The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-02

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Call to Battle: DO Ysur UtmesG."
.specta, cans Despatch 10 TIM SOM.
TOXIC, June1.-An officer Of tho Borodtno
who is at Sasebo in describing his exper..
ences in the naval battle says:
Il was In the forward barbette IN charge
Of one Of the IL inch guns when tho dgnal
to begin firing was given. Tho ship near
est to US was the shikishima, whose pro-
jectiles began to reach us a few moments
after the beginning Of the fight. ..-
Il fired the first gun at 1870 O'Clock and
was overioyed to see that It reached tn
mark, for the Japanese vessel was struck
in her upper works and did not return the
fire for at least ten minutes.
AT this early stage Of the battle Admiral
Rojestvensky came aboard the Borodino
and directed the fighting from the bridge.
Almost Immediately afterward projectile
struck my barbette and rendered every one
inside insensible. The barbetts was HIlsd
with smoke. When CROPPED my way out
tho docks were raining with proisce1lss.
Dozens Of man were lying dead Or woundsd
|.at every turn. r.
AWFUL EFFECT OF JAPANxs1 YI1As
when the barbette was clear reantersd
with tho crew, but only had time to lre Two
moro rounds, when two projectiles struck
simultaneously and disabled both 13-inoh
guns, wreoking the barbette and killing
eighteen officers and men.
II orawled on deck to one Of the six-inoh
guns, which was surrounded with dead and
wounded. Here I remained for an hour,
during which time the Borodino became
shambles. The wardroom and steerass
were crowded with wounded.
Nearly every ammunition hoist had
been wrecked and shells had to be parsed
by hand. shell struck the port screw
and another disabled the steering gear.
The signal mast was carried away
RoJEsTvENsKY, WOUNDED, QUITS sHIP.
Presently, when everything seemed worss
than confusion, a quartermaster told mo
that the Admiral was wounded and was
being taken to another ship in . destroyer.
/ saw the destroyer leave amid . hail OF
small arm ammunition. but fortunately
none struck her.
AT 4 o'clock the Borodino was down
by the head She had been huIled s1versl
times. There was no hope Of saving her.
The Japanese ships having succesdsd h
breaking our battle formation. came closer
and brought every available gun to bear.
ALL DEAD IN FIGHTING ToPA
-Our fighting tops were particular taxeetA
Not one OF the men stationed there, ap-
parently, was alive.
Il volunteered to 60 up with few men.
and the sight there even In the midst 81
the desperate battle was so terrible that
1t has haunted me and robbed me OF sleep
ever since. The men in the tops had been
hacked to pieces by the fire OF the Japanese.
The machine guns were hopelessly ruined.
THE SHIP AFIRE.
Fire broke out in several places, and this
added to the horrors Of our already sorely
tried vessel. The fire call was sounded
but so many were dead OF wounded and tho
falling projectiles made it SO difficult to
operate that there was no chance to SUBJ
due the flames. 1t was therefore resolved
to withdraw from the line Of fighting. Our
steering apparatus had been repaired.
but eight Japanese ships closed around
us and bombarded us from every side.
Our forward guns were useless, but -
did good work with the after Pinch guns
and those e-inch guns which were not ont
of action, though they were worked With
only half their complement Of men. Tho
Borodino sank lower and lower and WAS
a fine target for the overwhelming Supsri-
GRITTY OF the enemy, but We fought on dss-
perately, although hopelessly. n
DEsrBoYERs ATTACK.
Toward evening, after long aftaTnoon
Of terrible exhaustion, during which thsre
was neither time TO eat nor drink, and aftsF
We had lost fully 700 killed or wounded. ~
noticed two japanese destroyen bsszing
down. One Of them We sank With sheu
from a 0 inch gun; but the other oams
safely, launched a torpedo and swept past
our bow unharn,ed. The torpedo miased u.
"The chief engineer now came TO inform
us that the fire had gained such headway
that 1t was impossible TO keep tho maA