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Show JA'PAN GETS FIRST BLOOD Little Brown Men 8tart War by Putting Put-ting 8ome of the Czar's Most Powerful Power-ful Fighting Machines Out of Business. Tho long looked for war between Japan and Russia now seems to bo nn assured fact, tho Japonoso having begun actual hostilities. As It Is generally gen-erally conceded that Hussla was only watting for Homo overt net upon tho part of the llttlo brown men, and that tho followers of tho czar" aro moro favorahlo toward war than the penco movement, there seems but llttlo doubt that tho Btrugglo hns begun In earnest Tho following official bulletin has boon Issued In St. Petersburg In tho form of a telcgrnm from Viceroy Alox-loft's Alox-loft's chief of staff, dated February 9: "By order of tho vlcoroy I beg to report thnt this diy, at about 11 o'clock In tho morning, n Jnpmoso squadron, consisting of about fifteen battloshlps nnd cruisers, approached Port Arthur nnd opened lire Tho enemy en-emy was rocolved with a c.annonndo from tho sboro batteries and tho grns of our squadron, which also participated partici-pated In tbo ongigomont. "At midday tho .lapinnso squadr.on coisod Its flro nnd left, proceeding couth. "Our losses In tho fleet woro two afTlcers wounded, nlnu men killed nnd forty-ono men wounded. Tho Initio-fhlp Initio-fhlp Poltava nnd tho crulFor Novlck each lind n bolo knocked In tbolr sides below water line. Tbo forts woro pllglitly damaged. (Signed) MAJOR GENERAL FLUO." Tho steamer Columbia Ins arrived nt Choo Foo from Port Arthur with nddltlonnl nowH of tho attack by tho Japaneso (loot upon tho Russian fleet In tbo rends outside of the harbor of Port Arthur. Tbo Columbia wns In tho roads nt tho tlmo nnd felt tho first rhock of n torpedo explosion nt 11 o'clock on Monday night. Tho nttick continued nil night nnd nt daylight tho no.vt day two Russian InttlcFhlps nnd one first class Russian crulsor woro seen to hivo boon disabled dis-abled nnd bonched nt tho cntrnnco of the harbor, 'the crulsor was badly listed to ono Fide. Tuesday morning tho Rusrlin forts opened flro on tbo Japanese fleet, which was nbout threo miles distant. Tbo Jnpancso vessels roturncd tbo flro, hitting Fovoral of the Russhn ships, but doing llttlo damage. Tho Russian cruisers then went out, nnd tbo Jnpanco vossoIh disappeared. They woro soon lator going In tho direction di-rection of Dalny, apparently undam-ngod. undam-ngod. Although tho officers of tho Columbia Colum-bia say that thoro wcro seventeen ships In tho nttacklng party, only slxtoen woro scon Inter In tho day by tbo steamer Foo Chow. Tho Russians left ono cruiser out-sldo out-sldo to watch for tho Japaneso ships. This cruiser was flrod upon by tho Jnpancso nnd tho other Russian vessels ves-sels took up their nnchors nnd cruised about tho rondFtoad. Tho Japaneso fleet came up within threo miles nnd n hattlo commoncod, Tho Jnpancso fired on tho ships and forts, which replied. re-plied. Two Russian ships woro struck by shells but woro only sjlghtly dam-nged. dam-nged. Tho Russian flro fell short. Tho Columbia stoamed away whllo tho hattlo hat-tlo was In progress, but Inter saw tho Japaneso fleet loavo. Ono Japaneso cruiser with torpedo boats Is reported north of Chofoo. |