THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1687, 29 June 1904, Page 31

THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR.

NAVAL FIGHT AT PORT ARTHUR. RUSSIAN BATTLESHIP SUNK. SEVEN HUNDRED AN© FIFTY DROWNED. ADMIRAL UOHTOMSKY AMONG THE VICTIMS. CRUISER AND BATTLESHIP DAMAGED. GRAPHIC REPORT BY ADMIRAL TOGO.

LONDON, June 26. Admiral Togo reports that at 11 o’clock last Thursday morn.ng Japanese patrol vessels discovered the Russian battleship Peresviet, seven other warships and nine destroyers at the entrance to the harbour at Port Arthur. Advice was at once sent to Admiral Togo by wireless teiegrapny. - The wfiole of the Japanese fleet, with the exception of ships engaged on special missions, were then despatched to the soene. It was then discovered that six battleships, five cruisers and fourteen destroyers were evidently planning to •dash south at sundow.n. A flotilla of Japanese destroyers attacked the enemy's ships, and after nightfall sank a battleship of the Peresviet type, and damaged a battleship of the Sevastopol type, and a cruiser of the Diana type. Both the injured vessels were tewed into Port Arthur on, Friday morning. The Japanese fleet did not suffer " great damage. The destroyer’ Shirakumo was liit, and three men killed in the cabin. The Chidori was also struck, but no one aboard was seriously hurt. ' Two torpedo boats were slightly damaged. A Tokio telegram published by the newspaper “Giornale d’ltaiia,” states that Admiral "Uchtomskv and . seven ..hundred and fifty people were drowned through the sinking of the Peresviet at Port Arthur last Thursday, when the Japanese prevented the escape of the Russian souadron. The naval disaster has produced a feeling of profound dejection and dismay in St. Petersburg. The Japanese vessels do not venture too closS to the harbour owing to the LONDON. June 27. Admiral Togo, who commanded the Japanese fleet which engaged the Russian Port Arthur squadron last Thursday, has reported to his Government on the fight. He says:— “ A scout reported by wireless telegraphy early on Thursday that the Russian battleships Peresviet, Poltava and Sevastopol, and the cruisers Bayan, Pallada, Diana, Novik and Askold, preceded b., several steamers dragging mines, were emerging from Port Arthur. ' “ Sending my fourth and fourteenth flotillas of torpedo-destroyers to watch, I hastened to a rendezvous previously arranged. “ At 11 o’clock the battleships Czarevitch, Retzivan and Pob-ieda joined t he dx agging steamers, which commenced cruising about over the mined section, and attempted to make a fairway. “ While we troubled them at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the fourth and fourteenth flotillas engaged seven destroyers which were covering the operations of the di'agging vessels, and defeated them. “ On catching fire the vessels fled info the harbour. “The Novik came out to cover the other destroyers, and joined the main fleet. “When the fairway was cleared the Novik steamed out to sea. “ Our third fighting squadron, keeping in contact, drew the Russians in a south-westerly direction. “ Our first squadron, hidden south of Gugen Island, waited for the enemy, and concentrated all its destroyers upon the Russian ships. “ At a quarter past 6 our first squadron sighted the Russians eight miles north-west of Gugen. ' “ The Czarevitch was leading. Then came the Novik, with destroyers on her right. The vessels were all steaming south. “About an hour later we were.fourteen thousand metres distant, ti'ying to draiv the Russians on. * “They soon commenced to steer north, we following. “ At sunset I oi'dered the torpedo vessels to attack. “At half-past 9, when five miles from Port Arthur, the fourteenth flotilla attacked the Russian rear, the fifth flotilla following. 1 - “Tha Russians were thrown into disorder. and being unable to make port, anchored at half-past 10 o’clock in the roadstead, where we attacked them eight times before dawn. “At half-past ten the sixteenth fio- * • tilla dashed from -Strashen Point and

launched two torpedoes at the bows of a battleship resembling the Peresviet, which immediately sank.

“We were unable to ascertain other results till the morning, when we saw that a battleship was missing and that two vessels —a battleship of the Sevastopol type and a cruiser of the Diana class—were unable to use their engines. “Some of the vessels had been towed into harbour, and the last entered at 4 o’clock on Friday afternoon.” Admiral Alexieff, in a cable message .to the Czar, states that six battleships, five cruisers and ten torpedo vessels put to sea on Thursday morning, without accident.

The fleet then sighted nine large warships on the horizon, including three battleships. They also saw twenty-two torpedo boats. The Japanese warships attacked the Russians, but at the time of cabling the Admiral had not heard the result. Other accounts state that the Russian ships at Port Arthur are now moorxl with their sterns in-shore, by hedges, thus pi’esenting but small targets for the enemy’s torpedo boats.

JAPANESE CONVERGING ON KAIPING.

KOUROPATKIN’S PLANS

LONDON, June 25

The Japanese troops are now converging on Kaiping, south of Newchwang, in the north-western part of the Liaotung peninsula. They have with them an enormous number of guns. Apparently only two divisions are left to besiege Port Arthur. The Japanese censorship everywhere is so rigorous that the dates of correspondents’ messages are frequently suppressed lest information useful to the enemy should become available to the Russians.

The Russians report that the Japanese are throwing up earthworks at Ivaipaling, twelve miles southward of Feng-hwang-eheng, and are making l'oads in various directions.

Reuter’s St. Petersburg correspondent states that the latest news from the Far East indicates that the Russian Ccmmander-in-Chief, General Kouropatkin, will not give battle ter the combined armies near Kaiping. The authorities in the Russian War Office say it is not intended to l seriously contest the advance to Kaiping. This decision implies the abandonment of the entire peninsula, and also of Yingkow and Newchwang. General Oko is four miles south of Siungyuencheng (on the west coast of the peninsula), from which place the Russians are retreating. Military critics at St. Petersburg approve General Kouropatkin’s plans, inasmuch as Kaiping is in an- unfavoui'able position, with one flank opposed vo General Kuroki, while the other is threatened by troops landing at Yingkow.

CONSTANT SKIRMISHING

LONDON, June 24

The recent reports of heavy fighting are evidently based on the constant skirmishing in the vicinity of Sinyen and Hai cheng. Russian accounts show that the Japanese Generals Oko, Nodzu and Kuroki, with a hundred and fifty thousand men, are making a vigorous combined movement against General Kouropatkin's position between Kaiping, Haicheng and Liaoyang. The Japanese front extends 105 miles i « a crescent shape, from Siungyoclieng twenty-five miles south of Kaiping, to beyond Motienling (about fifty miles sCtLth-east- of Liaoyang, in Manchuria). French accounts state that sanguinary fighting has taken place since Monday along the front, extending forty kilometres (about twenty-five miles). The successes alternate, the result being still undecided. Four thousand Russians took part in the attack at Ayang (near Samaki), in which the Russians were repulsed. Five were killed and twenty wounded. ANOTHER RUSSIAN DEFEAT. LONDON. June 26. The Talcushan army on Thursday surprised and routed a sauadron of the Russian artillery on the road to Tashicliia. The Russians left sixty men dead. The Russians are losing thousands of horses from glanders. TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. LONDON, June 27. Japan, through the United States Government, furnishes Russia with a weekly report of the condition ofall prisoners. Those in captivity have been treated most considerately, and Japan is very resentful at Russia’s failure to reciprocate. LONDON, June 25. A description is published by the newspaper “Ruskoe Slovo” of the hardships suffered by the Russian troops in their retreat after the battle of Telesze. It is stated that many of the soldiers left their overcoats in the trenches and slept on sodden ground. The men were all famishing. The only complaint of the- troops is in

regaxd to tha inferiority of the Russian artillery. The newspaper adds that the Japanese hava made a minute study of the country and know every fold of the ground, so that they are able to direct their shelling exactly upon any particular spot. The Japanese batteries are skilfully masked and cannot be detected. The positions of three batteries could not be ascertained during the battle on the 15th instant.

Picked marksmen occupy heights apparently inaccessible, while others near them desoend and appear where least expected. The 'batteries are connected by telephone and by wireless telegraphy. German newspapers pretend that-Ja-pan desires mediation, and revive the canard that King. Edward attempted to mediato during his recent visit to the Continent.

French war correspondents accompany the Russians m South Manchuria. The British and American journalists are not permitted to witness the fighting. The report that Mr Emerson, the “New York World” correspondent, had been mistaken for a spy and shot, is untrue. Mr Emerson is still alive.

Thousands of Russians are commandeering live stock and the contents of food carts over a wide area in Northern Korea.

General Oko states that 217 Japan vse were killed and 946 were wounded at the battle of Telesze.