Omaha daily bee., 1904-06-17
ADVANTAGE LIES WITH JAPS
Victory on Land More Than Out
weighs the Russian Success
ct Sea.

Copyright. by New York Herald Co.. 1904
: .ONDON, June 17.-(New York Herald
z legram-special Telegram to The Bee.)
neral KouropatlSin moved to the south
:. 70 march to disaster. Admiral Skryd-
taring raid into the Straits Of Corea
,.dlted in two large transports being in
! tercepted and torpedoed by the Vladivos-
tok squadron, with the loss of at least loo
Japanese troops, but this bold stroke In It's
inuflence upon the war 10 as chan In the
scale by comparison with the Russian
catastrophe on land.
Such in brief Is the NEW taken here OF
the latest events in the far east
The Daily Mail, however, points out that
as yet the Japanese success on land mas
not gone to the extent Of surrounding and
destroying General Stakelbergs army, as
many British observers had confidently ex-
pected. After two days hard lighting, 1t
says, "in which the force engaged on the
japanese side appears to have been about
three divisions of over $1,000 men, the Rus
sian army under Stakelberg, which the
| Japanese describe as two divisions strong
and which should therefore have numbered
| between 10000 and 10000 men, has been dis
lodged from a strong position on the Port
Arthur railway in the neighborhood Of Wa
Fang Tien. AS at the Yalu and Kin Chou
the Japanese made a considerable capture
of Russian artillery Fourteen guns in all
were taken and IL the Japanese cavalry
had been stronger the defeated army must
have lost far more heavily in guns and
prisoners, since It appears from the Japa,
nese report to have retreated in some con-
fusion.
THE Japanese success was only a par
tial victory, not annihilation. because the
flank turned by the japanese troops was
the Russian right and not the left. which
would have cut off Stakelberg's re-
treat.
THE japanese forces at Stu Yen may
make an immediate advance so as to
come In upon the Russian line of retreat
and convert this defeat into disaster. The
next few hours will show whether such
a move has been made"
The Daily Telegraph's military critic also
thinks the full denouement is yet to
come.
Rear Admiral Ingles, writing in the
same paper upon the naval situation, says:
1T must be presumed that II there was
a containing force watching Vladivostok
| when Admiral Skrydloff emerged in the
mist or fog at night with all lights shut
! down 1t must have been of suficient power
to defeat three Russian ships in the open
sea.
If. as imagine, they have followed on
the heels of the Gromoboi Rossla and
Rurik to the Straits of Bushima, the Rus
| slams are literally between two fires. To
the northeast must be one imperial squad
ron and to the northwest the whole of the
| remainder of the Japanese feet under Ad-
miral Togo. Even In these circumstances
It is not impossible that Admiral skrydloff
may escape for the present in the fog II
the scouts have failed to hang onto him
! and fling out wireless signals 10 the heavy
ships on either hand. This is presuming
that he is satisfied with the fruits of his
raid and chooses rather 10 run back to his
only secure base at Vladivostok count
! ing upon once more eluding the containing
| squadron.
"If he has pressed on into the Bay of
Corea, which must be infested by Admiral
Togo's scouts, 1t means that he is going to
sacrifice himself and his ships in order to
! deal Gripping blow at the main Japanese
| fleet