The San Francisco call., 1905-06-05
JUNKS ASSIST
T0CO'S FLEET
Scatter Mines in Front of
Russian Warships Dur
ing Battle in the Straits

NLADlVOSTOK, June 4.-From the ac-
counts OF participants In the battle OF the
Sea of Japan as given here can be con-
structed picture of the first day of the
fight. On the morning of May 81. when
: the Russian fleet found itself 120 miles
south of 'Tsu Island. it was headed for
the stf ats in three columns, the battle
ships and Eve cruisers on the left, the
light cruisers on the right and the trans
ports and terpedo-boats between. The
weather was foggy and the view there
fore difficult
!, At $50 O'Clock in the morning the Rus
sian fleet was discovered by the Japanese
cruiser 1dzumo, which blundered upon ii
in the fog and narrowly escaped capture.
At 1880 O'Clock four Japanese cruisers
the Chitose. kasuga, Sushirna and Nit
aka-were discovered TO the northeast of
| the fleet and were fired on by the battle
skips The Japanese cruisers disappeared
and the Russian fleet proceeded through
the straits.
! Suddenly. at 20 o'clock in the after
noon, Saunt silhouette of Japanese YES
sells, their greenisil-bfue paint making
them scarcely visible in the fog, loomed
up to the westward of the Russian ves-
sells. These japanese consisted of four
battleships and the armored cruisers To-
kiwa, Nisshin, Kasuga, Iwate and 1dzu-
! mo. They Immediately opened a heavy
the fagships Of the various squadrons of
the Russian feet.
Admiral Rojestvensky signaled to the
| transports, to place themselves on the
| right of the squadron of light cruisers, so
as to increase their distance from the
| fighting portion of the fleet, which was
now hotly engaged and suffering under
| the well-aimed fire of the Japanese.
BROWN GUNNERS SHOOT STRAIGHT
| Owing to the precision. of the Japanese
| gunners and the concentration of their
| fire on the flagship within an hour and
| a half the Knaz Souvarof and the Os-
| labya were reduced to wrecks and soon
sank. 8.
| Almost at the same time as the opening
of the engagement between the battle
| ship divisions a column of light japanese
cruisers appeared from the eastward and
fell upon the retiring Russian transports
| and the light cruisers. The cruisers
Vladimir Monomaoh and Dirnitri Donskoi
were detached from the left column and
sent to their aid. They were repulsed. By
| the Japanese cruisers, but not before the
| Ural had been brought to sinking con-
dition.
The hattie continued until s o'clock
without any further noticeable change in
the situation. Soon thereafter the battle
ship Alexander III began to list badly
and dropped out of the line, but was
quickly repaired, resuming her place and
reopening fire. The battleship Borodino
was then heading the line. The Japanese,
noticing the condition of the Alexander
III, concentrated their fire upon her and
she again dropped OUT of the line, this
time finally, and disappeared.
Such a heavy fire from the Japanese
Pinch guns was then directed against
the Borodino that she was disabled anu
sank This was at 1880 o'clock in the
evening. The battleship Sissoi Veliky was
now ablaze, but was firing every avail
able 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, ali
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.
JUNKs SCATTER MINES.
During the battle a. great fleet of jap
anese jupks is said to have obstructed
! the movements of the Russian fleet. The
Russian officers assert that these junks
scattered mines in the paths of their ves-
sells.
The bodies of Lieutenant Machlis of
the cruiser Almaz and of other officers
and sailors brought here by the Almaz
and the torpedo-boat destroyers were
buried to-day. Captain Reiff of the de-
stroyer Grozny, describing the capture of
Admiral Rojestvensky, said that his ves-
sci, in company with the destroyer
Bedovi on which Admiral Rojestvensky
escaped, was steaming northward when
it encountered two Japanese destroyers.
The Bedovj signaled the Grozny. How
many knots can you maker" and on re-
ceiving the reply, "Twenty-three, or
dered full speed for Yladivostok.
+ Tie GroZny, instead of obeying. this
signal, engaged one of the JAPANESE de-
stroyers. but the Bedovi raised the white.
flag and the Red Cross flag. While doing
battle with her opponent the Grozny was
! unable to go to the aid OF her consort.
which was taken in tow by the other
Japanese destroyer. The Grozny succeed
ed in shaking off her opponent and later
encountered another Japanese destroyer,
which she sank in running fight.