The Chanute times., 1905-03-31
Women Have Been Ordered to Leave
Critical Moment Now.
.INEVlTCH MAY NOT HOLD LINE
This Seems to Be the Position of the
New Generals neutrality-suspicious.
Are Now Completing For Long
Siege.

st. Petersburg, March 25.-It is an
nounced here that all the women have
been ordered to leave Vladivostok.
The possibility that if the Russian
army should be unable to hold the
lower lines of the Sungari river at
Chunchiatsu it may be compelled 10
retreat not only to Harbin but also
further westward along the railroad,
abandoning to the Japanese northern
Manchuria and the Russian maritime
Amur province as well, is the latest
startling news from the front.
The strategic weakness of General
Linevitch's position as he falls back
northward is made clear by Gun
shu dispatch to the Associated Press
in which it is pointed out that unless
Chunchiatsu and the Sungari lines,
scant hundred miles below Harbln,
can be held it will be difficult to main
tain a position farther back before
Harbin. where with the front OF the
army paralleling the railroad, the
practicability of turning movement
to completely sever communications
and isolate the army 5000 miles from
home is too serious for Russian CON
sideration. In view of this possibility
the dispatch alluded to suggests the
advisability of Immediately providing
Vladivostok with war munitions ana
supplies for two years siege. The
correspondent estimates the number
of reinforcements needed to give Cen
eral Linevitch the requisite superior
ity in force at 100000.
That such dispatch should have
been permitted to pass the censor at
the front is significant and if General
Linevitch has communicated a SINH
lar estimate of the situation direct TO
Emperor Nicholas it may account tor
his maiesty's increased disposition 10
listen to peace counsels and open ne
gotiations before the Japanese estaD-
lish themselves on Russian soil. with
Manchuria entirely abandoned TO the
Japanese and Vladivostok left as RuS
sia's solitary sentinel on the PACING
III Is T6dllLcu llldJ lNuooio wa ~ I'~
tically at Japan's mercy in the matter
of peace terms.
1t can now be definitely stated that
the decision to appoint Grand Duke
Nicholas Nicalaevitch to the supreme
command in the far east was recon
sidered because the outlook at the
front does not warrant the risk OF
compromising the prestige of a men,
Der of the imperial family.
Military authorities here believe
that unless General Linevitch is sure
of his ability to hold the lower Sun
gari line he will risk his whole army
If he fortifies and concentrates there,
as, if he should be defeated, his line
of retreat lies to two sides of a tri-
angle, the third side of which is open
to the enemy's advance.
At the general staff the view that
General Linevitch may be compelled
to abandon Harbin and retire toward
Lake Baikal, leaving Vladivostok TO
its fate. is regarded as almost unwar-
ranted by anything that is officially
known there, it being pointed out that
Field Marshal Oyama will have long
and laborious task to bring up an
army of 100000 or 100000.
Meanwhile Russian reinforcements
are arriving at Harbin at the rate of
1900 men per day. Nevertheless it is
significant that there is now well
marked peace party at the Winter Pal