Show I I FOUGHT UNTIL V VESSELS SAN K I Crews of the and Ko rietz Return to Russ Russian an t 1 GRAND RECEPTION PLANNED 1 AN OFFICERS STORY OP OF TRE SEA a BATTLE J I 4 Odessa March larch has been here that Russian steamship Mal y wit with the survivors of the Russian cruiser Varl g and the gunboat j the Dar Bar dandies today and will here lere to tomorrow tomorrow morrow Preparations t for the recap recep I tion or of the survivors have been corn com completed The town will be b d decorated with bunting and there Will be grand especially c of the t St Petersburg Mar March h to R a Jetter ietter ree received lve from an officer of the Russian gunboat whIch was destroyed by the Japanese at his ship technicallY fired the fi first t shot or of tho war but this shot was not fired until after atter the tle Japanese had fired three to torpedoes Jn in an of Gt tort fort to sink th the l retz The officer writes that on Feb S 8 without knowing that had been even a In diplomatic rein rela relations the left for far Port Arthur r with from M I the RussIan minister to Ko Kc Korea rca rea and met the Japanese cruiser and torpedo squadron while still sUll In ne waters Being u the Xo Ko rietz steamed between the two divis divisIons Ions of the squadron with the fins Hns still covering her guns gun when It was noticed that th cruisers were training their gUns on the Russian yes es essel sel el but It was not until the torpedo boats began to man maneuver preparatory to torpedoing that those on board the became really alarmed It was then decided to put back Into the har harbor harbor bor While the was going about the ese launched a torpedo which astern h the the cap J thin ordered quarters sounded The Japanese launched another torpedo but It was only when a thIrd torpedo I Was seen coming direct directly for th the Ko beam that the command was wa given to open fire and two shots were fired The third sl tink just before the The letter Ietter also says that when next the pf ln of the British cruiser Talbot at the request I of oC the captain ot of the Russian cruiser asked the Japanese admiral wh why the had been 1 he replied that war had b n declared j at 2 the jay before |