The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-06-09

increase speed and force a battle off
the little island of Okino, which lies to
the southeast of Tsushima.
BIG GUNS OPENED THE PLAY.
1t had been planned that the initial
attack should be made by the giant
twelve-inch guns of the japanese big
ships and that under cover of the bonn
bardment the torpedoers and destroyers
should dash for the leading Russian
ships and attempt to throw the
enemy's column into confusion.
The commanders of the torpedoing
flotilla had previously been summoned
and had been notified in a few words
by the Admiral of the desperate duty
that was required of them and of the
small chance of any of them reporting
again for duty. They were told that
it was simple case of sacrifice and
they accepted it so willingly that the
Admiral found it difficult to detail n
torpedo reserve in case the first divi-
sion failed in its task.
Until sunset the heavy guns of the
japanese battleships and the ten-inch
battery of the cruiser Kasuga roared
and fired at the on-coming Russians,
while the Russian guns roared in reply.
First of the Russian battleships in
line behind the protected cruiser Zemt.
chuf was the 13,000-ton Borodino, and
these two soon showed that they were
receiving the brunt of the Smelling.
The cruiser Nakhimoff in the van of the
Russian port column, was also observ-
ed to be in distress, and then, the sun
having set and the quick-settling dark
ness having come, the torpedoes were
sent out under cover of still heavier
cannonade. The flotilla formed into
two sections, one heading for the bat
tleship column of Russians and the
other for the cruisers.
The searchlights of the Russian fleet
threw out their great beams and their
small gun batteries swept the water,
but the swift hornets of the sea went
wallowing and buzzing on their way.
They clrcled and swept and then came
the duh roars and heaving fountains
that told that the torpedoes had been
loosened from their tubes and were do
ing their deadly work.
BoRoDINO IS STRUCK AND BE-
GINS TO SINK.
Again and again came the roars and
as the Japanese searchlights swept
dCTOsS Tue utlu ot HHHt anu lHcn went
out it was seen that the great battle
ship Borodino was sinking that the
protected cruiser Zemtchuf was a
wreck, that the two armored cruisers
Dimitri Donskoi and Nakhimoff were
out of the fight. Later, too, it was
learned that some of the destroyers
had reached and sunk the supply ship
Kamchatka and that three destroyers
that had rushed out to meet the Japa.
nese fleet had been blown up. This
practically ended the first days fight,
ing.
1t seems incredible that in this first
shock of battle with its varied form
of combat and its brave and desperate
enemy handling powerful fleet pos
sessing an overwhelming armament of
big guns-t that the japanese should not
have suffered severely. But the au-
thorities at Toxic insist that their re-
ports from the Admiral make the as.
tonishing assertion that he came out of
this first onslaught unscathed.
On the other hand the London Stock
Exchange reports having received dis.
patches showing that Togo lost three
cruisers and that dozen torpedo boats
and destroyers were sunk or disabled
in their daring dash on Rojestvensky's
feet.
In the darkness of the night Of Sat
urday, May 9th, the shattered Rus