GREAT NAVAL BATTLE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 194, 15 August 1904, Page 5

GREAT NAVAL BATTLE.

RUSSIAN SQUADRON DISPERSED. FIVE BATTLESHIPS DAMAGED. LONDON, August 13. Admiral Togo, in his official rejorttohis Government of the naval battle in the straits of Pe-chi-li tad the Yellow Sea, states that the combined Japanese fleet attacked the Russian squadron as it was proceeding south-ward, twenty-five Biles south-cast of Port Arthur, j and pnrsuied it eastward. Sharp fighting continued during the whole of one afternoon until sunset, many of tho Russian ves■els apparently being greatly damaged* Towards the close of the engageBent the battle formation of the Bnulansqaedron became deranged, and the first-class cruisers Novik Had Pallada, and the battleship Ceiarevitch, together -with sorae dertroyarg, fled southward, the rest rotroating to Fort Arthur. i Admiral Togo expresses <&c belief fiat tire Cesareviteh afterwards •Mk, and mentions that the Japanae found lifebuoys and other articles belonging to the battleship floating in the sea. He states that the damage to his fleet was only slight, and that its Wring power remains unimpaired, j *«• total Japanese casualties l "aonated to about 170.

LATER. continuation Admiral Togo >»tee that five Russian battleships 'JPear to have teen badly damaged. ™c Pobieda lost two masts, and >leavy gnu waa d i sabled , The Ret . **» Was hit several times at a **e° of 3500 metres. The Russian ■*«■ were only slightly damped. o* the Japanese ships were Waporarily repaired.

t A report is current that Admiral 5 Withoeft -was killed. Chifu reports that the cruiser c Pallada is missing. a The battleship Ccsarevitch, tho r Novik and three cruisers are still f> at Tsingtao. The Germans are ass aisting to repair the Ccsarevitch. - i Later reports states that the Noe vik escaped from Tsingtao af the " expiraion of the 24 hours' limit. c _» ASKOLD NEAR SHANGHAI. IS GREATLY DAMAGED. 12 KILLED, 50 WOUNDED. LONDON, August 13. The Russian cruiser Askold I (6500 tons), -which took part in the | naval battle, has arrived at the Chinese port of Wasting, north of , > Shanghai, in a greatly damaged ' condition. She has one funnel gone, and the , others are riddled -with shell holes, while a gun on the port side is dismounted, and the vessel has several large shell holes above the waterI line. A lieutenant and eleven of the ! ! crew -were killed during the engagement, and 50 were wounded.