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Show Used Russian Cclcrs In Approaching:' Harbor; Touched Off Torpedoes and Then Fled. - ST. PETERSBURG, March 5. A letter let-ter from an officer of the Russian cruis-. cruis-. er .Pallada baa been received here de-; de-; tcrlbing the first attack by the Japan-, ese upon Port Arthur. The crews of the" fleet . had retired, ETCT THAT , ' RUSSIAN CmCT-3 HAD GONE ASHORE. ' . ' . An officer of the Russia cruiser Pallada denies the story that the . officers of the Russian fleet were ashore, and confirms the statement () that the Japanese made use of false lights. Me asserts that at 11 0 o'clock at night a practice drill to repel a torpedo attack was ex- ecu ted. and that along; toward () midnight lour Rupwlan - torpedo boats, which simulated the enemy, headed back toward Dalny, from which place they had come. - only the watch remaining -v. on-. deck. The ships were In the outer harber and the captain of the Pallada, which vessel ves-sel occupied the advance position, had descended from the bridge for a last look around before going .below, when he perceived light? advancing. ' The .ships' lig-his shown were white above red--being those of the Russian warships when they enter the harbor. The captain of the Pallada. supposed the approaching vessel were the Russian . tropedo boats returning from Dalny, and his suspicions - were only aroused when upon drawing nearer they covered and uncovered their lights at Irregular ' intervals. - The signal tower signaled . that the lights were not understood. At this moment the Pailada's captain, through the thick night, made out the outlines of the torpedo-boat destroyers smokestacks in pairs, amidships. As the stacks of the Russian destroyers are in line fore and aft, the crews of the Russian ships were instantly called to . Quarters. ' In less than three minutes the Palla-da's Palla-da's men were at their posts, orders - were given that the guns be charged with grape and a fierce fire was opened on the on-coming Japanese. The bat- . tleshlps Casarevitch and Retvizan, which were in the first line, a short distance dis-tance astern of the Pallada, also opened flre almost immediately. . . -A terrific explosion . occurred under the hull of the Pallada, raising a torrent tor-rent of water, which submerged the cruiser's deck, but did not stop her firing fir-ing or maneuvering, which now, however, how-ever, were complicated by the measures taken to close a breach amidships, be-. be-. low the water line, made by the explo-" . sion of the torpedo. Soon afterwards two other torpedoes : exploded almost simultaneously, one - under the bow of the Retvizan and: the other , under the stern of the Cesare-vltch. Cesare-vltch. .This double explosion ended the attack, the Japanese vessels retiring at full speed. j |