The San Francisco call., 1905-06-30
Troops Are Said
to Be- Already
Deserving.
ONLY COSSACKS
REMAIN LOYAL
Hundreds Killed
in the Odessa
Fighting.
RAPID SPREAD
OF THE REVOLT
Russia Soon May
Be in I'hroeS of
Civil War.

ST. PETERSBURG, June g. p. m
The Government is in a state approa CHI
ing panic over the events at Odessa and
the gravest fears are entertained that
the mutny among the blueJackets will
spread 10 the army Should some Of the
troops at Odessa be won over TO the
cause of their comrades of the navy,
other troops sent against them might
throw down their arms or join the mu-
tineers,e and, with the support of more
than 100000 workmen, Odessa would be-
come the center from which civil war
. would be waged.
General Kanahoff, commander of the
military district of Odessa. has been en-
powered 10 declare martial law and Vice
Admiral Chouknin, commander of the
Black Sea feet left st. Petersburg
hastily during the night, either for Sc
bastopOl or for Odessa. Beyond this no
3. steps are known to have been taken to
r. meet the emergency.
O. Admiral Avellan was summoned to
. Reterhof at s o'clock this morning to
o. discuss the situation with the Emperor.
Such advices as the Government has re
ceiyed are carefully withheld.
Rumors are rife in this city that the
officers on board the ships belonging TO
the squadron Of Vice Admiral Kruger,
which left Sebastopol for Odessa on
Tuesday, have shared the fate Of the Of
q Jicers Of the battleship Kniaz Potemkine,
and have been murdered by the mutt
neers. 1t is said that the mutineers are
ip possession of other warships of the
squadron. If so, the mutiny has control
Of more than one-half of the heavy ships
Of the. Black Sea feet the other battle
ships said to be in the hands Of the mu-
tineers being the Tchesme, the Sinope
~ IL
The admiralty, however, does not confirm
the report of the mutiny on board Ad-
.miral Krugers other ships.
CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR MUTINY.
Admiral Wirenius, chief of the Naval
General Staff, at noon to-day said that
he did not know whether Kruger's squad
ron had arrived at Odessa. Wirenius
% seemed at loss to account for the mu-
tiny, saying that the commander of the
Kniaz Potemkine was fine officer, hav-
ing a most kindly disposition. Besides,
under the Russian naval regulations. the
captain Of a warship is obliged daily TO
sample the soup of the crew TO see if ii
is suitable.
What appears certain from the re-
ports received at the various embassies
here is that Odessa was. at least for a
time. practically In the hands of :he
strikers, who erected barricades from
which the police and troops were pow
e erless to dislodge them. Indeed, one
Consul at Odessa reports that the
troops refused 10 fire on The rioters
NickOlie4. a neighboring town OF the
. littoral. is reported to be in the posses
7sion of mob.
St. Petersburg. in view Of the de-
xelopments at odessa. is filled with
< stories OF disaffection and sediIion
among the troops. even the Guard reg
iments. il is reported, saying they
Will never again fire upon the people
The COssacks alone. according to these
tales, are absolutely reliable.
That disaffection and dis content
among the soldiers are widespread ad-
mits Of little doubt, but the situation
IS hardly as black as painted. Up IL
the present time there Is no reason io
believe that the vast bulk of the army
IS not loyal What the effect would he
of several regiments going over 70 the
rioters is. however. probIematical
Certainly a crisis seems TO have beer
reached.
MOBs PILLsGISG THE CITY.
Shortly after noon an untimed dis.
patch was received here reporting thai
complete anarchy reigned at Odessa
The inhabitants Were panic -stricker
and were huddled together in the
houses The streets were filed with
frenzied wOrkmen fighting the troops
The warehouses, quays and some ol
the shipping in the harbor were. il
. flames. The correspondent who for
sM-arded this dispatch had TO make hii
way TO the telegraph Office through
dense smoke. which covered the cit!
like q pail. He heard volleys ever!
few minutes. In the darkness the mol
was beginning the work OF pillage ant
plunder. indicating that the dispatcl
. was filed last night, but was delaye,
by the authorities.
The correspondent added that blue
Jackets with machine guns had beel
landed from the battleship kniaZ Po
1tenkine. in the hands of the mutineers
e and then fought with the strikers be
hind barricades against the troops
Hundreds were killed and the hospital
were crowded with wounded. Ther
were rumors, the correspondent saic
that some OF the soldiers had Joine
the mutinous sailors in fighting agains
the troops, but he was unable TO con
firm this report
The correspondent said nothing abou
the arrival at Odessa OF the warship
comma noed by Vice Admiral Kruger
but a dispatch from Sebastopol says tn
battleship Georgi Pobiedonostseff and tn
cruiser Griden have started for Odess
and are due TO arrive there tonight
when battle is expected.
TROOPS AT DISADVANTAGES.
There are about 10000 troops of all arm
at Odessa, but there are no fortification
fn which they could stand a siege Il tn
rioters and mutineers got the uppe
hand.
The Russians of Odessa compris
scarcely one-third of the 600. 900 inhabit
ants of the city, about 10000 of the resi-
dents being Jews and the remainde
Greeks. Armenians, Turks and people O
various European nationalities. In ger
eral. the members Of the lower classe