The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-18
LAPS LATEST SUCCESS.
Idea of Countermining Port Arthur Or
 iginated With Togo.

tgtnateu With TOgO.
 Tokio. April 17.-S D. m.-The Japan
 csc are elated over the successes they have won at Port Arthur. They are also proud of the achievements of Vice
 Admiral Togo, particularly of his new est strategy of countermining the en-
 emy's harbor and decoying him across
 q seld of mines to an equally danger |ous flank attack.
 The success of the system of placing deadly countermines is due largely to Ia series of careful observations made
 by the Japanese during their previous attacks on Port Arthur. The Japanese saw the Russian fleet leave the harbor and return to 1t several times times and they discovered that the Russian
 warships followed an identical course every time they came out or went in- evidently for the purpose of avoiding their own mines. The Japanese took bearings on this counrse. When the destroyer division of the Japanese tor pedo f1otilla laid the countermines dur ing the night of April 12-13 they placed they along this course. The laying of these counter mines was exceedingly oerilous because, if any Japanese boat with mines on board had been struck by luck Russian shot she would have been annihilated.
 The weather of the night of April 12 13 favored the work There was a heavy rain. the night was dark and cloudy and the Russian searchlights playing over the channel failed to re- veal the presence of the Japanese de- stroyers.
 Rear Admiral Dewa was in command of the Japanese squadron which de- coyed the Russian ships over the field of mines. His squadron consisted of the cruisers Chitoz, Yoshino, Kasagi and Takasago, alls unarmored vessel, which presented 6 tempting bait for the heavier Russian ships.
 Vice Admiral Togo directed the flank attack. He had the battleships Hat suz, Mikasa. Asahi, Shikishima, Yashi- ma and Eluji. He waited thirty miles out at sea until Rear Admiral Dewa signalled him by wireless telegraphy to come in. His vessels then dashed at sull speed toward the entrance of the harbor. All the battleships under Vice Admiral Togo are capable of a speed of eighteen kots and they quickly cover ed the distance. It is not clear what warned the Russians that they had been trapped but they probably dis cerned the battleship squadron on the horizon and retreated precipitately to the harbor. Vice Admiral Togo did not in preventing the Russians from entering but did force them to g. disastrous retreat, which ended in the destruction of the Petropavlovsk and the disabling of the Pobieda. After there occurrences the cruisers Nishin and Kasuga were used to lombard Port Arthur. They possess the highest angled guns in the fleet, capable of throwing shells to the elevated Russian land works. which are beyond attain ment by the average naval weapon.
 Vice Admiral Togo calls this attack on Port Arthur the eighth, whereas here it is numbered the seventh, A probable explanation is that Vice Ad- miral Togo regards the latest operation IS two distinct attacks.
 \ GAP SooAOAlS VI ISSiSI dL the Qeath or Vice Admiral Makaroff are general lere. Speaking for the naval staff. Commander Ogasawara has published l lengthy statement in which he la nents the death of the Russian vice admiral and pronounces 1t to be a loss 70 the navies of the world Command 1T ogasawara reviews the life, profess sional career and the personal attrib- ltes of Vice Admiral Makaroff and de- ,lares that he is entitled to be classed with the best admirals in the world.