The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-20
JAPAN H0NORS HER BRAVE SONS Commander YszOt is Among the Greatest Heroes TOGO MAY 60 BACK HOME Understood That Emperor Has Sum. moned Him and That He Will Be
 Given Splendid Public
 Receptions.
TOGO MAY 60 BACK HOME

Tokio, December 19.-Although accus- toned to hearing Of acts of bravery on the part of their soldiers and sailors, the people of Japan have been thrilled by the details of the series of desperate torpedo attacks against the Russian bat tleship Sevastopol and other craft driven outside the harbor of Port Arthur by the fire of the Japanese land batteries.
 Commander Yezoe and Lieutenant Nak- ahira are the heroes of these attacks. and the former promises to get in equal prominence with Commander Hirose, who on March 25 last was blown to frag- ments in Vice Admiral Togo's second at tempt to bottle up Port Arthur. in the war traditions of Japan. Commander Yezoe had the torpedo boats which were undergoing repairs when the attacks were planned, but he succeeded in put ting one of his vessels into condition for fight. On this vessel he promptly steamed to the rendezvous and. finding that the other fotilla had gone, begged and gained permission to join in the at tacks Then he steamed through the snow storm alone. and succeeded, in locating the sevastopol. to which he was able to get close enough to hear the Russian talking.
 Body Was Cut in Two.
 Yezoe fired torpedo and then went closer and struck and fired a second tor pedo, when shell from the sevastopol struck him in the abdomen. cutting his body in two. Portions of Commander Yezoe's remains were saved and brought back to the fleet. They will probably come to Japan for public interment, as was done with portions of the remains of Commander Hirose.
 Lieutenant Nakahira wont to she res cue of the disabled torpedo boz Which had bean under the comfaand of .j.ianten-. ant Kakahori. who with five others was killed and submitted to a deadly fire. Nakahira's boat was hit repeatedly, but he succeeded in rescuing a majority of the crew of Nakahori's boat.
 Most of Admiral Togo's men volun- teered for participation in the attacks than could be assigned
 It is believed that Admiral Togo will soon return to Japan. leaving a junior lieutenant to conduct the final operations and continue the blockade. It is under stood that Togo will be summoned by the emperor to Tokio, where he will be given splendid pubic receptions.
 Admiral Togo's record is considered equal to any in the history of naval war fare. He has labored constantly under the necessity of preserving the vessels of his fleet for service against the second Pacific squadron. The admiral and his men have braved storm, stress and ex- posture exeelleDtly. The men are in good health and exultant.
 Telegraphing under date of December IS, Vice Admiral Togo says:
 Ships Are Unfit for Service.
 There is no room -ert to doubt that the enemy's larger ships in the harbor of Port Arthur are totally unfit for ser vice. I have reason to believe that the battleship Sevastopol has been disabled by our attacks, but no definite data on which to pass final judgment has been obtained, and investigations are being conducted in ali available quarters
 It is certain that at least six Russian torpedo boat destroyers remain intact in the harbor. A staff officer of the na- val brigade, landed at Port Arthur re- ports as follows:
 "The battleship Perezviet is lying two hundred metres northwest of the Tigers Tail peninsula. with her bow turned northeast, half north, and at high tide, the water reaching the torpedo tubes in her bow. She is submerged to her stern walk and lies aground without listing. Her central funnel is severely damaged.
 "The battleship Poltava lies two hum dred metres north of the point the Tigers Tail. Her bow points east south east, half east and at high tide is sub merged to her after deck. She Is doubt less aground and does not list.
 "The battleship Retvizan lies one hun dred metres east of the Foltava. her stern toward that vessel. Her condition is worse than that of the Poltava. She is listing five degrees to starboard and her after deck Is constantly submerged.
 'eThe battleship Pobieda lies two hun dred and twenty metres northeast, half east, of the point of the Tigers Tail, with her bow pointing northeast, half north. Her deck on the starboard must be submerged at high tide. Everything seems to show that she is aground.
 ''The protected cruiser Pallada lies one hundred metres east by north of the Pobieda. Her stern is toward southwest halfsouth, and she is listed degrees to port At high tide the condition of her decks is about the same as those of the Perxviet. She is doubtless aground.
 "The armored cruiser Bayan lies 400 metres southwest. half west, of the har- bor entrance with her bow toward east, northeast. half east. She has listed fif- teen degrees and appears to be aground.
 "The above mentioned four DattleshlpS and two cruisers have been abandoned, and no boats are seen near them"
 Describes the Torpedo Attacks.
 Vice Admiral logo in reporting the re- newal of the torpedo attack on the night os December 15. says:
 "Our torpedo hotilla again attempted an attack on the night of December 15 against the battlesh,p Sevastopol' the coast defence vessel Otvashni and the torpedo boat destroyers lying at the foot of Chengtao mountain.
 Commander Sekfs fiotilla. braving the heavy snow, reached the enemy's anchor age at 4:3O o'clock in the morning, and running between the Sevastopol and an- other destroyer, succeeded in discharging the torpedoes close against the Sevasto- pel and the Otvashni. Explosions were observed each time. The fiotilla ex- changed gunfire with the enemy's de- stroysr at a range of a hundred metres, and succeeded in hitting her. A torpedo discharged from Commander Seki's boat apparently hit the enemy's destroyer.
 During this bold attack the enemy's fusilade was exceedingly vigorous, but sovvfne fo fhe clone proxfnpfty our boatss