New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-08-26
only sunnose IL is one OF the crew.

only suppose il is one OF the crew. lhe
refrigerator on board the Sasaclous is OUT vi
order and she has been ordered back'
But the panic would not down. Russian
agent reported the departure from the fJords
of "a suspicious looking three rnasted craft,
and orders were issued to train every gun
available upon every passing vessel Iheh
report came by wireless telegraphy that one Oh
the ships had sighted two balloons w hat ON
earth can these be? Surely not Japanese: IN
such a frame of mind they emerged from uie
narrow seas upon the broad expanse OF the
German Ocean. Immediately new terrors arose.
At D. m a wireless dispatch from the hanl-
schatka said she attacked by destroyels'
At 10 o'clock the Kamschatka reported that she
was being attacked on all sides by eight de
stroyers At midnight the same ship reported
the attack had ceased, and she wanted 10 KNOW
the position of the rest of the fleet Inc Jap
"anese however, are thought to be the real au-
'thors of the inquiry Then came the tragedy;
At / o'clock this morning We beat TO quarters;
ships having been sighted ahead, we aIlowe9
them to approach within a short distance, anu
then let fly. Words ran me 70 ue9G Ii
the disgraceful action that followed. The ships
of our division were wrapped IN one vast sheet
of fame an incessant roar lose from the guns
projectiles whistling through the ar.
a Small fishing vessel was tossing helplessly on
the sea! We saw her quite distinctly.
The unhappy vessel had been the target Tor tne
concentrated fire of our guns. The order 10
undated from the other ships, who; no doubt;
sent the steamer to the bottom. The second ana
third steamers were bobbing helplessly up ana
down Try to imagine to yourself the feellngs
~ az moor ,,eonIe IN these vessels The
whole world will now ring with this shamerul
outrage
Mr. Politovsky argues, however, that the
fishermen were themselves greatly to blame
They saw our fleet approaching, and clearly
"their duty was to abandon their nets and
make all speed to one side" That all neu-
trail commerce on the high seas remote from
the scene Of war must vacate those seas ana
clear the way for belligerent vessels is doc
trine which has not yet, we think, received
universal sanction, and is unlikely TO receive 1t.
Nor will all naval officers sympathize with Mr..
Potovsky's reflection upon the effect Of the
firing The Russian cruiser Aurora was mis-
taken for Japanese ship and was fired upon.
Her funnel was riddled, her decks were ripped
up, her hull was pierced in four Places her
chaplain had his arm shot Off and her COM
mander was wounded-an incident, says the
chief engineer. naTvely, furnishing one cOnsol-
"ing refiectiOn-that the firing was not alto
"gether harmless! The writer of this vivid and
convincing narrative persisted at Tsu Shima.
But he left behind him in this epistolary diary
an invaluable contribution TO the history of that
extraordinary war, and, we believe, an ample
and accurate explanation Of one of its most
sensational and most disputed incidents. The
mystery OF the Dogger Bank is solved. on un-
impeachable testimony, in the single word,
panic