The death of Admiral Topo, the "Nelson of Jepan," last Wednesday recalls the historic naval' engagement 1005 with the Russian Imperal" Pleet under 'Admiral Rodjestoensky near Trushima Island." The Russigns had come from' Europe via the Wear East to the relief of the besieged im Port Arthur and at the furious assault on bay 2 and 28 by the Jepanese, were destroyed, Ranship recapitulating with "others Taushima, the land. of the port" situated Midway between Korea and the island of Iki, belonging to Japan and route of ships plying bettecen. Korea end. Japan.
In the following' special article recalling the Dattle, "Admiral Rodjesvensky's {is "given of major phases. of the battle, in addition Japenese finer see deveription of "hat" the Russian vessels," when captured. appeared like after their tony round-aboutsjourney out Best. 'Phe victory of 'Admirat Togo in this engagement. wes he final and' conclusive low to. the Power of the Russian forces, the Russo-Japanese war being concluded shortly Cly the revolt tin Russia, On May 27, 1905, Admiral Togo had been under cover of the Islands at Tsushima, and with his four battleships and eight armoured cruisers in tone column bore down upon Admiral Rodjestvensky's two columns from the northwest. Concentrating. his fire upon the leading Russian ves sels he quickly disabled them. Several Russian vessels took fire, and Rodjestvensky, seeing his fleet being driven eastward, changed his course to pass the Japanese rear. Togo turned about and recrossed the Rus sian front, The issue of the battle was decided after these simple tactic cal manquvres under heavy fire by the end of an hour. At 440 pin. on May 27 the surviving Russian vessels Girappeared for a time in the south {in smoke and fog. At 5.10 pin, many Hussian vessels had been Suni, and the whole fleet was in disorder. The seas were high during the afternoon, bot quieted toward nightfall so that "he Japarase torpedo fleet was able continue the battle throughout the night The Russian vessels that survived this Saturday night (May 27) were fur-|- ther pursued on Sunday, (May 28) and the Russian and Easiern Empire fleets had practically disappeared from the world, This battle, which crushed the remaining hopes of the army Jeaders, and hurried on the army and the nation to revolution, is thus described by Rodjestvensky himself:
"Our thirty-six vessels came on in me of two columns. There were three detachments, each composed of four ironclads. Four cruisers followed, and then came five small cruisers, nine torpedo-boats, and six trans ports.
Our twelve battleships were tacked by twelve Japanese ironclads. During the first half hour our men fired pretty well. As a matter of fact they had somewhat more experience and training than people were pleased to admit. Tt was "during this first phase of the battle that we Aletod alk their losses upon the Japa neser But our men were suddenly. demoralized by the terrible effects of {hq Japanese fire, and then all was lost. these same Russian crews had different reasons, but _principally lowing to the difficulties occasioned by the colliers. The material obstacles} Jwhich had to be overcome were great, and it was therefore impossible 1o reach the Far East in time to fight! the Japanese, when many of their ironclads were undergoing " repairs, which was the time, according to our orities, when we should have given battle. I never thought of avoiding battle, for it was precisely for the purpose of giving battle that we had come. I knew on arriving at the} Straits of Tsushima (Korean Straits) Perfectly well that we were about to meet the whole Japanese fleet. But Thad not foreseen such a disaster, and hoped that after an indecisive battle, which both sides would have suffered greatly, the Russian ships could reach Vladivostok. But in two hours the Japanese victory was complete. [Unable to manceuvre and with many lof their guns dismounted, the ships were powerless and covered with dead, "and by 3 pin. of the 27th (May) our fleet had ceased to exist."
Wounded Thrown Overboard The second 2Mcer in command of the frst-class battleship Orel captured by the Japanese said that no ess than one hundred and forty of the hopelessly wounded were thrown overboard into the sea, that about three hundred men of the nine hun~ Jared on board had either been killed Jor wounded. The wounded could rejeelve no ald, and lay on the decks before their' fighting comrades. The commanding officer succumbed to his wounds, and was burled at sea before the vessel arrived at Malzura, in Japan. A Japanese thus described its "Her long voyage from the Baltic save her a very dirty appearance, Jond in addition the ship bears terible marks of the battle. On both sides of the hull are the impressions nade by shot striking above the water-line, and the black paint has Jgone here and there, giving the ship Ja_very battered appearance. She not drawing much water, and the thick seaweeds on the hull can be Jseen below the water. Her fore funne!
broken at the middle, masts and yards are damaged, and torpedo nets torn to pieces. The engines are little Jéamaged, but the steering gear deal with Japanese crews of equal value at the beginning of the war the result would doubtless hat been very different. Admiral Too! men, all veterans and accustomed. to the thunder of battle, remained unaffected, continuing their fre with composure and riddling with mathe. magical precision the Arst ship of each of our four columns. In two hours the Japanese victory was complete. One after the other all our ships had been disabled.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.