The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-08
LOSS OF THE DELFIN.

to the Baltic works to inspect the
scene of this mornings catastrophe.
4 LOSS OF THE DELFIN.
| ST. PETERSBURG, June 90, SOP pm.
The submarine boat Delfn sank at
her mornings in the Neva, off the Bal
tic shipbuilding yard, at IL o'clock this
morning with the loss of an officer.
Lieutenant Cherkasoff, and twenty men,
The accident was due, partly, to the ex-
cessive number of the crew, mostly in
| experienced men, and chiefly to the I'M
/ fortunate attempt of a man to escape
| While his comrades were screying down
| the manhole.
| The officers and men 6etalied for sub
marine boats instruction had assembled
| at the Baltic yard and three officers
| decided to go down in the Delfin, al
| though her captain was not present. re-
lying on the experience of her skilled
crew. A score of novices were anxious
to go with the three officers. The Delin's
nominal capacity is ten men. instead
of which thirty-two entered the boat,
bringing her manhoIe in dangerous
proximity to the river level. Just then
a tug passed, sending a heavy wash
against the boat. AS soon as the water
splashed into the submarine boats in
terror it created a panic among the no.
vices and one of them tried to get out
of the manhole, which the older hands
We're screwing down preparatory to the
descent, the submerging department
having already opened. The water
rushed in and as the submerged vessel
sank like stone the officers and some
of the men were saved by being blown |
up through the manhole by the rush of |
escaping air. The Delfn shortly after i
ward was raised. Lieutenant Flag |
suin, who was one of the officers saved, /
said to the correspondent of the AS |
ISOLATED Press:
1.-The tragedy was like a dream. I /
remember a sickening sense of suffoca |
ton from the fumes of the storage bat |
teries and then a rush of air and wa
ter. The next thing 1 knew was that |
L was ashore
The Delfin is Russia's best submarine |
boat. She was designed by Naval Ar
chitect Boubnoff and Captain Bekle-
misheff and underwent a successful |
trial in 1903
ToGo'S SUCCESSFUL FIGHT.
TOXIC, June 26 Delayed in trans /
mission). -Admiral Togo's detailed re-
port of his effective attack on Port Ar
thur last Thursday night reached To-
kio today The report confirms the re-
ported destruction of a Russian battle |
ship of the Peresviet type, the disab-
ling of a battleship of the Sevastopol |
class and a protected cruiser resembling !
the Diana and the injuring of a tor
pedo destroyer, but throws no light on |
the Russian plan.
The entire Russian fleet steamed out |
to sea in line of battle. Suddenly, when |
within $4,000 meters from the Japanese
fleet, the Russian fleet refused to give |
battle, and steamed back to an anchor
age outside the harbor, where during |
the night the Japanese deStrOyerS and /
torpedo boats made eight desperate at |
tacks upon it. The Russian vessels re- |
entered the harbor on Friday, since !
which time they have failed to reap !
pear.
In his report Admiral Togo says that !
the exit of the Russian fleet from Port !
Arthur began early Thursday. The bat |
tleships Peresviet, Poltava, Sevastopol. |
the armored cruiser Bayan, the pro- /!
tected cruisers Pallada, Diana, Askold !
and Novik came first, a steamer lead |
ing them and clearing the mines.
A warning flashed by wiceless tale- F,
graph by the Japanese patrol brought
up Admiral Togo's fleet ut full speed
to a series of prearranged stations.
Three flotillas of japanese deslroyers
and torpedo boats steamed close to the
harbor entrance and watched 1he rus
sian vessels. At IL o'clock the Rus
sian battleships Czarevitch Retvizan
and Pobieda joined the other Russian
ships outside the harbor. Several steam
ers and boats We're engaged in clearing
and exploding mines in order % make
a passage seward.
Captain Asai, commanding the Jap
anese torpedo 1otilla, attacked the YES
sells engaged in clearing out the mines
and hampered the work.
DEsTROYERs ATTACKED.
At O'Clock seven Russian destroy
ers appeared and the japanese vigor-
, ously attacked them. One of the Rus
sian destroyers, which was hit and set
on fire, retreated to the harbor burn
| ing. The Novik attacked the japanese,
| who scurried away. The vessels en-
gagged in clearing the harbor finally
made a passage and the Novik led the
| Russian fleet seward. In the mean
time Admiral Togo concealed the posi-
lions of his ships, and at + O'Clock sent
| the third squadron out into the vision
of the Russians with the object of draw
| ing them seward. The Russian fleet
stood southeastward and then south
ward. During this time Admiral Togo
concealed his first squadron south of
| Gugan rock. As the Russians APP
preached Admiral Togo assembled his
| fleet and prepared to attack. At 6:15
| p. m. the Russians We're in plain sight
eight miles northwest of Gugan rock