Mexico Missouri message., 1904-07-14
GOING TO THE FRONT
RUSSIAN SOLDIERS ENTHUSIAST
TIC OVER DEPARTURE.
Can See Nothing but Ultimate Vic
tory for the czar-lmmense Force Is
Constantly on the Road.

At Moscow l was present at the de-
parture of officers. There we're about
fifty Of them on board the train which
| took. Colonies of Cossack regiments,
elegant officers Of the Guard, and
young lieutenants were all exuberant
and gay. Oh, with what enthusiasm
they started! There was but one mo-
ment of sadness and that was at the
station, where the men babe farewell
and gave the last kisses to wives,
children, mothers and fiancees. But
the moment the train got under way
all tenderness and affection vanished.
The officers met in the dining car,
clasped hands and congratulated each
other. For them going off to the war
was a fine feast, which was continued
far into the night. The officers of
high rank were many hours already at
rest when the young captains and lieu
tenants were still drinking champagne
20 the expected victories of the Rus
sian army.
It was at Samara that | witnessed
the departure of the troops. Samara
is town of 10000 inhabitants. 1t is
at the point of bifurcation where the
greater number of the railroads of
European Russia join the trans.Sibe-
rian line. The soldiers used at first
to travel in third class carriages; but
now, for the most part they are trans
ported in baggage wagons which have
been fitted up for them. These wagons
are furnished with stoves and berths,
and they are well ventilated. Each
soldier is fully supplied with blankets.
The morale of the troops is excellent.
They all appear to be delighted and
proud of the chance to participate in
the first engagements. They do not
take their meals in the wagons. They
eat at the railroad stations, where re-
fectories have been established In
this way they get better food, and
they have plenty of time to walk about
after each meal, because the admins
tration has taken measures to enable
the men to have eight hours rest on
land every day!
At Samara it is not difficult to OBJ
tain a pretty exact estimate Of the
Russian contingents in the Far East.
Few troops have been taken from
West Russia. In several regiments
one company has been taken from
every battalion, and from these COM
formed by mingling them with army
corps from Siberia, reinforced by the
reserves which have been modified.
Up to the 10th of May there passed
through Samara for the seat of war
only 10000 men, and ii this number
| must be counted the sailors, the me-
| chanics, the personnel of the Red
Cross, ETC., so that the number of SOL
diers must be reduced to 10000. But
in all the other stations, Kaiowka,
Tcheliabinsk, Omsk and Tomsk, nu.
merous conveys have been formed. An
average of twelve trains, six carrying
soldiers and six loaded with war ma
terial, munitions horses and provi.
sions, arrive at Irkutsk every day.
Irkutsk Is now an immense camp.
| Seventy-three thousand men are sta
toned there, quartered in the bar
racks, billeted among the inhabitants
and crowded in the public buildings,
including the theaters, now closed.
At first there was great difficulty
with the transport of troops over Lake
Baikal; but now navigation is open,
and Prince Khilkoff, who looks after
the passage of the regiments, has
taken the necessary steps to effect the
crossing with rapidity.
According to the indications which
have been given to me by high Rus
sian functionary, $4,000 persons, civil
| and military have crossed Lake Bal
kal en- route for Mukden since the rup-
ture OF diplomatic negotiations be-
tween Russia and Japan. Now, count
ing the troops which were already in
Manchuria before the opening OF hos
tilities, one can figure out, basing the
calculation upon the number of SOL
| diers which have left Irkutsk, that
100000 men are scattered over the
| field of operations. That, of course, Is
| only one-half of the number demanded
by Gen. Kouropatkin. But the FIVE
army corps which have just been mo-
bilized will be under way at che end
of the month, and it is believed that
inside of two months these five army
corps, numbering 100000 men, will be
| In Manchuria