New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-18
THE JAPANESE REPORT.


Admiral roco's report Of the recent occur
rencos AT Port Arthur will be generally accept
Ell os authoritative. News from japanese
sources has all along been less prompt and
less abundant than from Russian sources
not 10 mention the ELUSIVE fountains OF Shang-
hal and Che-Foo. But it has proved TO be
rartfcularlv accurate and trustworthy. In the
present ease it is not only plausible, it is also
confirmed by some Russian versions or the
story. Nor viii it escape notice that on some
essential points the japanese are quallneu 20
speak with more assurance than any one elSe'
The Russians. or some Of them, deny that the
Japanese laid mines. because they did not see
them or catch them at it. But that the Rus
slams did not detect them is no proof that they
did not do it. On the other hand, we have the
positive assertion of Admiral Togo that his men
did place them. That must be accepted as
true Those who deny it merely think 1t is not
so. Togo knows SO with the stories of Japan
csc torpedoes and submarines. The Russians
nav think such things were used, but they DO
not know. Togo does know.
It will be observed too that the japanese
Admirsrs story exactly comedies with the RuS-
sian story SO far as the latter was based upon
positive knowledge The Russians reported
that their ships went out 10 meet the Japanese
squadron. but when another Japanese fleet
and 1t was on their way back that the Petro-
ravlovsk was destroyed and the Pohleda IN
iured. Admiral Togo makes exactly the same
statement in every detail The further details
which he adds pertain entirely 70 his own
ships and their doings, and are such rs the
Russians could not be expected 10 know. Is
pecially interesting is his declaration that wire
less telegraphy was used for communication be
tween different divisions of his fleet, thus
facilitating a mastery piece Of strategy. We
have assumed from the first that the japanese
would make use Of that device, but this is the
first specific instance of their doing with
important effect-or the first that has been
made known.
Our former estimates Of the strength of the
remnant OF the Russian feet are confirmed. Of
the seven hattleShips which the Russians had
at the beginning of the war, only one, the
Peresviet, has escaped injury. and only four
are now in condition TO do any service. The
Sebastopol, the Potava and the Pobieda
have been injured more or less severely but
are probably still able 10 fight. The Novill,
the Bayan the Askold and the Diana seem
to have been the only cruisers available I'm
this engagement, and every one Of them
had formerly been damaged. Evidently, then.
the Russian naval strength in those waters
has been brought well toward the vanish
ing point. 1t is now so small that a few Of
the Japanese ships could easily hold it in check
while the bulk of the navy went out 10 meet
the Russian ships from the Baltic, should Rus
STA send them thither. What is perhaps the
most significant feature of the whole case IS
that the japanese seem 10 have beaten the
Russians at all kinds Of naval work. At the
beginning the Russian commander adopted a
do-nothing policy, and was surprised in port
and seriously damaged. His successor. the val
liant Makarof, was the incarnation Of activity
and aggression, but in the exercise of those
very qualities he met with fatal disaster. II
now remains for the Russians 10 show. if they
can, that they are as superior TO the japanese
OF land as the japanese are TO them on the sea.