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Show I JAPAN DEALS RUSSIA TWO CRUSHING BLOWS IN SEA FIGHTS I,, PASSENGER STEAMER jj f! IN MIDST OF FIGHT , j Brittish Mail Carrier Columbia Was Between the Fighting ' I Warships and Sustained Slight Damage I ; " ', From Stray Shells. '!. 1 I; ' I Chee Foo, Ffb. 0. The British steamer k ' I Columbia, which arrived hero today from J I j Tort Arthur, bringing news of the at-l( at-l( ' , tack by the Japanese Meet upon the Rus-t Rus-t i slan Jleot, reports that the Columbia had ! a narrow escape from Injury, Her pas sengers and crew were very much excited 'I ' In regard to her dangerous position. i While going out the ronds at Port Ar- I thur the Russian crulaer Novlk got be- i , tween the Columbia and the Japanese Meet. Shells which passed over the Novlk I struck around the Columbia. Her Hag was t 1 cut Into splinters and one shell fell on her dack. The faces of those who wore on deck were blackened with powder : I smoke. A naval officer who was recently at Port Arthur says the Russians were not prepared for the attack on their ships and I had an Insufficient amount of steam up. A boat patrolled ihc straits of Pc Chi LI continuously, but apparently the Japanese i torpedo boats were not noticed until af ter the first torpedo was fired. The Russians fired, but the Japaneso did not return the fire, but backed off. An hour later the discharge of torpedoes was ' leportnd, after which the torpedo boats withdrew some distance. At 10 o'clock ' Tuesday morning the Japanese fast cruls- ers circled within view of the whole Rus sian Meet, but they wero not engaged The k ( Russians returned toward tho harbor af ter half cn hour. The Japanese contlnu-I contlnu-I Ins came within three miles. The battle then began the Russian forts ' and fourteen ships against sixteen Japan- t 1 i esc vessels. A few of the Japanese shells iwerc effective, but as far as seen tho Russian Rus-sian shots fell short. Tho Japanese fleet was steaming toward Dalny when seen . last. |