The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-13
Practically No Target Practice
 Allowed at Madagascar
.ROJESTVENSEY WAS AT FAULT
Formation Was Bad and No Other Commander In Squadron Knew Anything of the Admlrals
 Plans for Battle.

vladivostok June 12.-A series of inter- views which the correspondent of the As sociated Press has had with naval off, cers who survived the battle of the Sea of Japan has developed a most sensa- tional story of the causes of the Russian disaster first of all the complete demorali- zation which followed the sinking of the flagship Kniaz Kouvaroff and the wound Ing of Admiral Rojestvensky.
 It Is explained that not a single officer of the fleet knew the commander-in- chiefs plans. The admirals in command of divisions knew no more than the sub heutenants and had to rely entirely on the signals of the flagship. Admiral Nebogatoff, upon whom the command de- volved, had seen Rojestvensky only once after the Juncture of their squadrons, and then only fifteen minutes.
 Target Practice Very Limited.
 All the stories of extensive target prac- tice in Madagascar, 1t seems, were false. During the entire voyage there was prac- tically no practicing worthy of the name, and practice was confined to three shots per vessel Ugly stories are told of the happenings at Madagascar. Some of the crews certainly were untrained in gun nery, and exhausted by the eight months voyage under trying moral and physical conditions, were no match for the veteran Japanese, whose marksmanship was won derful.
 The Japanese concentrated their fire on one ship until she was placed out of &C., ton md
 sively sinking the Oslabya, Alexander III. and kniaz Souvaroff Some ships devel- eped deplorable structural defects. The Oslabya sank without having a single hole below the water line The water tight compartments did not stand the strain they had been calculated to stand, and she turned turtle.
 pas Not Maneuver ia Harmony.
 Lack of homogeneity among the ships made 1t impossible to maneuver in har- mory The Vladimir Monamach Admiral Oushakoff and Admiral Senlavin had to lag behind on this account, becoming only victims.
 Finally the ammunition was exhausted after the first days fight.
 Even the very morning of the battle. while the buzzing of the wireless instru- ments on the Russian warships showed that the Japanese scouts were communi- eating their discoveries to Admiral Togo. Admiral Rojestvensky continued his care less maneuvering, and when the Japanese actually appeared the Russians were caught in an impossible formation and were attacked on three fronts Rojest- Vensky was cramped and his transports were badly placed and caused confusion While the Japanese were firing projectiles even from machine guns on the Russian ships the latter were huddled together. blanketing each others fire, only the leaders of the columns being able to bring their guns to bear. and even those of the nntrained gunners fired wildly. To ren- Ger matters worse the mines and floating torpedoes sown In the paths of the Rus sian divisions added to the confusion The Borodino, Admiral Nakimoff and Navarin fell victims to these Instructions
 It Is heart-rending narrative that Russia and the world should know. The sailors and officers were not altogether to blame. The main fault lies elsewhere.
 Captain Perkh of the Oslabya commit ted suicide on her bridge as the ship sank. rather than save himself. There were thousands of other heroes whose names the world will never know