Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-26
4 FORMIDABLE REVOLT.
Alarming News Received at st. Peters
burg-Beyond Control

ST. PETERSBURG, November 25.-In
view of the alarming news received to-
day of a mutiny at Sevastopol, the pro-
ceedings of the zemstvo congress at Mos
cow and other developments in the Rus
sian situation paled into insignifcance.
This formidable revolt, in which sailors Of
the fleet, shore equipages and infantry gar
risons are participating, appears at present
to be beyond the power of Vice Admiral
Chouknn, commander of the Black sea
fleet, TO control, as the dispatches say
nothing of counter measures being taken
or of the attitude of the other regiments
Of the regular garrison.
The mutineers and riotous strikers are
parading the city with red flags without
interference, and it may be possible, as
was the case at Odessa, that the guns of
the battleship Pateleimon formerly the
Kniaz Potemkine) and other vessels of the
Euxine fleet dominate the situation and
prevent active measures being taken to
quell the mutiny, even If Vice Admiral
Chouknin has sufficient loyal troops at his
disposal.
Officers of the admiralty hope that the
mutiny may end like that at Cronstadt,
when the sailors after a night of drunken
reVelry and disturbance. returned to duty,
for the most part without compulsion. But
the Sevastopol outbreak seems to be on a
different scale
The dispatches say nothing as to the rea-
sons for the mutiny or of the demands of
able at the admiralty. though the con-
lecture is advanced that demands for bet
ter food and the release of reservists might
partly be responsible for 1t. The lack of
good officers is frankly given by one of the
highest officers of the naval staff as the
principal and underlying reason for the
alarming conditions in the Euxine fleet.
AS at Cronstadt. practically all the good
officers were drafted for service with the
fleets in the far east during the war, and
the force of commissioned officers at Sc
vastopol Is now only about l officer to over
40 men, and many of these are utterly in
capable.
The revolt of the Brest regiment Is one
OF the most serious features of the situa-
ton. 1t is the first time an infantry regi-
ment as a whole has mutinied, and the
question on the lips of every one in the
capital is how long 1t will be before it is
followed by others perhaps even the st.
Petersburg garrison.
The revolutionary ferment in spite of the
efforts of the officers, is known to have af-
fected portion of the enlisted strength of
many regiments. and the Sebastopol mutiny
may be the spark that is necessary to set in
flame a widespread revolt
dispatch from Sebastapol says that the
condition of Rear Admiral Pisarevski, who
was wounded Friday by the mutineers, is
critical 1t is not known whether the men
attacked other officers.
The outbreak at Sebastapol comm Iicates
the problem of the government for dealing
with the agrarian situation. These disor-
ders are growing and the governors of five
provinces have sent representations to the
government that the troops available are
insufficient to restore order, and urgently
appealing for reinforcements, and there
fore 1T is not easy to organize a force to be
dispatched to the relief of SebastapoI The
Cossack battaliens which are now being
mobilized in the Don province will appar-
emily be needed in the home districts TO
preserve order.