Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-29
SITUATION is GRAVE
Tension at st. Petersburg
Further Increased.
TELEGRAPHIC STRIKE E
RUSSIAN CAPITAL SHUT OFF
FROM PROVINCES.
Governments Position Almost Des-
perate Because of Isolation from Mil
itary Authorities in the Interior.

| p.m-The situation has again suddenly
| grown exceedingly grave. The Russian
| capital is shut off from telegraphic COM
| munication with the interior. The pam
| Russian strike of the telegraph operators
declared yesterday has gone into operation
| and the workmen's council is deliberating
| whether to declare a general political strike
| throughout Russia tomorrow. predicting
| this time the alleged uawarranted arrest
| of the members of the peasants congress
| at Moscow and also calling on the people
to compel the employers of ST. Petersburg
| who locked out 10000 men to open their
| doors
The telegraph strike draws an impene-
| trable curtain between the capital and the
| provinces which in such a crisis renders
| the position of the government almost
| desperate, as being in instant and constant
| touch with the military and local authori-
| ties In the interior Is imperative.
| If the telegraph strike be MAIN
| tanned the government will be compelled
| to grope blindIy in the dark. The en-
| ployes of the Office here have not yet
| struck, but they are expected to walk out
| today. Only two lines working out of
| St Petersburg. Telephone messages from
| Moscow which are momentariy expected
to stop say that the operators on the ST.
| beran lines and all the lines south,
| north and east of Moscow have struck.
Communication with Sevastopol and
| Odessa has ceased. The operators on the
| lines throughout the Baltic provinces have
also struck.
Cause of Trouble.
The telegraphers' strike is the direct out
growth Of the governments circular pro-
| hibiting telegraph operators from Joining
a union, which prohibition is attributed to
M. Durnovo, minister of the interior, for
| whose removal from Office the radicals are
| vigorously working
The minister recently summarily dis
charged the leaders of the Moscow union,
and yesterday their colleagues sent a
| twelve-hour ultimatum to NJ Durnovo and
Premier Witte demanding the reinstate-
ment of the dismissed men and the with
drawal of the obnoxious circular. No an
swer being forthcoming at the specified
time, the strike was declared.
The telegraphers of MOSCOW, after leav-
ing their keys, held a meeting in an ad-
| joining building and upon the appearance OF
the police and troops sent to break up the
meeting they declared firmly that they
would not disperSe even If the autnorlueS
used force
Sevastopol being cut off from telegraphic
communication with the capital 1t is not
known here whether the mutineers have
surrendered or whether Gen. Nepluef, the
commander Of the fortress, began active op-
erations against them today.
sevastopol Practically Deserted.
The last dispatches which came through
announced that Sevastopol was practically
deserted except for the troops. The scared
population had fled in all directions and
Balaklava and neighboring towns were fill
ed with refugees. The streets of Sevasto-
pol were represented as being Hooded with
incoming troops, and artillery and machine
guns had been employed so as to command
Admiralty point, the stronghold or the mu-
tineers while the guns of Fort Constantine
had heen trained on the sailors barracks;
Cen Neplueff and the other military Off
10 fag
consulting with the view to working out a
plan to take the mutineers by siege and
wit thout bloodshed, if possible No further
statement was made regarding the attltuoe
of the Black Sea fleet.
dispatch to Novoe Fremya says not
more than q thousand sailors are now SUP
porting the leaders of the mutiny, who num-
ber hundred. The dispatch also says that
there are only four hundred rifles in the
sailors barracks, and that only few car
triGgeS are available.
Newspaper Comments.
The Slovo which is supporting Count
Witte has became exceedingly pessimfstlc.
1t says that revolution constitutes double
danger, since every success of the revolu-
tionists enables the reactfontsts to point out
the danger OF continuing the reform pro-
gram, while every turn of the wheel back
ward stimulates the revolutionists to make
new attacks on the government"
The editor of the new pictorial satiricai
paper Poulemet, who was arrested Novem-
Der o. has been released. Writing his ex-
periences, he says he arrested at
O. clock In the morning, that his apartments
were rifed and that he was held for two
days in prison, in violation Of the inviola
bility of the person guaranteed by the i'm
perial manifesto. The public prosecutor,
however, found that the editor had not com
mitted any crime and Durnovo was com
PEELED to orded his liberation, yet this is
called the new regime says the editor In
conclusion.
Situation at Sevastopol
At the admiralty today 1t was said that
it was expected the mutiny at Sevastopol
would be entirely suppressed within three
days. The military. 1t added. were in
complete control of the situation, the mutt
neers would be starved out, and when they
yield they will be tried and subjected to
the severest punishment. 1t positively
denied that any warship except the Patelei-
mon and the cruiser Otchakof had Joined
the mutineers, and it was added that the
crew of the former later returned to their
allegiance. The Otchakoff. which was