A JAPANESE DISASTER.

Manawatu Herald, 24 May 1904, Page 2

A JAPANESE DISASTER.

It is reported at Tientsin thrffc 70,000 Russians are marching to the relief of Port Arthur, thereby compelling the Japanese to accelerate their assault. The Japanese are mounting 6-inch guns, hoping to silence the Port Arthur batteries. Their advanced lines are within seven miles of the Russian guns. One of the vessels sunk at the entrance of Port Arthur has been removed, leaving a narrow, dangerous passage. Admiral Dewa reported to Admiral Togo that on the afternoon of the 15th, during a dense fog, the Easugi rammed the Yoshino (4180 tons, 23 kno s) off Port Arthur, sinking hrin a few minutes. Ninety of the crew were saved. On the same morning the -battleihio Hatsuse (15,000 tons, 18 knots) was cruising off Port Arthur and covering the landing of troops, when she struck a mine ten knots southwards of the harbour entrance. When signalling for help she struck i second mine. She sank half an hour afterwards. Just then the Russian flotilla of sixteen torpedo boat destroyers approached, but the cruisers beat them off The Japanese torpedoers saved 300 men, including Admiral Hashiba and Captain Nakao. The Hatsuae’s crew numbered 714 and the Yoshino’s 860. Korea has annulled all Russian 'treaties and agreements, including the Yalu-Tumen timber concessions. Russia is terribly uneasy as to the safety of the railway, though 25,000 soldiers are guarding 1400 miles. The captain of a Chinese ship, which has reached Wei-hai-wei, states that the Japanese, on Sunday, heavily bombarded simultaneously with the landing of a great force behind Port Arthur. The Times* military expert calculates that it will take the railway 87 days to transport to Mukden even one army corps cannot arrive before the end of September. Many mines, unanchored, are drifting all over the Liaotung Gulf. The Pa wan passed eight and a Chinese junk picked up thjrtega, of Private Japanese adviceßrChefo© state that besides the two Japanese warships were qamaged at Damy on Sunday. The Russians insist that another warship was disabled. Port Arthur advices received in Paris sjtate the Russian cruiser Bogatyr (6750 tons), which is on the rocks at the entrance to Vladivostok, is likely to become a total loss. It is estimated that 652 seamen were drowned in the double disaster off Port Arthur. Two news agencies report from Niuobwang and Tientsin that the Japanese have sustained a defeat, falling back on Fenghuencheng, WHAT RUSSIA PROPOSES. When a settlement in the Par East occurs, the newspaper Echo do Paris states Russia has decided to make all the. Pacific ports free for the purpose of meeting Britain’s and America’s objections to the occupation of Manchuria.