Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-10-07
LINEVITCH IN LUCK
EXPERTS THINK HE WOULD
HAVE SUFFERED DEFEAT.
Eelief of American Railroad Men That
the Siberian Line Was Inadequate
to Supply Enormous Demands of
Army Sufficient to Cope with oyama

Army Sufficient to Cope with oyama
American railway men are of the
opinion that Gen. Linevitch should
thank the gods that NJ White con-
GUIDED treaty of peace at. Ports
mouth. If he had failed to do so, they
believe that Oyama would have over
whelmed the Russian forces in Man
churia in the great battle that must
have followed the breaking off of
peace negotiations
The railway men base their conclu-
sions on the belief that while Oyama
had an army of upward of 600. 900
men when the war ended, Linevitch
had not been REINFORCED
1t must be remembered that the
Russians, to reach Linevitch, must
transport everything about 5000 miles
over a single-track railroad, which has
heretofore failed to handle its traffic
satisfactorily under even the most ia
vcrable conditions. To the insult
fciency of the road add the PARALYSIS
due to faulty management, and the ST.
berian railway would have been Who'll
ly inadequate to keeping an army of
100000 men in first-clSss condition
still less to increasing it's force and
needed supplies.
j. Taburno, one of the Novoe Vrem-
vas New Times) war correspondents.
has recently sent some interesting let
tiers to his paper concerning the serv-
ice on the Siberian railway.
Early in the war, when Viceroy
Alexeieff was in command throughout
Manchuria, he travelled over the road
a great deal. Having a great dislike
to night travel the viceroy would in
variably have his special train side
tracked for about ten hours every
night, and as he refused to allow
other trains to pass the station where
he stopped. because they disturbed his
sleep, whenever the viceroy was tray-
cling the trains loaded with soldiers,
provisions and ammunitions were held
up during the whole of the viceroy's
sleeping time.
According to Mr.. Taburno all of the
Russian generals insisted upon having
special trains, which not only abb
sorbed nearly all the passenger rolling
stock and forced the soldiers to travel
in ordinary freight and cattle cars, but
also caused innumerable delays and
blockades.
For instance, it is related that Gen.
Gripenberg was supplied with epe-
cial train in which he spent much of
his time. Finding that the special
trains of other generals were fitted
with electric lights. the general side
tracked his train for two weeks to
have the electric lights put in Later.
while sidetracked only eight miles
from the headquarters of another
general, Gen. Gripenberg refused to
travel over the wellpaved highway.
but made frequent visits to his COL
league in his special train, in spite of
the protests of the railway men
against the necessary stoppage of traf
&c on the line every time these visits
were paid.
Among other favored travellers nv
rail were a number of blooded cows
imported expressly to supply the gem
eral officers with milk. One of these
cows when far south in Manchuria
was ordered to the neighborhood of
Hardin; and as the track was filed
with trains carrying soldiers south
and wounded north, it was found that
the switching and hauling of this COW
had held up the whole line for the
equivalent of twelve hours And then.
owing to some mistake in transporta-
ton, another six hours was spent in
getting this cow to locality where
she could be readily reached by the
generals private servant.
In view of these revelations it is al
most too much to believe that the sim
gle-tracked Siberian railway could he
depended upon to keep Lineyftcb,s
army in equal numbers and efdciencv
to that of Oyama- And if the PORTS
mouth conference had definitely adj
5ourned without having made a treaty.
1t il probable there would have been
something doing" in Manchuria.