The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-18
DRAMA ON THE
SEA


China sea or thereabouts the two
great fleets are seeking or avoiding
one another. With both Japs and
Russians, the issue is the most mo-
mentous of the war. Perhaps the
Japanese could least afford defeat;
tain route to their source of supplies
intact, have in the naval battle which
is impending a lively if far-stretched
hope of victory which would mean
the end oe the war, and chance of
defeat which would leave them il:
little worse than their present plight.
On the other hand, the Japanese, with
the defeat of Togo, would be cut off
from their base of supply and would
be left at the mercy of the hammer
ing of the Russian hosts from the
North in Manchuria and of seige and
annoyance of Russian ships at their
doors. In a sense the sea fight is
the desperate necessity to both parties
to the conflict. But it should be
borne in mind that Russia can afford
to lose in that she could still continue
the war on land, but that with Japan
the problem is to destroy Rojest-
vensky or to give up the fight both on
land and sea. And in the meantime
the ships of both nations are screened
from view, somewhere in the vastness
of the ocean, perhaps, but not proba-
III, N
struggle.
1t is everywhere agreed that the
chances of the conflict are favorable
to the Japanese. Several reasons con-
tribute to the odds. In the first place,
the Japenese ships are nearer to their
base, they have had a season of rest,
have endured the trials and learned
the experience of a long and exciting
campaign against the Port Arthur
fleet. Their vessels have been tried
are accustomed to the dangers, in
structed in the tactics which can be
learned only in actual, combat. The
ships themselves have had a season
of rest. Probably every one of them
has been in dry dock. They are clean
and fast and in good repair. Their
defects have been noted during long
campaign and corrected. The morale
of the fleet is indubitably superb, i'll
workmanship and discipline. Every
man from Admiral to the common
seaman has had his courage and de-
votion tested in the face of death on
winter seas. The Japanese fleet is a
terrible aggregation of war, confident
and intrepid.
Against these advantages, RoJest-
vensky has a superiority in the num-
Der of his ships. which it is suspected
IS more apparent than real. His Feet
has sailed thousands of miles, has
never been in battle, is foul with trav-
ell so that it's speed is diminished. 1t
is a constant problem when and how 1t
is to coal, especially now that it has
reached a point where conflict is
imminent. And, without full bunk
ers, it would be suicidal to enter
conflict with the speedy and well pre-
pared fleet of his enemy. Despite the
preponderance of his ships, also. Ro-
iestvensky is inferior in the armament
of his batteries He has several more
battleships than Togo, nothing like
the guns. And it is the guns that
count, more the gunners, exercised as
the Japs have been on freezing seas
at fighting targets. Again the Japa-
nese are vastly the Russians superiors
in the number of their torpedo boats,
their powerful cruisers, their fast tor
pedo beat destroyers. These are the
grey-hounds of war, with destruction
in their fangs. Admiral Rojestvensky
may be desperate, he is certainly
brave. he cannot be confident.
But Togo, doubtless, appreciates to
the full the destiny Of which his COM
mand is the representative. Even so
long ago as the occasion when he re-
turned to Toxic as the victor of Port
Arthur, he quelled the demonstration
in his honor with the assertion that
his duty was not vet half done, refer
ing to the fleet which he is now called
upon to face, at that time thousands
of miles away. His prophecy is now
on the point of being fulfilled, one or
the other way. He is in the presence
of the enemy, wherever he is. The
world awaits the guns and Togo,
somewhere, is waiting to give the
word.
What he will do is matter of purest
conjecture, as is the course that Ro-
jestvensky will follow. He may avoid
for time a general battle with the
Russians, which the superior speed
of his ships would readily enable him
to do, seeking as has been surmised
in St. Petersburg, to scatter his foes
with repeated and daring torpedo at
lacks, such as slowly reduced the Port
Arthur fleet to inactivity, destroying
the remainder piecemeal But he has
Rojestvensky to deal with. The lat