Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-01
THE YELLOWDANGE
THE STORY oF THE WORLDS GREATEST WAR.
BY P. SHELL
by r. re q
BY NJ. P. SHIEL..
he STORY Of THE WORLDS GREATEST WAR.
Copyright. 1899. BY n. F. Femme o.,

wondermenf could find no guess. Japan
was nation among nations. responsible,
presumably careful to keep her pled0ed
word. What. then. could have happenedf
said the vice admiral to himself twenty
times during the course OF that terrible and
Bleepless night.
But he did not neglect the warning OF
Japan's cable. The next morning, imme-
diately after the saluting of the colors, the
feet steamed from Chemulpo harbor, the
flagship being the Barfleur. one OF the only
two line Of battleships present.
The vice admiral, In his ignorance of the
real facts Of the situation, had no inten-
ton of being caught at anchor without sea-
room.
So far. no action had taken place in the
east. The approaches to vladivostok har-
Dor. Port Arthur and Kiao-Chau were
crowded with mines, and defended by forts.
power from injury till the first naval bat
tie. After that. In the ent-of victory. he
meant to proceed to the hostile ports.
He went cruising southeastward under
spring.
But what now is that, away yonder on
the southern horizon? A long streak OF
gray mist. which has the property of grow
ing swiftly broader and darker. The Jap
anese feet at last, surely
No. 1t is the feet of the allied enemy.
That is quickly determined by the lookouts
They numbered twenty-nine and occupied
the whole region of the southern hemi-
horizon
The British ships were thirty three.
Among them. however, was very large
number of smaller tonnage craft. torpedo
boat destroyers. first-class gunboats, second
and thlrd-class cruisers. dispatch vessels
and sloops of war. Of varying weight. from
about 1000 to as low as 260 tons. But
there. too, on the other hand. were the
great Terrible. and her sister cruiser TN
whose books was the name OF John Hardy,
absent), the Powerful. These had each
20, 80 fDa hn a.
venge with 14.150 tons, and the Gibraltar
with 100
The weight OF the enemy was greater: but
1t was not much greater; and even SO. II
was not the custom of Englishmen to count
as deterrent from battle a preponderance
of the enemy In physical power. The wee
admiral banished from his mind for the
time the mystery Of the Japanese fleet. ana
sent forth his command with a high heart
Nimble Jack, below decks. belted his
trousers with determined snap, and strip
ped himself of blouse and shirt, prepared
to sink, to fight, to swim, to die. to live.
Already from the coming towers could
be dscerned the pea-soup color of some
Russian ships, though both fleets were
pouring round the horizon two regions OF
dark smoke.
The British approached In a very wide
wedge, the Barfieur leading at the apex or
the formation. while the enemy maintained
q double line, the whole of the first line be-
ing composed of Russian vessels, the heavy
Vladimir Monomach occupying the central
post.
The barb. so to speak, of the British wedge
was as strong as possible. On each side OF
the Barfieur. somewhat astern of her. came
the Powerful and the Terrible. 1t was
the intention of the vice admiral 60
begin well, and to derive all the moral
prestige which this fact might afford. At
the moment when the Vladimir was two
miles from the Barieur. and three from
the Terrible and the Powerful, the battle
commenced on the British side. All the
three British vessels had kept their forward
barbettes trained upon the Vladimir, anu
they fired simultaneously. The result was
Just like magic. Before the smoke had
cleared, the Russian ship was no longer
on the surface of the waters.
An instant afterward, and the battle was
general. .rf.r
cTo be continued tomorrow