Evening journal., 1905-03-29
SINKING OF SEVASTOPOL
Russian Battieship's Last Fierce
Struggle at Port Arthur.
sPrEs BETRAYED HER TO THE FOE

Captain Won Essen reIls HOW, En-
circIed by Japanese Torpedo boats,
with only One Hundred Men, He
Fought with HE vessel 70 the End.
Russians Amssed ~ Enerny's Fear
Isssness-Incidents of the siege.
Captain N. o. Won Essen OF the Rus
sian navy, who has been paroled by
the Japanese government. commanded
the battieship sevastopol during the
engagements at Port Arthur. He re-
Gently arrived IN New York and thus
related some Of the details OF the siege
OF Port Arthur to a reporter OF the
New York American:
Before tell you OF the conditions at
Port Arthur let me recount my own ex-
perience on the sevastopol. which viii
give you an idea OF what we went
through. Before the capture OF Two
Hundred and Three Meter hill. which
was the turning point In the siege. the
japanese had brought up huge guns
and for weeks were shelling the har-
Dor at random. You see, they could
not tell the position OF our ships. 50
that perhaps only i shell out OF 500
would do any damage. AS Il wns we
were hit I've times, but not greatly
crippled.
On Dec. 12 l was notified by General
Etoessel that Two Hundred and Three
Meter hill Ind been lost aud that this
gave the japanese vantage point
from which they could spy out our
movements and direct the fire OF their
big guns. determined 10 leave the
harbor, but fortunately. owing to ths
fact mat I was lying behind LAO
Tishan hill, the enemy could get no
clear view OF my ship, and 80 for the
time being at least was comparative
ly safe. They could sec only the tops
Of my masts, but the other ships were
IN plain view to them. They opened a
tremendous cannonade with ten inch
guns, and one after tho other the big
battleships and cruisers listed over
and went down in the shallow waters
OF the harbor. The officers and crews
escaped.
On Dec. II they concentrated their
IRE on me, and / saw that / would
have TO abandon my position. II would
have been useless for me to attempt
to leave the harbor IN the day. so
waited until darkness. The entrance
to Port Arthur is very narrow and shal
low. SO that had to wait till high tide
which was at midnight. In the black
ness OF the night we felt our way oui
and anchored behind the hills which
rise abruptly from the sea and which
sheltered us completely from the frs
OF Nogi's guns.
At that time had only 100 men OF
board OF my total complement Of go
300 had been killed or wounded ol
were lying sick at the hospital, and 90
had been sent ashore TO re-enforce thu
army IN working the batteries.
II was so dark that the japanese diS
not see us as we left the harbor. i
was two days before they discovered
that we had gone. During that time
they rained heavy shells, 800 or 400 Z
day. on the place where we had been.
At the end Of the second day they
were informed OF our location by spies
Again they turned their big guns upor
us, but owing to our location this did
little damage. We were struck by Q
number Of six inch shells. two OF which
exploded In my cabin, but we were moi
crippled TO any extent Finding II DIFF
dcult to reach us from the shore, they
sent a swarm OF torpedo boats In tc
attack US.
l had lowered my nets and sent oui
booms, which gave us excellent protec
tlon. The first night twenty torpedo
boats came at us from all sides. Witf
{ the greatest daring they steamed IN
7 full speed on. and each launch threw
from two 70 three torpedoes.
l was on the bridge at the time and
not only our searchlights. but those Of
the shore batteries, lighted up the ses
for miles. Our quick firing guns had
been sent ashore, so that we only had
our six and ten inch guns to work with
but the men fought them through al
! that long night until the whole shiT
} shook from their tremendous dis
charges. I myself saw four japanese
torpedo boats go down from the effects
OF our shells. Twelve others. learned
afterward from reliable sources. were
seriously damaged The japanese 10
tilla commander, whose name do no
! know, was killed.
Most OF the torpedoes discharged a
us were caught in our nets, and, whll'
they all exploded. they did very littl'
harm. What small damage was In
hicted was repaired at once by our div
ers. Two days afterward they came a
ms again. Line ahead they passed with
In LOO yards or less, steaming In per
feet order and launching their torpe
does as they went
Once more we opened FIRE and bea
them or. but again and again they re
turned to the attack with fearlessnes
that had never before witnessed in al
/ my life. One Japanese torpedo boa
was so badly crippled that she becam
unmanageable. and I slgnaled to ON
OF our boats TO so after her. Unfortu
nately the men at our guns on shor
could not distinguish our small boat
from those OF the enemy. My own me
were exposed to a terrific fire fror
Stoessers guns. In spite Of this the
steamed up to the Japanese torped
boat only to find that every soul O