Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-15
SUNK BY JAPS.
=.
Another Russian Ship Goes
Down at Port Arthur.
Most Of the Torpedo Boats Crew
Were Lost.
A,ether BattIeship Has Narrow Escape
by Striking Mine.

st. Petersburg, April 14.-426 F. NJ
It was officially announced, Inursoas'
that the torpedo boat destroyer BeZst-
rashni was cut off from the rest OF the
Russian fleet at Port Arthur and SUNK
nv the japanese, that her crew was
lost and that the battleship Pobledi
accidentally struck a mine Wnile
maneuvering but was able to return
to the harbor without loss OF lie.
Toxic, April IA P. MA briei
report from Rear Admiral Criu vi
Wednesdays fighting off Port arthur
reached the navy department, Ihurs-
day afternoon.
II saws Vice Admiral Togo's fleet at
tackled Port Arthur in the morning ana
succeeded in sinking a battleshlp OF
the Petropavlovsk class and one tor
nedo boat destroyer. The japanese
sustained no losses. One Japanese was
wounded
detailed report of the engagement
is expected hourly.
Washington, April 1.-THE japanese
minister Thursday, received dispatch
from his government embodying an Of
fetal report from Admiral Uriu. re-
garding the engagement off Port Ar
thur, as follows:
According to the report Of the tor
pedo destroyer flOtilla No. 3, our fleet
approached Port Arthur on the 18th OF
April and sunk one battleship of the
enemy of the PetropavlOvsk type ana
one torpedo boat destroyer. No dam
age to our fleet. No report yet from
Admiral Togo"
st. Petersburg, April 14.-Rear Adj
miral Uriu's statement that Vice Ad-
miral Togos fleet was responsible for
the sinking of the battleship Petropav-
Iovsk at Port Arthur is officially denied
here. A member of the general staff
informs The Associated Press that the
advices received do not show that IL
naval engagement took place unless the
cornering and sinking of the torpedo
boat destroyer BeZstrashni can be so
denOmnated.
The destroyers and four cOnsOrts
were outside scouting during the night.
The Bezstrashni Jagged behind and be-
came lost i'm the mist. When day broke
she tried to creep in along the coast.
but was discovered. cut off. overpow-
escaping The fate of the other MEM
bers of the crew is unknown, although
it is believed that some of them may
have been captured.
That the PetropavlOvsk was blow
up by a mine placed at the entrance to
the harbor to prevent the blocking of
the channel. is the opinion entertained
by the general staff. 1t is true thar
L. f,lJ ~ n ,..,
Togo's fleet, which was seen on the
horizon, but her loss was not caused
through the agency of that fleet. There
is n disposition. however. to raise Il
controversy as to whether the eXplo-
sion occurred inside or outside the bat
teship, similar to the controversy
which followed the destruction of the
United States battleship Maine in Ha-
vana harbor. The fact that many of
the wounded. including Grand Duke.
Cyril, We're badly burned. seemed to
support the theory of an internal ex-
plOSiOn.
The first dispatch received from Rear
Admiral Grigorovitch. cOmmandant at
Port Arthur. distinctly stated that the
ship struck Il mine. but Rear Admiral
Prince Ouktomsky's telegram, today,
refers only to an explosion.
Grand Duke Boris. who witnessed the
disaster from Golden Hill. in tele-
gram to his father. Grand Duke Vladi-
mir. described how the ship lifted, at
the same time being enveloped in
flames and smoke. and then turned
turtle and sank i'm two and Il half min
utes. The awful horror of the catas-
trophe can mentally be reconstructed
from the brief description contained in
this telegram.
st. Petersburg. April 14-An An
archist named KaZanoff. stopping at
the Hotel Du NOrd, on the Novsky
prospect. concealed an Internal ma
chine in his trunk. 1t prematurely ex-
ploded. last night. KaZanOff was blown
to pieces, the ceiling and windows of
his room We're smashed. several per-
sons We're injured. and fire broke out
in the hotel. The engines. hOwaver.
quickly eXtinguiShed the flames. The
police found no evidence of n plot.
All evidence of the Anarchists iden-
tity was destroyed in the explosion,
which shattered the adjoining rooms.
Among those injured was Il naval
cadet
Paris. April IA dispatch to the
Temps from St Petersburg says:
THE fleet remaining at Port Arthur
is reduced to a strictly defensive basis.
The new commander of the Care
witch persisted on the Petropavlovsk
before he had assumed command of the
battleship. The nomination of Vice
Admiral Skrydloff to succeed Vice Ad-
miral Makaroff is near"
St. Petersburg. April 14.-It has been
definitely decided that Vice Admiral
Skrydloff. commander of the Black Sea
fleet. Will succeed the late Vice Admiral
Makaroff as comma nder- in chief of the
Russian naval forces in the Far East.
Orders have been sent to Vice Adj
miral Skrydloff to come to st. Peters,
burg for the purpose of receiving in
structionS. after which he will leave
Immediately for the Far East.
Paris. April I'm. Pelletan, minis