The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-04-10
A RUSSIAN ARMADA
Rojestvensky's Huge Fleet
Passes Singapore.
JAPANESE SCOUTS II OFFlNC.
Cars War saaadFoas Presented
naERtnesat Spectacle, bat mere
Evidence 90 t.sag NsYaGs,
Expect TeEs's Attsek,

Expect reEs's Attack.
SINGAPORE, April i0 The Russian
Baltic neet passed here ON saturday
afternoon. heading noriheastwand. and
b. supposed 10 be- making for Saigon,
French Cochin China. A japanese
squadron OF twenty-five ships il be-
lleycd 10 be- on llorsburg light thirty
miles away.
The two nceis may get Ia touch any
moment aud begin q naval battle upon
the outcome OF which the fate 81 the
war may depend There IL great OK.
element here aud at Penang in anti.
elpatiou OF a naval combat Ia Malayan
waters
tpon hearing OF the passage ~ the
Baltic fleet the British China squadron
at iiongkong prepared 10 put 10 sea.
Admiral llolrsiyeusky' squadron OF
nifty one vessels was led by three con.
vcricd former Hamburg American line
vessels. Then came the cruisers. col.
liers. haitlcshlps. etc. The colliers were
mostly la the center OF the feet. The
decks OF the wanshlps were coal laden.
while the colllcrs aud the former liners
were light Of draft
The most important lighting vessels
OF the squadron. Including the battle.
ships knlas Snuynron. Alexander n.
iorodlno aud Orcl. with their compile
ment Of cruisers. torpedo boat destroy
err. etc. were not with the feet and
their whcroaboui n totally unknown.
A French steamer came 10 here dur
ing the day with sailor belonging Ia
the battleship Admiral Nakhlmon, who
fell overheard and was picked up on
Malacca after having been twelve
hours In the water
The feet passed seven miles out, pre-
coded by twelve warships. which prob
ably were Admiral Toga's scouts
Nothing II known Of Toga's base. but
bis full feet must be somewhere In the
vicinity.
The great ships. -icamlng slowly AZ
eight knots an hour. four abreast. pre-.
sented a striking spectacle.
The vessels. however. bore evidence
OF the effects OF their long sea voyage
and AZ the water line showed seaweed
a foot long.
The Russian consul visited and gave
dispatches 20 torpedo boat
The feet consisted Of six battleships
twelve cruisers. eight torpedo boat de-
stroyers. three volunteer fleet vessels
sixteen colliers. one salvage ship and
one hospital ship aud four steamers.
The feet did not stop 10 receive dis
patches or 10 consult with the consul
Subsequently the consul visited Vice
Admiral Rojestvcnsky's ship. talking
to him from a launch. lie did not
board the vessel but was cheered
heartily on leaving the side of the
ship. The consul gave 10 the feet
news Of the fall of Mukden
The vessels are burning soft coal.
and tremendous smoke was visible
for miles. Gangways were not lower
cd. and nobody was permitted on board
the vessels No news was vouchsafed.
The only launches allowed to approach
the fleet were those Of the Russian
consul aud Of the Associated Press
Natives lined the sea front and were
greatly excited
Artillerymen and submarine miners
were kept at their posts all day man
ming the guns and mines. As the fleet
did not touch the harbor limits. no sa-
lutes were fired The squadron disap-
peared about o'clock In the after
noon amid great clouds OF smoke on
the eastern horizon.