The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-30
TOGO CLEARING
FOE FROM SEAS
Continued from First Page.

Rojestvensky apparently being deter
mined to protect his unchanged vessels
as much as possible. When Sunday
morning dawned, as a result of the
night s operations of Togo's torpedo
boats, the Russian feet had been re-
duced by two battleships, one coast de-
Tense vessel, three cruisers and three
torpedoboat destroyers.
1t must have been a CHASTITY sight for
the eye Of it's commander. Not only
had he lost tremendously, but every
ship he had was more or less injured.
Combined Attack by Japs Sunday.
He had little time, however, to
tlnue his inspection. for Togo attacked
with his combined feet as soon as day
light came.
Then commenced an all-day battle.
The Russians could not stand off their
assailants. The frightful hammering
they had suffered the preceding after
noon, the nerve-racking ordeal of meet
ing torpedo attacks all night long, the
lack OF sleep, and the general demorali-
zation made them unfit properly to re-
sist their enemy. .....
They We're no longer a fleet; they
We're a mass OF frightened vessels, like
so many fear-stricken ships, which could
not hold together They scattered, tho
they continued on their way thru the
sea of Japan, with that haven Of refuge
-Vladivostok-6 miles away.
Battleships Captured by Little Japs.
Whether the Japanese drove the Rus
sian battleships Orel and Nicholai l.,
the coast-defense ships Seniavin and
Apra4inc, and cruiser Izumrud, ashore,
where they subsequently were captured
by the Japs, or whether they deliberate
y sought this refuge rather than open
their valves and sink, as the cruiser
'Vladlmlr Monomach did, is not known.
The lzumrud, however, which was
under command of Baron Fersen, the
big blonde officer who was Russia's ma
val attache here before the war, appears
accidentally to have landed in shoal
water, for Fersen made desperate efforts
to get off, and in spite of the attacks
made upon his light vessel succeeded.
The Japanese did mot give any such
opportunity to the other vessels, nor
did the officers and men of those ships
make struggle like the Izumrud.
They were boarded by their enemies,
ready to cut them down at their guns if
they resisted.
But the fight had gone out of them
and they surrendered.
1t must have been a glorious sight to
the Japanese, when the Russian colors
were hauled down and their own sun
flag was hoisted at the main.
Pursuit Continued Northward.
The crippled Russian ships continued
their flight northward, but they made
poor speed. The Japanese battleships
and armored cruisers, fresh out Of the
dock, sped after them, giving them no
every bit of ammunition in fruitless
efforts to answer the terrific hail of fire
to which they were subjected.
All day the Russians ran, and when
night came, still they had no rest. The
torpedoboats had given way to the de-
stroyers, it is believed, because of the
greater radius of action of the latter,
and the third stage Of the engagement
began.
What these hornets accomplished has
not yet appeared, but before they and
the armorclads got thru their awful
work during Sunday night, Roiestven-
sky's fleet had dwindled down to five
fleeing men-of war, few topedoboat
destroyers and some auxiliary cruisers
and repair ships. -. p.
Russian Fleets Awful Losses.
The Japanese admiralty was able,
from reports made by Admiral Togo
and subordinate commanders, to an
nounce that the Russian feet had sus-
tanned the following losses:
''Two battleships sunk and two bat
tleshlps captured; one cOast-defense
ship sunk and two coast-defense ships
captured; five cruisers sunk, two spe-
cial-service ships sunk, one special
service ship captured, and three de-
stroyers sunk and one destroyer cap
tured.'
Advices from official American
sources show that one more battleship
was captured-the Sissoi Veliky-and
that the flagship of Rojestvensky, the
Kniaz Souvaroff, was sunk.
Other reports say also that thir-
teen Of the Russian torpedoboat de-
stroyers were sunk or captured.
Other Losses Yet to Be Reported.
The fate of the remaining Russian
ships is unknown. Some of them are
reported to have reached Vladivostok
but it seems hardly possible that some
should not have met the fate of the
bulk Of the great fleet.
The Navarin could not make a greater
speed than sixteen knots, and easily
could have been overtaken by the bat
.leships under the direct command of
Admiral Togo, and more easily still by
the armored cruisers under the com
mand of Vice Admiral Kamimura.
The battleship Oslyabya is credited
with speed Of nineteen knots. But
this was on trial, and if it made seven