The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-05-31
RUSSIA STUPEFIED.
AdmirnIty's Own Advices Only Account
 for Tyyo Ships.

St. Petersburg, May 91.-4:25 a. m.- The Russian admiralty is literally stupefied at the extent of the disaster suffered by Vice Admiral Rojestven- sky's fleet and its own advices paint the situation in even worse colors than the TolSio dispatches
 The Associated Press Vladivostok dispatch received at an early hour this morning accounts for only two ships of the great Russian flotilla--the cruiser Almaz and the torpedo boat destroyer Grozny, and the absence of news about the battleship Navari and the cruisers | Oleg and Aurora, which are the only fighting ships of any value not enumer- ated in the Japanese lists of destroyed or captured and which up to 4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon had not reached l Vladivostok. renders almost idle any hope that they were able to shake off the pursuing Japanese cruisers and reach the shelter of the fortress at Golden Horn.
 | The officers of the Almaz dispute Ad- mtral Togo's claim of victory with practically no loss and declare they saw two battleships go down before their eyes and that two cruisers were on the point of laundering when they last distinguished the battling fleets. But they admit the distance of their ship from the scene of battle and the fog made the view difficult
 Russia has agreed to disarm and in- terne the big fleet of colliers and trans ports sent to the Chinese coast when Rojestvensky determined to try and force the straits of Korea. It Is believ- ed here that the admiral did not want to be hampered by big convoy in the sea fight and the decision to send the convoy to the rear compelled Rojest- vensky to adopt the shortest route, by way of Tsu island, as some of the ships could not carry enough coal in I their bunkers to steam around Japan.
 Information brought by the Almaz and published in an official dispatch tonight is supplemented by the results of the interview had by the Associated Press correspondent at Vladivostok with the officers of the Almaz and Grozny. This information is very in- complete, as the Almaz, being scantily armored and carrying light guns of lit tie use in battle, drew off after the first collision with the Japanese Saturday and headed for Vladivostok at full speed. The last view the officers had of the battlefield was at dusk Saturday, when the torpedo attacks had already commenced and the Kniaz Souvaroff, the Borodino, the Osliabia and the Ural had gone to the bottom, while the AL exander III. had been badly damaged.
 The Associated Press is informed that the unpublished portion of the official dispatch, the contents of which were sent by wireless dispatch to Vladi- Ivostok before the arrival of the cruiser there, says that the Kniaz Souyaroff was blown up, Captain Chagin, of the lAlmaz, giving it as his opinion that this destruction was the work of submarine boats. The captain gives the number of Japanese torpedo boats participating in the attack as eighty.
 The admiralty withheld the name of the craft to which Rojestvensky is re- ported to have been transferred, owing to doubts as to whether it was the de- stroyer Buiny or the destroyer Bravi.
 The report sent Tuesday afternoon of the arrival of the Buiny at Vladivostok was de to telegraph message sent to Grand Duke Alexis by Admiral Dourno- vo. a member of the council of the em- pire and superintendent of posts and ltelegraphs under the minister of the Interior, informing him that he had re- ceived advices from Vladivostok that Ithe destroyer's commander, Admiral IDouronovo's son, had picked up Rojest- lvensky and had followed the Almaz out of the battle.
 Admiral Douronovo, acting under the impression that the Buiny and Rojest- yensky had reached 'Vladivostok, so in- formed the Associated Press.
 Tokios account of the arrival of cap tured warships at Japanese ports was more humiliating to the Russian naval authorities than the news of the de- feat.
 The opinion expressed here is that nothing can excuse the failure of the Russian commanders to sink their ships under their feet rather than to allow them to fall into the enemy's hands, the admiralty advancing the supposi- tion that the ships were stranded on some shoal before being surrendered.
 The question of inaugurating peace negotiations is not likely to be opened until full reports of the Russian disas- ter have been received. The war party continues it's defiant attitude, and de- clares that peace is impossible, while many Russians who heretofore have been in favor of peace, but who g are now humiiated by thesting: of the de- feat of their navy. are giving their voice in favor of the continuance of the war. Nevertheless the peace party in- sists on the absolute futility of pro- longing the struggle.
 Ever slow to reach a decision, it is improbable that the government will decide on the course it will pursue un- til after the battle has been joined in Manchuria.
 The Associated Press dispatches in dicate that Field Marshal Oyama is already in motion and that a grand en- ) gagement is inaninerlts