The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-08

time, sallying out to sea and making a torpedo boat attack on the Japanese. The action marked the arrival at the port of Admiral Makaroff, who had been sent on from St. Petersburg to take command of the sea forces, leaving Alexieff free to manager the land operations. The sortie accomplished little, only one Jap battle ship being injured. However. 1t material ly raised the hopes of the Russians
 Tn a short battle between the two fleets just off the mouth of the harbor on March 13 the Russian cruiser Diana was disabled. After this Togo withdrew further out to sea. The Russians were pursued by i'll fortune. however, for the next day the torpedo boat destroyer Skorri hit Russian mine and blew up.
 At the end of March Togo had accom- pllshed much. He had practically block aded the port; he had inflicted heavy loss on the Russian fleet and he had gained control of the sea, so that it was Impossible for other ships to join the fleet at Port Arthur. After this. for sev- eral weeks, he remained comparatively quiet, bombarding occasionally. Public in- terest at this time centered on the land operations, which had begun with the landing of the Japanese at Chemulpo shortly after the Variag and the Korietz were sunk
 DISASTER TO RUSSIANS.
 The month of April brought disaster to the Russians. On the 18th Togo made a torpedo boat attack and the battleships of the enemy responded. Makaroff. on the Petropavlovsk, led the way for the rest of Ahe fleet through the outer harbor. Suddenly the flagship struck a mine or was struck iby a torpedo (accounts differ as to which,, turned turtle and sank with practically all hands. Admiral Makaroff went down with his ship and Russia, hay ing builded great hopes on the brave admiral, was thrown into the depth of despair.
 Previous to this the Pobieda, while man. euvering, struck mine and was dam aged Then the Japs cut off the destroyer Bezstrachni which had been on a scout ing trip over night. and sank her. It was immediately after the sinking of the de- stroyer that the achon took place in which Makaroff was killed.
 The tide turned in May somewhat and Togo loss two ships. On the 18th the Kasuga and the Yoshino collided in @ fog and the Yoshino sank, only ninety of her crew being saved. On the same day the battleship Hatsuse, while cruis- ing off Port Arthur, struck Russian mine was disabled, struck another mine and sank with the greater part of her crew.
 The Russian torpedo flotlla appeared as she went down and made an attack, but they were driven off.
 During June Togo resumed more active operations. On the 23rd his patrol boats discovered the enemy near the entrance to the harbor The Russians steamed out and then refused battle. During the fol- lowing night the Japanese torpedo boats made eight separate attacks on the Rus sian fleet, and next morning the Rus The Czarevitch and the Retvizan, which The Tsarevitch and the Retvizan, which had been repaired were with the Rus sians.
 The night attacks resulted in the dis abling of one battleship. supposedly the Peresviet, and the total destruction of destroyer, which re-entered the harbor a mass of flames.
 A DESPERATE soRTIE.
 Early in July the Russian fleet made another sortie from the harbor and en- gagged the Japs but the battle was a small one and the result of little import ance.
 August practically ended the naval