The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-05-03
HOW WE HELPED RUSSIA
Chas. Moo. Roovo Tells Of tho Con-
dition In tho Famine Districts.
THE AMERICAN AID WAS RECEIVED
With Expressions of Gratitndc...Star.
vntion and Disease Mako Story
Too Horrible to Bc Told-.Improvi.
dent Peasnntry Fed by Mobiles and
the czar, While I:ich People Are
Indifferent. &c t- ~

New YonE, May 2.-Charics Nc.
Reeve, OF Minneapolis, who, with W.
G.. Edgar, has been abroad rcpresent.
ing Minnesota and Nebraska in the dis
trbution Of the contributions from
those states TO the Russian relief fund,
returned TO this city oil tho Fuerst Bis.
marck. lie had a sample OF tho black
bread used by the peasants and OF the
flour OF which 1t was made. Tho latter
is composed OF cured grass ground
with tho bark Of trco, q little rye flour
and that Of some leguminous plant.
The bread is brownish black, OF tho
weight OF burned bread and tastes like
hay. Speaking Of his mission Mr..
Reeve said: E s.
II left this city March'5, ahead Of tho
Missouri, and reached st. Petersburg
March %. Minister Smith told me tho
Russian authorities would gladly for.
ward tho supplies free, and that that
would DO safe and proper way. With
committee representing tho American.
English church and Count Bobrinksky
representing tho Russian committee,
VIC made ont q list OF trustworthy per-
sons to whom consgnments could be
made in the districts OF lula, Tambouf,
Saratof, Samara and Orenburg. Just
before We left St. Petersburg repre-.
eentatives OF the Russians presented us
with bread and salt-a high honor.
y<,,.,,
1.-THE Missouri reached Libau Sunday,
April 2, and by Wednesday We had dis
patched eight train loads for the pro-
vinces named. These arc along the
railroad from Libau to Orenburg,
through south central Russia, 1000
miles long.
sat Libau we accepted banquet
from the local authorities. The senti-
mcnt at the banquet was extremely cor
dial to this country. Tho mayor, who
knows nothing OF English, made o
speech in our language which he had
memorized. A Judge Of the supreme
court spoke in English to the toast
"Tho President OF tho United States"
The people went wild when\ he pro-
claimed tho near completion Of a rail-
road through Siberia to Vlodivistan, by
which Russians can reach the United
States without travelling on foreign soil.
WHERE THE FAMINE IS WORSE.
1.-THE stories told Of the suffering have
not been exaggerated. 1t is beyond de.
scription. 1t is worse in the districts
which railroads do not penetrate and
are generally reached by the Volga.
That river has been frozen up all VIM
ter, 30 that access to the region has been
cut oil. This enormous tract lies be-
tween Mini Novgorod and Samara. In
the last named province there has been
regular system OF relief established by
two Englishmen, who went there with
100000 from England, and have re-
ceived contributions from this country
and elsewhere. The lives not only OF
the peasants, but Of the horses and cat
tie have been saved here.
In the other provinces the suffering
has been terrible. The timo for spring
sowing is at hand, and the peasants
have no cattle to till, nor seed grain nor
potatoes. {
GEAR AND MOBILES AIDED.
"Those who have come forward to the
relief OF the peasants, aside from the
Russian government, which has appro-
priated s50,00O,O00, are the nobility and
landed proprietors. Trades people and
bankers seem utterly indifferent.
"The car has given half OF all he has
saved since he was inuugurated rs en-
peror, and this means from 1000, 900 to
2O,000,000 rubles, more than NIL the rest
OF the civilized world together.
"Ihe fanlt Of the state OF affairs is
partly that of tho ministers, who kept
the car in ignorance and allowed enor-
nous amounts Of grain to leave the
country Than the nnnannta nro rnr,.