New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-31
RUSSIANS STUPEFIED.
Governments Adrices Worse Than
the Toxic Reports.

St Petersburg, May 81, 4:25 a. nl--The Rus
sian Admiralty is literally stupefed at the ex-
tent of the disaster suffered by Vice-Admiral
Rojestvensky's feet and its own advices paint
the situation in even worse colors than the
Toxic dispatches
Russia had agreed to dsarn and inferno the
big feet Of golfers and transports sent to the
Chinese coast when Rojestvensky determined to
try and force the Strait of Corea- 1t is believed
here that the admiral did not want to be ham,
pered by big convoy in the fight, and the
decision TO send the convoy to the rear COM
PEELED Rotestvensky to adopt the shortest route.
by way Of Tsu Island, of the ships
could not carry enough coal in their bunkers to
steam around Japan.
The officers of the Alrnaz. who say that they
two Japanese battleships go down before
their eyes and that two cruisers were on the
point Of laundering, admit that their ship was
far from the scene Of battle. and that the fog
made the view difficult.
The Associated Press is informed that the
published portion of the official dispatch which
was sent by a wireless dispatch to Vladisvostok
before the arrival of the cruiser there says that
the Kniaz Souvaroff was blown up the captain
of the Alnlaz giving it his opinion that this
destruction was the work OF submarine boats.
The captain gives the number of Japanese tor
pedo boats participating in the attack as eighty.
The text Of the dispatch given out follows:
The cruiser Almaz has arrived at VladNostok.
Her commander reports as follows:
con May p Vice Admiral Rojestvenskys
fleet in the Tsu Strait engaged the Japanese in
battle. During the day we lost the batteships
Kniaz Souvaroff Borodino and Oslyabya and
the cruiser Ural The battleship Alexander III
was seriously damaged.
"At the start of the battle. after the separa-
ton of the cruiser (Almaz) from the fleet. the
battle was renewed in the darkness. The re-
suit Of the night battle is not known. The
Almaz was cut off from the feet and reached
Vladivostok"
supplementary reports Of the commander of
the Almaz forwarded by the post commandant
at Vladivostok, state that the transport KAN
chatka was seriously damaged.
The Almaz had Lieutenant MoChalin and four
sailors killed and ten sailors wounded.
There is no news as to those who were saved
or those who persisted on the sunken warships.
Tokio's account of the arrival Of captured
warships at japanese ports. was more humiliat-
| ing to the Russian naval authorities than thu
| news of the defeat.
The opinion expressed here is that nothing
| can excuse the failure Of the Russian command
| ers to sink their ships under their feet rather
than to allow them to fall into the enemy's hands,
| the Admiralty advancing the supposition that
| the ships stranded some shoal before
| being surrendered.
The question of beginning peace negotiations Is
not likely to be opened until full reports Of the
Russian disaster have been received The war
party continues its defiant attitude and declares
| that peace Is impossible. while many Russians
who heretofore have been in favor of peace. but
who are Inundated by the sting of the de-
feat Of their navy, in favor of a continuation
| of the Ever slow to reach a decision It is
| improbable that the government will decide on
the course it will pursue until after battle has
| been joined in Manchuria.