Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-02
From 1000 to 5000 In
Guiding 5000 Prisoners
j,ps Announce Six Ships Total
Loss During Whole War.


Toxic. June Trough estimates made
nj the Russian losses in the battle
fought In the sea Of japan, inclusive
Of nearly 5000 prisoners. varies from
1000 10 5000 It is feared that the ma
jority persisted.
Calculating the compliments Of the
sunken and captured ships at upwards
of 10000 1000 men remain unaccounted
for 1t Is possible THAI the ships which
escaped rescued some of the members Of
the crews of the less fortunate ships.
Many bodies have been washed ashore
on the islands and on :he shores OF
neighboring coasts near the scene OF
the battle.
The navy department made the fol-
lowing announcement, Thursday:
Later reports from the different d.
visions Of the fleet engaged in the naval
battle OF May %, show as follows:
1.-THE Russian battleship Oslaby1a
was badly damaged in the early part
of the fight on Saturday, going down at
3P NJ.
THE first Russian vessel sunk was
the battleship Sissoi Veliky.
THE armored cruisers, Admiral Max
himoff and Vladimir Monomach. after
being in the general engagement during
the day time, were still further damag
ed by torpedoes during attacks by night
and were eventually completely dis
abled. They drifted into the vicinity IF
the Tsu islands where they were dis
covered on sunday morning. May %. by
the auxiliary cruisers, Shi'anova, Yawa-
Ia, Tainu and Saso which were about
to capture them but they all sank.
1.-THE crews Of our auxiliary cruisers
rescued 915 OF the crew of the sunken
Russian ships.
1.-The battleship Navarin was tor
pedoed four times after shutdown on
Saturday, May q, AMI sunk. The sur
vivors Of the Navarin's crew confirm
the story Of her destruction.
THE cruisers Niiataka and DIVA dis
covered the Russian cruiser Sviet1ana
at 9 A. NJ. Sunday in the vicinity of
Chappyan bay and Immediately attack
ed and sunk her. The commander of the
Niiataka reports the fact.
1T Is suspected the Russian cruisers
Almaz and Aurora we're sunk by tor
pedoes on the night of May 81.
THE former report Includes the state
ment that the Russian cruiser Jemt-
chug was sunk but as yet this remains
unconfirmed and the cruisers name has
been excluded from the revised list Of
Russian vessels destroyed.
Judging from this and former re-
Forts the enemy's main strength con-
sisting of eight battleships destroyed or
captured, three armOred cruisers and
three coast defence ships destroyed or
captured with the second class cruisers
and other vessels destroyed the enemy's
fighting power is thus annihilated.
Later reports show that during the
night Of May q, our torpedo boats
numbered "a, IS and 80 were sunk by
the enemy's fire. Comrades rescued the
majority Of their crews. Beside the
above there was no damage worth re-
porting. No warship nor destroyer suf-
ftred any loss Of fighting or navigating
power.
I'VE anticipated a heavy loss Of life,
but find that our casualties were COM
paratively light. They do not exceed 500
killed and wounded. The casualty re-
ports will be rendered as speedily as
possible
Nearly the whole strength of both
cOmbatants met in battle.
The first day proved fcggy and even
without the smoke and fumes resulting
from battle 1t would be impossible to
see five miles. Consequently during the
day it was impossible to locate all the
ships under my command. Moreover the
ngnting had lasted two days and the
ships OF my command being scattered
some having received special orders af-
ter the battle 1t was impossible to COL
lect and frame any detailed report COW
erfng the whole battle at the same
time