
port is far from being an ideal harbOr.
1t can accommodate only a small num-
ber of vessels and the dOckyard could
be shelled by an enemy in the open
sea without great risk to it from the
Russian forts Thus Russia has "all
dockyarC5, naval harbors and sources
of supply are distributed on three ISL
ands difficult to approach, we'll fOrti-
fed and impossible to blockade.
A prOtracted war, therefore, would
be disastrous to Russia. and efforts to
strike decisive blow to- annihilate ia
pans navy may be looked for. Should
Russia fail in this, or even only par
TALLY succeed, Japan's chances for final
victory might still be considered good
Russia has dispatched every avail
able vessel Of the Baltic fleet to the
Orient, a voyage Of 10000 miles, and
there remain at home ports only seven
coast defense ships, too small for for
eign service, besides eight battleships
and four armored cruisers. Four OF
the battleships-the Alexander II, the
Navarin, the Peter Veliki and the
Sissoi-are Of old construction and un-
dergoing repairs, and four ships
launched in 19O1-O2 are being pushed
toward completion
VESSELS OF RUSSIA.
Only two Of the armored cruisers, the
Admiral Nakhimoff and the Pamyat
Azova, Will be serviceable with pres
ent repairs completed. OF the unarm-
cred fleet practically all Of any pos
sible use have been sent to Asiatic
waters, as well as about twenty de-
stroyers and like number of torpedo
boats. of which records are confusing
owing to recent change Of names that
were already difficult enough to grasp
by any one not Russian. In destroy
ers and torpedo boats the two navies
possess about an equal number.
1t is quite possible that Japan may
effect further purchases from the South
American republics. which have still
a number of excellent ships to dispose
of; but as 1t stands at present Japan's
fighting fleet is the stronger, unless
Russia is permitted to bring reinforce
ments from the Black Sea. where she
has nine battleships, two armOred
cruisers and seven cruisers, the greater
number of which are Of doubtful effi-
I'll