The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-15
Imperial Residence at Seoul De
strOyed by Fire.
Blaze Lasted All Night and Only
Ruins Remain.
EMPEROR ESCAPED.
Destruction Thought to BE Due
to RebelliOns Element.
Japanese Suspected of Using
Submarine Boats.

Paris. April 15-1:1O p MA cable
report received al the foreign Office
here saws that the imperial palace at
Seoul, Korea, was completely destroy
ed by fire last night. The fire began IN
the evening and lasted throughout the
night Only the ruins of the palace
remain The emperor and his suite
succeeded in escaping to a nearby
refuge. The report does not mention
any loss of life nor does it give the
cause of the fire, but the recent politi-
cal unrest in the Korean capital leads
to fears that the destruction of the
palace was the work of the rebellious
element.
Main Army at Win.
Shanghai. April 15.-Advices from
Seoul. Korea. state that the main
force of the japanese has arrived at
ShYiju. 1t is also stated that in the
= future japanese troops will be landed
at Chulsan. near the mouth of the
Yalu river It is further reported
that a Japanese transport has carried
home seventy soldiers who were
wounded in the fighting on the march
to VIII.
AlexieT at Port Arthur.
st. Petersburg. April 15.-Viceroy
Alexef has arrived at Port Arthur
and assumed temporary command of
the fleet until Vice Admiral Skydlon
hoists his flag.
Against the War.
New York, April 15.=Serious dem
Onstrations against the war are re-
ported in Kharkoff, according to a
World dispatch from Vienna. Khark-
of is the center of the densest indus
trial population in Russia. All the
schools and colleges have been closed
pending the return of tranquility.
Russians Suspect Submarines.
New York April 15.-Expressions
from St. Petersburg Of a belief that
the japanese are using submarine
boats in Port Arthur attacks are given
color BIZ a statement credited to a re-
tired naval officer in this city. He
declares it to be the only way in
which one can account Tor the sue
cession OF disasters met by the Rus
sian ships.
1T is Incredible" he said that
ships which undoubtedly have charts
of the mines aboard should be blown
up by them. One of the first things
Vice Admiral MakarOff did when he
reached Port Arthur was to resurvey
the harbor and locate the mines.
What is the sense of these con-
slant bombardments if they are not
feints made in order to entice the
Russian ships out? The theories that
the PetroDavlovsk struck her own
mines or that the Japanese planted a
mine during the night are untenabIe-
and we know that the japanese have
submarines.
"A United States naval official
landed at the wrong dock, apparently
an unused wharf, in a Japanese town
before the war and saw a submarine
surrounded on three sides by high
fences so that it was visible only from
the water side. Before he had an
opportunity to examine it Japanese
soldiers on guard drove him away
with fierce threats. They seemed
highly indignant that he should have
caught sight of the boat at ALL
How Cyril Escaped.
St. Petersburg. April ia teIe-
gram from Grand Duke Boris to
Grand Duke Vladimir. dated at Lilo
Yang yesterday gives Grand Duke
r Cy1il's account of his escape from
death in the disaster to the Petro-
pavlovsl0. According to his story.
Cyril fell at the moment of the ex-
plOsiOn to the port side of the bridge
and from there he lowered himself
to the deck. He was then swept
away bT an immense wave and sank
to a considerable depth, but succeed
ed IN regaining the surface. BY his
own efforts he caught a floating
fragment of the Petropavlovsx' s
steam launch to which he chung for
about ten minutes. when he was
picked up by the destroyer Bezstra-
snnl. The telegram adds that Cyril's
aid-de-camp, Lieut.. Won Kube. per
ished.
There Was a Fight.
Paris, April Is, 1885 p. m.-Infor-
nation received in government quar-
tiers now establishes the fact that a
naval battle occurred between the
japanese fleet consisting of fourteen
warships. and the force under the
late Vice Admiral Makaroff From
THIS the officials strongly incline to the
conclusion that the destruction of the
RUSSIAN ships and the loss of the adj
mlral resulted from a naval engage
nsnt. However, the only definite ON
cal information is that battle oc-
CURED, and it is believed that the
Japanese submarine boats took part
IN the engagement and caused the a.
struction OF the Russian ships
The Port Arthur Version.
Port Arthur April IA delayed in
transinlsslon). An engagement oc-
Cured at O'Clock yesterday morning
between seven Russian torDedo hos Re
and the cruiser Bayan and Japanes
vessels The torpedo boat DESTROYER
Bezstrashnl was sunk. Five of the
Bayan returned at a. m.
The battleships PetropavlovslS Pc
bieda and Peresviet and the torpedo
gunboat Gaydamak then put to sea
At $3.50 a. m. a terrific explosion. oc-
CURED beneath the Petrooavlovsk and
The japanese squadron. consisting of
about twenty ships, remained in sfebt
until O'Clock in the afternoon.
In the afternoon the fighting be-
tween the opposing hotiHas of tor
pedO boat destroyers lasted about an
hour. The Pezstrashni was surround
ed by three japanese torpedo boat de-
strOyers and sunk.
The Japanese boats then withdrew
and the japanese squadron appeared
on the horizon. whereupon the Rus
sian squadron left the roadstead
steering in the direction of the en-