The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-03-21
SUSPECTED BY BOTH SIDES.
Jews Had Hard Time Getting Out
Of the War Zone.

Victoria, 3. G, March 2O.-The Bos-
ton Steamship cOmpany's steamer
Snawmut arrived this morning from
Manila, via China and Japan Among
her passengers were Augustus Libby
and Corellius Hon. Jewish merchants
OF Nladivostok, who received twenty
tours hours notice from the Russian
military authorities TO leave the coun-
try. They had to abandon their bust
ness and sell out at a heavy sacrifice.
ana as egress by sea was blocked and
the railway between Vladivostok and
Hardin destroyed for n considerable
distance, they were compelled to travel
by siedge more than 1000 miles to the
nearest port on the Korean coast They
were arrested at the Siberian-K Dream
frontier. where there was great diff
Guilty about their passports. and where
they were in danger Of being thrown
into prison az spies. No sooner had
they got into Korea than they encoun-
tered the special service officers Of the
japanese war department and they
were in more trouble there, their story
not being accepted that they were
refugees fleeing from Russia by order
of the military. After enduring many
hardships and much annoyance they
Joined the Shawmut at Yokohama. All
the time the two Jewish merchants
We're IN Japan they were ''shadowed''
by special service men. who also kept
a watchful eye on one or two others of
The ShaWmuts passengers, one passen-
ger having two men mounted guard at
mis- stateroOm door on the suspicion
that he was a Russian spy.
Winter Was Mild.
Messrs. Libby and Hoff say that the
winter at Nladivostok has been eXcep-
tionally mild. The sea has been frozen
only six miles out from the harbOr en-
trance. and the ice-breakers go out ev-
cry morning, returning at noon. clear
ing channel COasting vessels were
running in and out Of the harbor with
out difficulty. Mr.. Libby says that be-
fore he left the entire VladivOstOk
squadron Of the Russian fleet was an
chored in the harbOr. and had not
stirred out Of il for quite long pc
Rod. The Russians just before the war
had strong forces at work on the forti-
fications, making new entertainments.
building bomb-proof store houses and
placing big guns. The place is i'm
mensely strong by nature, but has been
rendered impregnable by the fortifica-
lions which command the entrance and
channel TO the harbor. The garrison in
January amounted 10 about $4,000 or
10000 men Of all arms. mostly artillery
When the news Of the war came. mill
tary law was proclaimed. and strict
erybody in the place.
The whole sea front Of VIadivOstok
Is network Of submarine mines. Since
the outbreak of war very few vessels
have entered the harbOr from the
south, owing to fear of Japanese COM
merce destroyers. The Russians ap-
peared to be greatly annoyed when it
was learned that the railway between
Nladiyostock and Hardin had been torn
up and the bridges dynamited. APP
parently no attempt was being made
TO repair the damage. The Shawmut
encountered japanese torpedo boats
and destroyeFs hundreds Of miles out |
a. sea, and these vessels are evidently |
keeping q very strict watch on COM |
merce i'm those waters.
The first flush Of the war fever has {
passed i'm Japan, and business IS going |
OK quietly again. one hundred war
correspondents left for the front the |
day before the Shawmut sailed from /
yokohama.