The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-09-06

much as they can before the real cam
paign with the Russians begins.
"Over here the talk Of turing the
japanese has become an old tale 10
be laughed at. But l, who have seen
the amazing and colossal preparations
that have secretly been made to get
the japanese north, cannot laugh at
it myself.
81 have it on the word of an Eng
lishman, who had to assist in their
transport, that upwards of 10000
Russian troops crossed Baikal between
Feb. and July 20.
at is said here that the Russians
cannot send troops down from Man
churia at greater rate than 800 a
day But | have Travelled up the Trans
Siberian line, and sat by the side of
Baikal lake. and watched the Russian
transport system working easily and
well. and know this to be utter nom
sense. With my own eyes during the
time / was there | was able to account
for an average of 400 troops crossing
Baikal daily. =.
"You wonder what has become of
them. Well, at Hardin, for instance,
there is a monster army. 1t was i'm
possible, of course, to guage the exact
numbers, but | should say that there
are at least 600 men there, and all
these men, be it remembered, quite
fresh and unfatigued, are in excellent
health and excellent spirits. When the
Japanese reach them-fcr they do not
intend to take them south-the Japs
themselves will be warworn and weary
with marching.
''On the way to Hardin from China
l saw submarine on a specially con-
structed car en- route for Vladivostok.
At Hardin l was allowed to go any
where | pleased and see everything
wished, with the result that l was
astonished at the immensely of the
army gathered there, the excellent
physique of the men and their splendid
moral. Later | went south and met
200 Japanese prisoners going north on
their way to Tomsk. They were
travelling in the same vans used by the
Russian troops and were being fed on
the same rations. / also saw the EN-
press hospital train, an infinitely
finer and better equipped one than
any I saw in South Africa.
"Above Mukden l fell in with a party
of Beers, who had offered their services
to the Russian government as scouts
But they told me the system of scout
ing there was very different from
scouting in South Africa. If the Rus
slams lost a man they sent a company
if the company was destroyed they sent
a regiment; if the regiment were turn
ed back they sent forward brigade
and if the brigade could not manage
the business the ordered up division
On going back to Hardin | had ar
extremely pleasant and instructive
time with many of the Russian officers
there They were perfectly charming
to us. but did not disguise the fact
nor did the soldiers-that they hated
England with a bitter hatred. They
frankly said that after they had finish
ed with the japanese it would be oul
turn next.
Speaking of the war they admitted
that their artillery was very inferior
to the japanese; in fact that then
field guns were too heavy, and coulc
only fire one shot to every five o
the Japs. But they are rectifyint
this, and l myself saw 25 new batterie,
of 10 guns each on the way east. The
guns were of modern pattern very
like Krupps.
another weak point seems to mi
the much-vaunted Cossacks. Armet
| with a futile carbine and a heavy
sword, they are simply food for poyder
A handful of Beers would roam rounl
them.
"They are physically fine men, bu
they are not civilized, they canno
even speak Russian. They are to my
mind quite unfit for modern warfare.
Moreover, as they are paid so muci
day, and get no rations, they are
terrible looters, and have done great
harm by soaring away the Chinese
who could provide food.
1.-The Russian officials are at last
finding this out and are now tryinl
to check the evil. But wait until the
regular Russian cavalry, which has not
yet appeared on the scene, gets into
action.
Everywhere, too, gigantic prepare
tons are being made to feed the army
which is pouring so relentlessly and
steadily into Manchuria Everywhere
huge depots for clothes and food were
in course of construction, and every
where sidings were beinng built with
the utmost possible speed. 1t was by
Baikal lake that | personally checked
the rate at which the troops were
pouring in, and marked the last sec.
ton of the railway round the lake il
the last stages of construction. Wher
this is finished, the 10000 soldiers whc
have been working on it will be re.
leased and sent down to the front.
'From what l have seen in Hardin
and further south. I am convinced
that in actual fact the war is only jus,
beginning.
Make no mistake. The Russians
are simply hanging back. They are
slow, but they are sure. All along
the 5000 miles of line | saw camps
and troops-countless troops being
drilled and prepared for war.
Il have seen the japanese troops
and | have seen the Russian troops
and | have seen the numbers of both
and tho worth &c both ,,