, 1906-07-25
In A NAVAL BATTLE
HOW RUSSIAN WARSHlP JARED
AT PORT ARTHUR.
Deadly Accuracy of Japanese Gunners
Left Vessel a Wreck in Few Min.
utes-Sailors See Their Comrades
Slaughtered on All Sides.

Here is a fragment of a description
of the sea battle last summer near
Port Arthur, when the Russian squad
ron attempted to break out from the
beleaguered port and escape into the
open: In a moment the bridge re-
sounded with the strident voice of the
admiral. The lethargy vanished. Even
before the signal flag had left the yeo-
mans hand the squadron had passed
the bugle call along. To fight 10 was
imperative. 1t had already begun; the
rattle of the Novik's quick-firers rolled
across the summer sea; she was en-
gaging the more enterprising of Togo's
scouts. Back the little boats steamed
to shelter under the guns of the bat
tie squadron. The Russians would
fght-the battle flags were bert. The
great ship quivered and then quivered
again. 1t was only the twelye-inch
guns, but they made the coming tower
rock. The Japanese had Unanswered
and were now standing in on the star
board BEAM The Russian admiral
changed his course. Great projeotiles
were ricochetting overhead and rails
ing geysers of salt spray all around
them. But for the present the flagship
could answer shot for shot. The ad-
miral clinched the handrail. His face
was still pale, but the fighting light
was in his eyes. Make the fleet sig
nal, "Close up-follow MEL
"At the same moment there was a
deafening crash and the vessel swung
so that every one in the coming tower
was thrown against the walls. What
was that-mine?' The dread of mine
and torpedo by this time was ingrained
in every Russian sailor, and as the
flag lieutenant sprang down the ladder
The horrible nightmare of the Petro-
p-ylovsk leaped before his mental
vision. A deck officer came hurrying
forward. He reported that a large
she'll had hit the after thirteen-inch
turret, glanced and in bursting
wrecked the top above. Awful! Poor
fellows, Flesh came down with the
splinters on the deck like confetti in a
carnival
Then the vessel staggered from two
terrific blows forward. The flag lieu.
tenant stumbled ahead, drawing his
hands mechanically to his ears, while
the tori fragments of iron and splin-
ter soughed past him. Biting, sting
ing smoke blinded him, while the force
of the conclusion flattened him against
a ventilator. The first sight that he
saw was the mangled frame of his
comrade. The top of the poor wretch's
head was gone, a h~alf-burned cigarette
was still between the clinched teeth
He threw his glance upward-the for
ward smokestack vas rent from top
to bottom and the flame and smoke
were licking round the base. The
~twelve-inch guns in the forward bat
terry solemnly fired and the ear-split-
ting crack of the discharge brought
the youth to his senses. He made for
the ladder. Great God! The coming
tower and forward bridge were but
torn. smoking and twisted wreck.
"a man jumped to the deck. His
face was as black as IN Ethiopian, his
uniform and beard torn and d~iscolored
to a filthy yellow. his left arm, sew
cred at the biceps, was dangling by
a sinew. All are killed, admiral, ALL
the figure gasped as it reeled and sunk
fainting to the deck"