Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1904-08-25
Tells STORY
!. Of BATTLE
AIexieH Gives Full Details Of
Disaster to VIadivostok
Fleet.
FROM OFFICER IN COMMAND
Report is in Words Of Rear Admiral
Jesson-lt Was Running Fight
Describes Sinking of Rurik and the
Miraculous Escape Of Other Ships

Describes Sinking OF Rurik and the
Miraculous Escape Of Other Ships
st. Petersburg Aug l9.--Czar
| Nicholas has received a dispatch
from Viceroy Alexieff, dated at vlad.
| ivostok, August II, saying that the
cruisers Rossia and Gromboi of the
| Vladivostok squadron returned to
| Vladiyostok on August 16, and COM
| municating the following report made
| by Rear Admiral lesson, commander
OF the squadron:
AT dawn on August IA. the Rossia,
the Gromoboi and the Rurik arrived
! forty-two miles from and parallel
with Fusan and thirty miles from the
northern lighthouse of Tsu island.
when to the westward, | saw a
| Japanese squadron of armored cruis
| ers six miles to the north, travelling
| parallel with our course. This
squadron consisted of four vessels OF
the Iwate type, and was putting on
| full speed
Il took a course to the northward,
with a view of attaining the open sea
but the enemy, who was Of superior
| speed, turned Immediately and took
the same course.
Il was then obliged to engage IN
battle, which commenced at o'clock
in the morning, with a distance Of
sixty cables (about seven miles, be.
tween the two squadrons.
I'm the straits to the south We saw
a second class cruiser of the Naniwa
type coming to JOIN the enemy.
AT a convenient opportunity we
rapidly turned to the right, intending
to approach the Korean coast, and by
increasing our speed to seventeen
knots we seemed to have an oppor.
tunity to succeed; but the enemy now
observed our intention and directed
his course towards us for the pur.
pose of hindering our design.
Hardly five minutes passed before
the Rurik left the ranks and signalled
that her steering gear was disabled.
| replied, Steer with the engines,
and continued on my former course.
Seeing that all of the Japanese
cruisers were concentrating their
fire on the Rurik, all nay subsequent
maneuvering was exclusively with
repair her damaged rudder. I at.
tracted to myself the enemy's fire in
order to cover the Rurik. admiral
lesson was on the flagship Rossia.)
AT this time, | saw two warships,
one a second and the other third
class cruiser, coming to join the
enemy.
THE Rurik hoisted the signal can
not steer Some maneuvering in the
front line gave the Rurik a chance
| OF going in the direction OF the 10
rean gulf, and at o'clock the signal
was hoisted, go east The Rurik
answered the signal and took the re-
| quisite course at full speed, as could
| be seen from the waves from her
bows.
Eventually the Rossia and the
| Gromoboi took a northerly course at
a distance of forty-two cables. The
| Rurik kept a course approximately
southeast of us at a distance of three
| miles.
THE battle continued for two
hours in this manner
AT $3.50 the Rurik began to lag be.
| hind considerably and again turned
| her bows toward the shore, at the
| same time fighting against the two
| second class cruiser which had
| joined the enemy's squadron. The
| Rurik soon afterward began to get
out of sight.
Vice Admiral kamimura with four
armored cruisers kept steadfastly en-.
| gaging us in such manner as to keep
| from acciatino tho Pnrik
While the Rurik continued fight.
ing, we continued our efforts to at.
tract the enemy further south, in the
hope that the Rurik would manage to
dispose of her two comparatively
| weaker opponents and that after re.
| pairing the damage to her rudder she
| would be able to reach VladiVo3tOk
Independently.
Shortly before 10 O'Clock, the enc
mys fire was the most terrific OF the
battle, but to our general astonish
ment the whole Japanese squadron
left us after the most deadly fight
which had lasted five hours.
| THE Rossia had sustained eleven
holes at her water line and the Grom
oboi had six. Both cruisers lost
more than half their Off GERS, and the
losses among the men totalled 25 pei
cent.
1T appeared impossible to renew
the battle or to return to the Rurik
which was now thirty miles to the
south.
Taking advantage Of the calm, we
stopped our engines and quickly com
menced to repair the breaches in oul
vessels SO as to enable us to proceed
to Vladivostok.
Captain Berlinsky of the Rossia
was killed and several OF his officers
were wounded. On board the Gromo
boi two lieutenants were killed and
others officers were wounded. Both
cruisers lost 1875 men killed and 81
wounded. Captain Belinsky was
buried at sea-"