The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-05-05
24O JAPANESE LOST
WHEN WARSHIPI Sinks
Training Cruiser Matusllima EIoWD
Up by Explosion.
SCORES RESCUED FROM WATER
Had just Reached Makarg-Eescue
Boats Saved 175 of Her Compic.
nent of 415-Prominent Jap.
anese Families Bereaved.


Toxic, Japan Her hull ripped &c
pieces by exploding twelve-incll
shells, the Japanese cruiser Matu-
shina went down at the Pescadores
Islands with q loss of $40 lives, in
GLIDING son of Prince Oyama, the
victorious general over the Russians.
and son of Baron Chinda, Vice-Min.
lister of the Foreign Office Three
captains went down with the ship.
which sank five minutes after the firs
explosion.
The Matushima was of especial his
toric significance, in that she was the
flagship of Admiral Ito in the defeat
of the Chinese at the battle of the
Yalu River. The ship also was sent
into the thick of The fighting in the
Battle of the Sea of Japan, although
in design and construction the cruiser
was antiquated. The vessel mounted
only one twelve-inch gun, and among
naval designers was looked upon in
the nature of a freak" Since the
war with Russia she has been used
as training ship for cadets, ana
thirty-four out of the fifty-eight
cadets on board went to the bottom
with her.
The naval officials here are exer-
cising their usual caution in giving
full details to the public, but enough
has been gathered to show that the
end of the cruiser came with tragic
suddenness. The Matushima had
been engaged in night target prac-
tice, and had entered the harbor of
Makang in the Pescadores group. The
anchor had just been dropped, at
4.08 o'clock, when the first shell ey-
ploded The huge missile came up
through the deck and shot into the
air. The conclusion was so terrific
that the stock of twelve-inch shells
in the magazine were scattered, and
the explosions coming in quick sue
cession the ship was literally shot to
pieces. 1t was said many of the
officers and men were killed Ky the
shells on the deck. An attempt was
made to muster the crew, but the
cruiser quickly began to settle and
the deck soon was impossible with
the rents cut in it by the shells.
Finally mighty explosion sent the
Matushima down like stone. 1t was
believed the large quantity of powder
stored in the magazine completed the
destruction of the ship. Practically
her entire bottom was blown away,
and it was said that the explosion Of
the boilers added to the horror OF the
situation.
The cruisers Itsumshima and Hash
idate were entering the harbor at the
time, and they lowered boats. Sew
eral men were picked up 800 yards
from the wreck, where they had been
blown by the force of the last ex-
plosion. In all 141 officers and men
were taken alive out of the water.
Only few bodies were recovered.
The captains who went down were
Yoshmord, Name and Yashiro, all
veterans of the war with Russia.
The cause of the explosion is net
known, but it is believed it was the
result of deterioration of powder
The cruiser was one of the few ships
in the Japanese navy not equipped
with refrigerating plant for the
maintenance of an even temperature
in magazines.
Washington, D. C.-Commander
Taniguchi, the Naval Attache CT the
japanese Embassy, said that the reg
ular complement of the Matushima
was 355 men, and that on her cruise
she had about fifty cadets aboard,
making a total of about AIS. His
cablegram, he said, indicates that
about ITS were saved, which would