Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-22
COVERS ALL OF RUSSIA
Strike Now of Far-Reaching
Moment.
PROVINCES CUT OFF
COMMUNICATION WITH MINIS
TRY PRACTICALLY NIL.
Spread Has Been With Unprecedented
Rapidity-Feeling OF
Helplessness.
PROVINCES CUT OFF

PARIS, December PA dis
patch from St. Petersburg to the
Temps says:
"The strike now covers the whole
of Russia. The Novoe Vremya ad-
mits that with unprecedented rapid
ity all communication with provinces
and abroad has been stopped. 1t is
expected hourly that the ministry
will be rendered entirely helpless" i"
ST. PETERSBURG, December 22-Dur-
ing the night the authorities succeeded
In getting a sufficient number Of sailors
from Cronstadt to enable the operation
of all except one of the electric lighting
plants. which was also CALLING to the
strikers, as the darkening of the city ana
the stopping of the railroads were the
most effective means Of making fhe
strike generally felt. The Inhabitants
where the electric lights were out were
compelled to fall back on candies ana
kerosene, and the searchlight mounted
on the spire of the admiralty builoins
again yividly illuminated the NeVsky
Prospect as 1t did during the October
strike while cavalry and infantry pa
trolls guarded every block, and machine
guns were stationed at several points. In
the industrial districts many of the strik-
ers seemed to have only the vaguest ideas
of what they were striking for, replying,
Because we are ordered to do So" to
questions on the subject, not knowing by
whom or why.
To shake the workmen's faith in their
leaders the government has distributed
thousands of copies of a circular signed by
''the union of Russian workmen," expatiat-
ing on the arrest of the committeeman of the
Moscow telegraphers while carousing at
restaurant as an example of how the work
mems money is spent
Outside of the Industrial regions there is
little evidence of strike. The city phar-
maoies generally remain open. The drug
clerks. who have just emerged from pro-
traeted struggle, disregarded the summons
of their union to strike.
The stores are open as usual and the
street cars are running. The boldest Of all
the bold pronunciamentos of the revolution
lists Is a mysterious handbill with which
Tsarskoe-SeIo was flooded today. Processing
to allude to terrorist plot against the en-
peror, the handbill says: There win be
little puff Of smoke. Pay no heed TO 1t, as
the result will be the best thing possible
for everybody"
The police have been baff1ed In their ef-
forts to find the printers and disseminators
CT these bills.
The failure of many Of the railroad men
of St Petersburg to obey the strike order
and the ability of III. Nemechaieff, minis
ter of communications, to move trains on
all the roads except the Baltic roads are
thorns in the sides Of the strike leaders.
The fat went forth at last night meeting
of the workmen's council that traffic must
mittedly will be difficult on the Nicholas
road to Moscow. Trains are running with
the ordinary crews on this line, but all the
trains are heavily guarded, The delegates
will try moral suasion with the faithful
employees, but II is feared they will also
resort to destroying the bridges along the
road. The government has succeeded in ar
resting practically all the members of the
strike and railroad committee.
The searchlight mounted on the spire OF
the admiralty building again wildly IL
Illuminated the Nevsky Prospect. as II did
fantry patrols guarded every block and ma.
chine guns were stationed at several points
Workmen Marched Off to Prison.
During a tour of the city correspondent
saw dozens of workmen between soldiers
with fixed bayonets being marched off to
prison.
A cache of arms and hand bombs was
seized on the Schlusselburg avenue yester-
day and a crowd OF thousand strikers Of
the Nevsky works was charged and dis
persed by Cossacks, who used the flats of
their swords and whips, but no one was
S1ty fpf