Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-04-20
CARS GREAT LOSS.
DISASTER AT PORT ARTHUR a
STUNNING BLOW
Dispatches Show that Besides Warship
PetropavIovsk "a Torpedo Boat De-
stroyer Went Down-Pobieda Strikes
Mine and Is Obliged to Put TO shore.

Both in the actual losses inflicted and
in its moral effect the catastrophe which
resulted in the death Of Vice Admiral
Makaroif and almost his entire crew ana
the destruction of the battieShip Petro-
pavlovsk is the seyerest blow Russia has
sustained since the opening OF the war
The Port Arthur squadron has been
weakened by the loss of one of its strong
est battleships The lives of abour 500
officers and seamen have been wiped out
To heighten the disheartening effect Of
these calamities Russia has lost the com
maader who had shown higher capacity
ana had done more TO strengthen aud
revive Russian hopes than any other
man.
Apparently the japanese hive per
formed a historic feat of war. Recent
dispatches have indicated that Vices Adj
miral Togos fleet. greatly augmented in
preparation for supreme effort to block
the harbor mouth ut Port Arthur. was
already on its way thither Either Adj
miral Makarof had deliberately gone out
side the inner harbor to meet it or else
he was decoyed out by the sight of an
inferior force of japanese ships pursuing
Russian scouting vessels. Such scout
ing trips to the southwark as far as the
Miaotao islands have been frequent One
may suppose that the daring Russian
commander hoped to destroy some OF the
Japanese warships by coming upon them
unawares or that he, was on the lookout
for japanese army on transports bound
for the Liaotung gulf
Oflicial dispatches received ut 81 Pc
tersburg in cipher and given out Thurs
day tell of a far greater disaster to the
Russian navy at Port Arthur than was
known Wednesday, First came news Of
the sinking of the battleship Petropay-
lovsk and the drowning OF Nice-Admiral
NJ 'laroff and T91 men and officers. Next
came news that the battleship Pobieda
had been disabled, probably permanently,
by running upon a mine. The torpedo
boat destroyer Nestrgchni was surround
ed by the enehy and SUM-.
Prince Ouktomsky. Rear Admiral who
took command Of the feet after the
death of NiceAdmiral Makaroif, report
ed that the torpedo boat destroyer YES
tTachni was sunk during fight with
japanese torpedo boats. and that the
first-cIass battleship Pobieda struck Il
mine. which caused a tremendous eNplo-
sion. tearing a great hole in her side,
The Russians are appalled,, though a
little consolation is gotten from the re-
port. which adds that the Pobieda WA
able to reach the harbor without loss
of life among her crew. The Pobieda
is hrst-class battleship, built in 1890
and commanded by Captain Zatsarenni.
II had displacement of l2.670 tons, be
ing larger than the Petropaylovsk
The Gar telegraphed to Niceroy Alex
Jeff ordering him to go to Port Arthur
Immediately and assume command Of the
squadron pending the appointment Of
Mnkaroa's successor.
Rear Admiral Uriu sent to Toxic a
brief report of the fight off Port Arthur,
saying that the japanese fleet under Ad-
miral Togo sunk the Russian iirst-class
battleship Petropav'ovsk and the Rus
sian torpedo boat destroyer Nestrachni.
Admiral Uriu reports that there were no
losses among the Japanese There was
great rejoicing in Tokyo.