The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-05
FIRST DAY OF THE
GREAT SEA FIGHT
Japanese Cruiser Blundered Upon
the Russian Fleet.
TOGO NOT FAR DISTANT
SUPERIOR MARKsMANsHIP WON
THE BATTLE.
ULADIvosToK. June 4-From the

IELADIVOSTOK. June 4-From the
accounts Of participants in the
battle Of the sea Of Japan as given
here can he constructed a picture of
the first day Of the fight in the morn
Ing of May p. When the Russian
fleet found itself 40 miles south of Tsu
Island it was headed for the straits in
three columns, the battleships and five
cruisers on the left the light cruisers
on the right and the transports and
torpedo boats between The weather
was fOggy and the view. therefore,
difficult
At $50 O'Clock in the morning the
Russian fleet was discovered by the
japanese cruiser IdzUmo. which blum
dered upon it in the fog and narrowly
escaped capture
At 1890 o'clock four Japanese Cruis-
eTs. the Chitose. KasUga. Tshshima and
Nitdka, were discovered TO the north
east Of the fleet and were fired on by
the battleships The Japanese cruisers
disappeared and the Russian fleet pro-
ceeded through the straits.
japanese Fleet Loomed Up.
Suddenly at 1.2O o'clock in the after
noon gaUut silhouette of japanese
vessels. their greenish-blue paint max
ing them scarcely visible in the fog,
doomed up to the westward Of the Rus
sian vessels. These japanese vessels
consisted of four battleshiDs and the
armored cruiser Tokiwa, Nishin, Ka
suga. Iwate and ldZumO. They imme-
diately opened heavy fire which was
especially directed against the fiagships
of the various sqUadrons of the Rus
sian fleet
Admiral Rojestvensky signaled to
the transports TO place themselves on
the right of the squadron of light
cruisers, so as to increase their dis
tance from the fighting portion Of the
fleet. which was now holly engaged and
suffering under the well-aimed fire Of
the japanese.
FIagshPs Went Down.
Owing to the precision of the Japan
csc gunners and the concentration of
their fire on the 1agships, within an
hour and a half the KniaZ SOuvarOf
and the Oslfabia were reduced to
wrecks and soon sank.
Almost at the same time as the
opening of the engagement between the
battIeShip divisions, a column of light
japanese cruisers appeared from the
eastward and fell upon the retiring
Russian transports and the light cruis-
ers- The cruisers Vladimir MonOmaCh
and DmitTi DOnSkOi were detached
from the left column and sent TO their
aid They were repulsed by the Jap
anese cruisers. but not before the Ural
had been brought to sinking cOndi-
ton.
Battered BattIeships.
The battle continued until 3 o'clock
without any further nOticea bic change
IN the situation. Soon thereafter the
battIeship Alexander III began To list
badly and dropped out of the line, but
was quickly repaired, resuming her
place and TeOpening fire The battle
ship BOrOdinO was then heading the
ri =.-s,-
dition of the Alexander III, concen-
trated their fire upon her, and she
again dropped out of the line this
time finally, and disappeared.
Such a heavy fire from the japanese
twelve-inCh guns was then directed
against the BorOdinO that she was dis
abled and sunk. This was at 40 o'clock
I'm the evening The battl ship SiSs0i
NeIiky was now ablaZe. but was firing
every available gun At this hour the
onslaught of torpedo boats from the
coast of Japan and the closing in of the
battIeships from the left broke up the
Russian fleet. all of which except four
battleShips and the converted cruiser
UraL had been holding together
Torpedo Attack at Night.
During the night the japanese tor
pedo attacks continued. the result of
n which was not known here until the
a report of the commander of the cruiser
Izumrud was received from Vladimir
ba-.
During the battle a mass Of Japanese
iuulsS Is said to have ObStTUcted move
Tnents of the Russian fleet The Rus
sian officers assert that these iuuke
scattered mines in the paths Of their
vessels.
The bodies of Lieutenant NaChiIiS of
the cruiser AlmaZ and of other officers
and sailors brought here by the Almaz
and tn torpedo boat destroyers were
buried today. Captain Reiff Of the
destroyer GrOzny- describing the can
ture of Admiral Rojestvensky. said that
his vessel i'm company with the de-
stroyer BedOvi. on which Admiral Ro-
ieSUyenSky escaped. We're Steaming
uorthward when they encountered two
japanese destroyers. The BedOvi sig
nailed the GTozny How many knots
can YOU make" and ON receiving tn
reply ''23.' ordered full speed for VIad-
ivostOk-
Fight of the Grozny.
The Gronzy instead of obeying this
signal. engaged one Of the japanese
d=strOyerS. but the BedOVi raised the
white flag and the red cross flag. While
doing battle with her opponent the
Grozny was unable to 90 to the aid
OF her consort, which was taken i'm tow
by the other Japanese destroy=r- The
Grozny succeeded IN shaking off hel
opponent and later encountered another
destroyer, which she sunk in a running
fight.
The CAPTAIN of the Russian cruiser
admiral NakhimOff, describing the Oh
erations preceding the battle saws
ION entering the straits Admiral 70.
jestvensky hOiSted his signal of battle
which read. We must have not ONLY
a triumphant entry into VIadivostok
but must sink part of the japanese flee
on the way
The captain asCTibes the defeat Il
Roiestvensky's indecisiOn and to tbt
utter lack of communication between
the ships.
The NaEasaki correspondent Of tn,
Daily Telegraph says that all along tn,
coasts of TSu and Xxi islands the bodies
of Russians are washing ashore ever
minute and they are being reverentI5
inferred by the islanders.