The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-03-20

| imminent. Fifteen minutes later she went
/ down at the bow and her tunnels and
masts dropped to an angle of forty-fve
| degrees. At 6 o'clock the flames in the
after part of the ship became duller, with
! only an occasional flash, although the
plates on both sides for hundred feet
from the extreme stern were aglow and
/ exploding ammunition split the air every
/ few seconds.
The whole after deck was a seethng
| furnace and the spectators waited for the
explosion. which was likely to rock the
houses Of Chemulpo, mile and half
| distant, to their very foundations.
The British cruiser Talbot, which lay a
few hundred cable lengths from the Va
| RAG, moved away to a safer distance.
The flames on the Variag burned lower
and lower, she careened more and more
to port, her bow was at the waters edge,
and at a quarter past o'clock she sank
with her port side down and her star
board batteries intact in their mounts,
pointing to the sky.
As the waves closed over her the con-
| tact of the water with the boiler plates
sent up a dismal wailing and grooming. as
If In protest of the fate that had over
taken this pride of Cramps shipyards'
after only eighteen months service.
| As the Varlag rode at anchor that morn
! ing she represented a value of nearly e. =
! 100000 $50 100000 and the best that mod
ern naval science and skill could produce.
| At evening she was shattered and blast
ed mass of steel and iron. at the bottom
of Chemulpo harbor, the last resting place
of more than forty men who had sailed in
her that morning against such heavy odds
with no hope but that they might be re-
membered as men who had fought a good
fight and died doing their duty
The Sungari ScuttIed.
After the commander of the Variag.
| with his men. were safely aboard the
French cruiser Pascal. he despatched a
boat load of Russian sailors to the Rus
| sian merchant steamer Sungarl, lying
close by, in order to fire and scuttle her.
| The crew and officers. comprising forty
men of the Sungari, with clearance papers
on board were ready to leave on the reg
ular scheduled trip to Port Arthur. She
had arrived on the morning of the Sth
from Shanghai. discharged her mails and
cargo and anly waited word from the
Variag's commander to leave the harbor.
| Crew and officers were taken aboard the
| Pascal and she was set afire at the
main hatch about O'clock as she lay at
! anchor. The flames quickly enveloped
her upper works and lighted up the water
| peacefully covering the shattered huls Of
| her protectors-the Variag and the Ko-
| retz.
| The Sungari burned until o'clock the
| next morning and then sank. All that can
now be seen of her is the top of the fun
mel and topmasts. The Variag is COM
pletely submerged and the funnel of the
| Korietz can be seen only at low tide.
When the Varag sunk some of the Jap
anese population of Chemulpo, supposing
some of her crew were escaping, started
out in sampans to capture them, but the
action was very quickly suppressed by the
| Japanese authorities.
| The Japanese authorities have two COM
plete diving outfits ready for instant use
at the head of the jetty at Chemulpo, and
! 1t seems probable that at the earliest ia
vorable opportunity they will attempt to
remove the starboard battery from the
| Variag, a task that presents no very
great obstacles.
Totally Unprepared.
The capture of these Russian ships at
| Chemulpo reflects great dscredit upon
those in charge Of the Russian operations.
| 1t is probable that no greater illustration
! of the folly of Understanding the
strength and ability of an opponent was
! ever afforded in modern warfare Fully
| informed by the Japanese government
that If satisfactory reply was not forth
| coming by a given date Japan would
adopt her own course, Russia permitted
two of her ships to lie unprotected for
several days in Chemulpo harbor, evident
ly not counting upon the quickness with
! which her enemy would strike or upon
her bodness in landing troops on the west