Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-29
Togo's Triumph.

Saturday night a dispatch came out OF
Tokyo which puzzled the world. waiting
eagerly for news of the war fleets. Inc
"transmittable information" regarding the
historic events in the Korea strait con-
sisted of the fact that Vice Admiral Rojest-
vensky had steamed ahead In two columns
The extraordinary reserve of the message
the evidence of careful official censoring,
the lack of any clue to the character OF the
historic events" gave the world FOOD Tor
the most serious reflection. Either a Rus
sian or a Japanese victory might lie be-
hind those words, so Enthusiastically ORR
entail In their obscurity.
Now the world knows that Japan has
won a remarkable victory, that the Russian
sea power in the far east has been all but
annihiated, that the waiting Togo, choos-
ing his own time and place for striking,
has at last struck with all the power for
which the Japanese have become famous
and has virtually destroyed Rojestvensky
great feet The events in the Korea strait
were indeed historic"
The details of the fighting are left 10
the Imagination. The bare result alone Is
known, being reported so positively from
official sources as to leave no doubt what
ever Four Russian battleshps, three coast
defense ships. three armored cruisers, two
protected cruisers. three special ships and
four torpedo boat destroyers are either sunk
or captured-a total loss to date of nine
teen of the Russian vessels of all classes.
Immediately upon receiving the bare
news of the Japanese victory the world
asked What was the cost? The early un-
confirmed reports, the rumors that flew
throughout Europe indicated that there
were heavy losses on the Japanese side.
The possibility arose that Japan would
emerge from the victory herself cripple
on the seas, perhaps at the mercy of the
Nladivostok squadron. But soon came the
official assurance that Japan's losses in
the great sea fight were almost negligible.
Not one of the larger ships was seriously
injured. Three cruisers and ten torpedo
boat destroyers were sunk or disabled.
Such loss. compared with that of Russia,
is extraordinarily low. Japan has swept
the seas virtually without injury, leaving
her in prime condition to destroy or cap
ture the slower fleet of miscellaneous
ships reported to be making for Vladi-
yostok around the eastern coast of Nippon
to engage the Vladivostok squadron and
perhaps to root out the Russian ships left
at Wusung near Shanghai.
A late dispatch states that the Japanese
fleet was engaged in a running fight up
the Japan sea. picking off the fleeing Rus
slams one by one 1t is evidently the pur-
pose of Togo to prevent. if possible, a
single Russian ship from reaching port.
In view of the characteristic reticence of
the japanese authorities it. is probable
that the particulars of this pursuit viii
not be known for many hours, perhaps for
several days, unless vladivostok may
learn of the fate of the fugitives by means
of scouts sent out from that port ST
Petersburg is at present whpIly dependent
for news upon Tokyo. Thus, does the event
fulfill the gloomy forecast said to have
been uttered by Vice Admiral Rojestven-
sky when he sailed upon his voyage across
the Indian ocean: The news of the fight
will come from Togo"