The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-05

On February 6, 1904, japanese
fleet left Sasebo, quietly and swiftly,
just when diplomatic relations between
japan and Russia had been broken off.
On February 6 firing was heard off the
harbor town of Masampo, Korea. The
Russian steamer Mukden came into the
harbor and the Russian captain came
ashore to the custom house. While he
was looking after his papers, Japa-
nese destroyer crept into the harbor,
a boat IS crew rowed over to the Muk-
den, took possession, and departed with
the vessel, as a prize of war. All tele.
graph wires had been cut, and so the
Japanese had prevented news of ssthe
firing at sea" being telegraphed and
cabled around the world, and the lack
of telegraph prevented the Russian
cruiser Variag (now japanese cruiser
Soya lying in Honolulu harbor) and the
gunboat Korietz, at anchor in the har-
Dor of Chemnlpo, from learning any
thing of the coup d etat by water,
and gave the Japanese feet its chance
to deliver a terrific blow in the night
at the Russian fleet at Port Arthur.
Near the Variag and Korietz was the
Russian transport Sungari, and close to
them the Japanese cruiser Chiyoda. By
the evening of the sixth of February
the Japanese captain of the Chiyoda
knew what had happened at Fusan and
off Masampo, but he did not know
whether the Russian commanders knew.
All that night saw the Japanese sailors
i'll at ease and anxious. If the Rus,
slams knew they might open up fire at
any moment and blow the useless little
iron cruiser out of the water. On the
seventh the japanese captain could
stand it no longer. He began teie,
graphing repeatedly to Seoul by the
japanese military telegraph line, the
only one kept open, "Do they knowg
Can they know9' And back came the
reassuring message, "They cannot pos
sibly know; all kilograms have been
intercepted.
The seventh went by slowly, each
hour dragging more and more, with the
big guns of the Variag staring earn
estly at the Chiyoda, the first separat-
ed from the second only by a few
cables length. In the evening the
Japanese captain slipped his cable, and
crept around, putting an English cruis-
er between himself and the enemy
that is all anyone saw. But when
morning came the sleepy Russian cap
tain rubbed his eyes-the Chiyoda had
disappeared altogether.
Finally the Russian Legation at
Seoul, which was in possession of the
ugly fact that war was on, sent news
from Seoul to Chemulpo by train. The
Korietz got up steam, received her or
ders, and went out of the harbor clear
ed for action. Immediately outside she
met formidable fleet of japanese
transports conveyed by japanese
cruiser squadron. The Chiyoda had
gone to the Asan anchorage and
brought them. A gun from the Ko-
rietz fiashed-fred by mistake by a
nervous gunner, it is now fully believed
and the Japanese ships promptly re-
turned the fire, ploughing the sea
around the little Russian gunboat with
shot and shell. The despatch-carrier
could not get to sea with the japanese
torpedo fleet ready to send her to the
bottom; she fred few answering shots
and fed back to the harbor. War had
come.
The excitement in Chemulpo harbof
was greater than ever.