The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-24
RUSSIAN DEFEAT
DUE TO GRAFT
One of Cars AdmiraIs Tells
How Rock Was Sold
for Coal.
AT SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
STOPS AT SALT LAKE ON HIS
WAY BACK TO RUSSIA.

Traitors and grafters had more TO do
with the Russian defeat in the Japanese
war than any other cause, according to
Admiral ]. n. Dinetrieff of the Russian
navy, who spent yesterday at the knuts-
ford, on his way back to Russia from
Vladivostock. He was accompanied by
his wife and left for New York on the
Los Angeles limited last evening. In
speaking of the notorious mismanage-
ment of the Manchurian campaign, Ad-
mira1 Dinetrieff said:
Russian officialdom is corrupt to the
core and our defeat in the Japanese war
was due more to grafters and traitors
never a chance for graft overlooked
These traitors cared nothing for their
country as long as they could enrich
themselves. What was supposed to be
a big supply of coal at Hardin proved TO
be nothing but rocks, neatly sacked and
shipped by some government contractor.
The grafters drew pay for coal. now
ever while the troops suffered from
cold and locomotives were unable to get
up steam. The food supplied US was of
the worst possible character. although
the government paid the highest prices
for it. Our meats were often rotten and
sometimes, instead of hams and bacon,
we received only the hOofs and hides.
AS a consequence the Russian soldiers
were soon made unfit for fighting.
THE railroad between HarDln and
Port Arthur was always iii miserable
shape. and breakdowns were frequently
occurring because the ties supplied
tions and retted away. This made it hard
for us at Port Arthur, as we could never
depend on food supplies or reinforce
ments.'
Tells of the Siege.
In speaking of some of his experiences
during the siege Admiral Dinetrieff said;
1.-THE horror of it all cannot be imag-
ined and 1 could not begin to describe the
many enga gements in which l particle
pated. / had charge of the Russian tor
pedo boats, and. of course. had more
work to do than those on board the bat
'tleships, which usually were at anchor
| in d protected spot back of the harbor
entrances. We frequently made midnight
enemy unawares. The torpedo boat |
was on succeeded in destroying several
smaller japanese vessels, mostly trading
steamers, which came too near the coast.
We seldom had a chance at one of their
larger ships. although one night. as you
will probably remember, the first class
battleship Hatsuri was blown up and
sunk We laid the mine which accom-
plished her destruction. The Japs are
good marksmen and certainly made it
hot for those in the city, especially after
they surrounded 1t on the land side.
Every house was riddled with shells and
cellars and bomb-prOofs to escape The
pitiable thing about the siege was the
number of women and children and other
noncombatantS that were killed during
| the commandments. / will not for min
ute acknowledge that the japanese are
| superior fighters TO the Russians, but
must admit that they had better or
| ganization, and an organization that
| that was not hOneycomhed- with
graft and managed by the rankest
! kind of traitors. The Japanese officials
are patriots. while the bureaucrats re-
| sponsible for our campaign ought to be
/ shot like dogs"
After the war Admiral Dinetrieff went
| 10 Che Foo and then to NladivOstOck
where he succeeded in communicating
! with his wife for the first time in eight
months. During the siege she had beer
/ in SebastOpol. the famous Russian fort
ress on the Black sea, and had for q
| greater part of this period thought hel
husband dead