Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-05
Poured Like Rain Upon
the Russian warships.
Aim Of the ia panese Gunners
Was Deadly Accurate.
No Escape for Russians Except Surrender
or Running Away.

| NladivOStOk June 4.-From the ac-
| counts of participants in the battle OF
the Sea of Japan as given here, can be
| constructed Il picture of the nrst day
| of the fight.
| nm the morning of May -, when the
| Russian tlr"t found itself 10 miles
| south of 'TSu island, it WAS hcadillE Tor
| the straits in three columns the bat
| tleShipS and five cruisers on the let,
| Ia. light cruisers on the right and the
| transports and torpedo boats between.
| The weather was 1oGi:y and the view,
| therefore, difficult.
| At $50 o'clock in the morning, the
| Russian fleet was discovered by the
Japanese cruiser IdzumO, which bun
| q, red upon il in the fog and narrowly
escaped capture.
| At 1880 o'clock. four Janail's"
cruisers. the Chotose. kasauGa, 1"uSh-
| ina and Nitaka, were discovered at Tie
| northeast of the fleet and were fired ON
| by the battlcships. The Japanese
| cruisers disappeared and the Russian
| fleet proceeded through the straits.
| Suddenly, at 1.2O o'clock in thu af-
| ternoon. IL silhouette of japanese YES
sells, their greenish blue paint making
/
Up to the westward of the Russian YES
| sells. The Japanese vessels consisted
of four battleships and the arlh"."d
cruisers Tokiwa, Nisshin kasuda.
Iwatc and Idzumo. They Immediately
opened a heavy fire which was espec-
| tally directed against the tiaSShipS OF
the various squadrois of the Russian
| fleets.
| Admiral RojeStVensky SiGnallcd to
| the transports to place themselves on
| the right of the squadron of light
| cruisers so as to increase their dis
| lance from the fighting portion of the
| feet, which was now hotly engaged
| and suffering under the well-aimed
| fire of the Japanese.
| Thanks to the precision of the Jap
| anese gunners and the concentration of
| their fire on the t1agships. within an
| hour and Il half, the Kniaz Souvaroff
| and the Oslabya were reduced to
wrecks and soon sank.
| Almost at the Same time, rs the OPEN
| ing Of the engagement between the
| battleship division a column of light
| Japanese cruisers appeared from the
| eastward and fell upon the retiring
| Russian transports and the light cruis-
crs. The cruisers Vladimir Monomach
| and Dmitri Donskoi We're detached
| from the left column and sent to their
aid They were rcrulsed by the Jap
anese cruisers, but not before the Ural
| had been brought to a sinking condi-
| ton.
| The battle continued until o'clock
| without any further noticeable change
| i'll the situation.
Soon thereafter, the battlcship Alex
| ander III began to list badly and
dropped out of the line, but was quick
| ly repaired, rcsuming her place and re-
| opening fire The battleship Borodino
| was then heading the line. The Jap
| anese noticing the condition of the Al
| eXant,cr III concentrated their fire up
on her and she again drOpned out OF
| the line, this time finally and disap-
peared.
Such a heavy fire from the japanese
Finch guns was then diverted against
| the Rorodino that she WAS disabled and
sunk This was 80 O'Clock in the even
ing
Tho battIeshp Sissoi Ncliky was now
ablaze but was firing every available
gun At this hour. the onslaught of tor
redo boats from the coast of Japan
and the closing of the battleShips from
the left broke up the Russian fleet all
If which except four battlCships and
the converted cruiser Ural were still
holding together.
During the night, the japanese tor
pcdo attack continued. the results of
which wcr" not known here until the
re port Of the commander Of the cruiser
izumrud was received from Vladimir
bay.
During the battle a mass of Japanes"
junks is said to have chStructcd the
movements Of the Russian fleet. The
Russian officers assert that these junkS
scattered mines in ;hc paths Of their
vessels.
The nodics Of Lieutcnant Machilis. of
the cruiser Almaz ana Cf other officers
and sailors brought here by the Almaz
and the torpedo boat Gcstroycrs were
buried today.
Captain Rciff. of the destroyer Groz-
ny. describing the capture of Admiral
Eoicetvcnsky said that his vessel in
company with the destroyer Bodovi on
which Admiral Rojcstvcnsky escaped
was stcaming morthward when they en-
countercd two Japanese q, StrOyerS. The
Bcdcvi signaled the Grozny "IIow
many knots can you make and on re-
cciving the reply Twenty three" order
cd full speed for ViadivOstok"
The GrOZny instead of Gbeying this
signal engaged one OF the Japanese
d.stroycrs, but the Bedovi raised the
white flag and the Red Cross flag.
While doing battle with her opponent
the GroZny was unable to go to the aid
of her conscrt. which was taken in tow
by the other Japanese dcstroyers. The
Grozny succeeded in shaking off her
pursuerS, but engaged another Japan
csc destroyer which engaged her in a
running fight.
The Emperor of Germany takes his
meals with his whole family, even the