Hilo tribune., 1904-03-18
THE MUL riGHT.
Korean %Emperor's Advisor Talks In
Honolulu.


nan to pass through Honolulu from
Korea since the wal began is a pas.
senger aboard the transport Thomas.
W. i. Sands is his name and he
has for the last four years been the
chief advisor to the Emperor of
Korea. MIR. Sands was previous to
that time connected with the diplo-
matte service of America. He is
going to the United States on bust
ness. He Joined the Thomas at
Nagasaki. He did not personally
witness the naval fight at Chemulpo,
but he has brought a clear account
Of that affair and is also able to tell
much of the conditions in Korea.
II left Seoul and Chemulpo on
February 49," he said this morning.
up to that time we had not heard
much about the operations of the
Japanese feet against Port Arthur,
although, OF course, we knew all of
the details of the naval fight at
Chemulpo. Previous to February
8 the Russian cruiser Variag, which
was an unprotected vessel, the gun
boat Korietz and the Russian COM
mercial steamer Sungaria were in
the harbor at Chemulpo. There
were the British cruiser Talbot,
Italian cruiser Elba, French cruiser
Pascaland American gunboat Vicks-
burg. On the afternoon Of the Sth
the Koreitz started to leave the har-
Dor, She had not gone very far be-
lore she sa " the japanese third-class
cruiser Chiyoda and five torpedo
boats completely encircling the
mouth Of the harbor so that she
could not get past. The Russian
vessel at once returned to the har-
Dor. Tha, night the lights from
the vessels. evidently of a large
fleet, could be seen out at e rein
forcing the Cbiyoda and the torpedo
hotilla.
On the next morning word was
sent by the Japanese commander
calling on the Russians to surrender
or leave the harbor by noon. The
last alternative meant that they
would have to come out to be at
tackled by the blockading feet. The
officers of the other foreign vessels
had received word of the situation
and the approaching fight was
eagerly awaited.
AT II o'clock the three Russian
vessels formed and started out OF
the harbor. The Variag went first,
under her lea to be protected came
the Koreitz and then the mail
steamer. The Japanese were drawn
| up at the entrance Of the harbor.
The e were three or four larger YES
sells in addition to the ones that had
been seen the first day, n of the
heavy boats being a battleship.
There is a dispute as to which YES
sci discharged the first shot. 1t is
hard to determine. Some claim
that the Koreitz did. while others
assert that the japanese did. In
any event, one of the first shots dis
charged by the japanese feet was a
twelve-inch shell and it was fired a,
the Variag. The shell struck the
officer who was on the bridge. The
man was shattered into atoms anc
the shell wrecked the bridge.
"The Japanese had the range, TO
they were just outside of the moutl
of the harbor, and their marksman
ship was excellent. Within a shor
time several shots struck the Varia,
about the water line and also strucl
at different places about her. Sh,
was soon in a bad way. She begal
to list to one S de and was evidentl,
filling with water. 1t soon becam
apparent that there was no possib:l
ity of the vessels escaping. Their
was every prospect that the Variai
would sink, so her commander the
made a circle, trying to infict a
much damage on the attacking YES
sells as possible rs he made his wa.
back into the harbor. Both The Ko
reitz and the Sungaria returned t
the harbor. The firing lasted abou
fifty minutes and during that tim