The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-05
Japs We're Concealed by Dense
 Fog in Strait
FIRING WAS VERY HEAVY
Accuracy of Jap Gunners Soon Sank the kniaz Souvaroff-Russlans Fought Stoutly, but Were
 Soon Dispersed.

Vladivostok, June 4.-From accounts or participants in the battle i'll the Sea Of Japan, as given here, can be constructed picture of the first day of the fight on the morning of May 27, when the Russian fleet found itself 120 miles south of Tsu island. it heading for the straits in three columns-the battleships and five cruis- CTS on the left. the eight cruisers on the right, and the transports and torpedo boats between.
 The weather was foggy and the view difficult
 At S:3O o'clock in the morning the Rus sian fleet was discovered by the Japanese cruiser Idzuma, which blundered upon it in the fog and barely escaped capture.
 At 10:SO o'clock four Japanese cruisers, the Chitose, Kasuga Tsushima and Ni- taka, were discovered to the northeast of the fleet, and were fired on by the battleshps. The Japanese cruisers dis appeared and the Russian fleet proceeded through the strait.
 Suddenly, at 1:2O in the afternoon, gaunt silhouette of Japanese vessels, their greenish- blue paint making them scarcely visible in the fog, loomed up to the vest ward of the Russian vessels The Japa- nese consisted of four battleships and | the armored cruisers TolNiwa, Nsshin Kasuga, Iwate and 1dzuma. They im- mediately opened heavy fire. which was 1 especially directed against the flagships | of the various squadrons of the Russian | fleet.
 Signaled to Transport.
 Admiral Rojestvensky signalled to the transports to place themselves on the | right of the squadron of light cruisers so as to increase their distance from the l fighting portion of the fleet, which was now hotly engaged and suffering under the well-aimed fire of the Japanese Ow- ing to the precision of the Japanese gum ners, and their concentration of fire on the nagships, within an hour and a half the Kniaz Souvaroff and the Oslabye were | reduced to wrecks and soon sank. Almost at the same time as the opening | of the engagement between the battle- ship division a column of light Japanese cruisers appeared from the east and fell upon the retiring Russian transports and light cruisers. The cruisers Vladimir, Nonomach and Dmitri Donskoi were de- tached from the left column and sent to | their aid. They repulsed the Japanese | cruisers but not before the Ural had been brought to a sinking condition
 The battle continued until o'clock | without any further noticeable change. Soon thereafter the battleship Alexander III began to list badly and dropped out of line, but was quickly repaired, resum- ing her place and reopening fire. The l battleshlp Borodino was then heading the line. The Japanese noticing the condition l of the Alexander IT, concentrated their fire upon her and she again dropped out of the line, this time finally, and disap- | peared.
 Borodino Sunk.
 Such a heavy fire from the Japanese -2- inch guns was then directed against the | Borodino that she was disabled and sank 1 This was at 7:30 in the evening. The batteship Sissoi Veli<i was now ablaze but firing every available gun. At this hour the onslaught of torpedo boats from the coast of Japan and the closing in of the battleships from the left broke up the Russian fleet, all of which except four battleships and the converted cruiser Ural had been holding together
 During the night the Japanese torpedo | attacks continued the result of which | was not known here until the report of the commander of the cruiser Izumrud was received from Vladimir bay. l During the battle mass of Japanese mnks is said to have obstructed the movements of the Russian feet The l Russian officers assert that these 1unks | scattered mines in the paths Of their | vessels.
 Rojestvensky Captured Captain Reiff of the destroyer Grozny, describing the capture of Admiral Rojest- vensky, said that his vessel in company with the destroyer Bedovi. on whicn Ao- miral Rojestvensky escaped, were steam | ing northward when they encountered | two Japanese destroyer. The Bedovl sis- nailed the Grozny: How many knots l can YOU maker and on receiving the re- ply twenty-three" ordered full speed TOT | vladivostok.
 | The Grozny instead of obeying this sig- nal engaged one of the Japanese destroy | CTS. but the Bedovi raised the wnite iias E