The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-27
ENTIRELY POSSIBLE {, FOR RUSSIA ID HAVE TROOPS IN BELGIUM From Moscow to Leith Can Be Travelled in Seven
 Days CAN BE SENT THE WHOLE YEAR ROUND Ekternia, Midway Between Archangel and North Cape, Never Ice
 locked Owing to Gulf
 Stream

Petrograd. September 26.-(Special. I am unable as yet to confirm off cially the report of the landing of 25o,o00 Russian troops in France, but from what I know of the magnificent work done by the military railroad or ganization in driving lines to the Arctic ocean the feat apears entirely pos sible and probable.
 It should be remembered. too that while Archangel is ice-loclSed a large part of the year. the new port oi Ekterina, still further north is never closed on account of the mellowins influence of the gulf stream For this reason Russian troops can be sent to the west coast of Europe by this route the whole year around.
 A practically unlimited supply of men can come around the north cape 1 to Norway and thence to Scotch or English ports, whence they have a : simple railway run to the channel and short passage across to the scene of fg,-ting.
 Journey in Seven Days
 Archangel is about AS hours steam ing for Englands best transports from North Cape and after making the turn here the run south to Leith, Scotland. can be done in about 50 hours. Five days would be plenty for a fast troop ship from Archangel to Leith.
 South of Archangel 296 miles by rail- way is volgda, the junction point of the Petrograd-P line, and another BOA miles south from Volgda is Mos COW. Troops can pour into Volgda from these three cities-Moscow, Pet rograd and Perm-and the latter point undoubtedly sees hordes of seasoned Siberian troops going west. The men from Siberia could well be turned north to Archangel at Volgda. This maneuver would take much of the strain of concentration off the west ern railway lines of Russia.
 The total distance from Moscow to Archangel is 700 miles less by 200 miles than the distance between New York and Chicago.
 The Archangel line, built by Amer lean excavator machinery and to a large extent through country never before trod by man. was finished in 1897.
 Of perhaps even greater importance than Archangel is Ekterina, midway between Archangel and North Cape. It i,i landloclSed harbor which has been developed as military port and the waters here, except In the small in- lets, are never frozen with more than tine thinnest of films
 Line to Ekternia ES
 A line has been projected to run, to yEzterina from point on the Arch angel railway. This has been shroud- ed in secrecy and I cannot say how much is completed. Perhaps it is in working order. At any rate, Archangel Is open until some time in October
 What Russia can do in transport of troops was shown in the Japanese war when hundreds of thousands were sent over single line railway distance of 5000 miles, or as far as across the American continent and 2000 miles fur ther. Then, too, the Russian soldier does not demand the comforts of the fight CT of other nations. Undoubtedly a ship which would accommodate only 2000 men on a run from England to south Africa would take on board 5000 tor the Archangel-Leith passage.
 The passage would be safe from att tack for the Germans would have to go 300 miles from the Fiel harbor besides slipping through the British fleet to reach the route taken by the transports.
 The navigation of the Arctic ocean in summer is simplified by the "A hours of daylight available. There are many lighthouses and @ regular steam CT service has been maintained for many years between Archangel and Norwegian ports.
 It is quite certain that the transport of 250,O00 Russians from Archangel to France would not be nearly as formid- lble as England's feat of sending 200,- b00 men to the Boer war.