Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-12-10


British bluejacket orderly as the two
admirals, Russian and British, came
out.
Prisoners Look Comfortable.
Ahead. down the bank, appeared
great cluster of masts. That was the
Solombola suburb. the lower docks OF
Archangel. | reached 1t by wooden
causeway bridging broad creek, the
banks of which are occupied by tim
Der yards. Women were loading log
barges. On the opposite bank. half
a mile away, saw gray figures NOV
ing. Austrian prisoners or German?
Icame closer. Oh, Austrians AUS
trians clean and very we'll clad IN
their warm. scarcely soiled uniforms
and greatcoats. They we're on gen.
eral dock laborfng Jobs. mostly In
great field Of bales Of American cotton.
surrounded on all sides, except the
river. by an eightfoot timber palisade.
with sharpcned tops. They looked
we'll fed and cheerful. ] might ada
here that whatever adverse criticisms
may Justly be made of the Russians
they treat their prisoners as gentle
men The Russian Is pretty good
fellow, from the human point OF view
"A natural born democrat and .
Sportsman.
There were lot of guards about in
SOlombola, civilian armed, civilian I'M
armed and Russian soldiers. Unfamil-
lar passers-by are eyed suspiciously.
At the dockyard entrance holes in the
palisade stood civilian guards with
belt loaded rifles slung across their
backs Above the gates were holy
ikons. gilded pictures of saints. with
two peculiar tippets of fur hanging
from them.
There was an intensely interesting
flow of traffic along this road to the
Solombola docks q medley oS races.
a library of odd human documents.
Through the deep black mud passed
wagons driven by slant-eyed Samoy'
eds. an Eskimolike tribe Of the Rus.
sian arctic littoral. and skull.capped
Mohammedan Tartars from the
marched deserts of Turkestan. And
there were carts driven by hairy Rus
sian moujiks Of the north. with huge
reddish boards: and carts driven by
clean-shaven dapper little Austrian
prisoners. each with a civilian guard
in tow. Cossack soldiers were on
scampering ponies and Malo-Russiap
soldiers plodded afoot. British Jack
tars navigated the sidewalk with a
fine, free roll and men OF the imperial
Russian navy walked in quick. short
steps
Sees Two French Soldiers.
Just as was passing the changing
foundry two French soldiers appeared
among the passers-by. real French
poilus in their long blue greatcoats
and baggy red breeehes. What they
were doing and whether or not they
were forerunnerE OF big landing like
that Of the BeIgisns do not know.
In the Dain street OF Archangel one
afternoon ! saw what thought was a
group OF British army officers l found
they were Belgsans in the new smart
khaki Uniform. close'y copied from
the 9ritfEh- A few Belgian soldiers
appeared Oh the streets the following
day, TO the intense interest Of the ma
tives, many O. whom took them for a
new brand O. Austrian.
Next morning ArchangeI was showed
under With Belgian soldiers, mainly
gunners and flying men and men well
versed IN running armored automo-
biles and perambuIs:ing forts. Little
men. hardly bigger than japanese. en-.
veioped tn blue greatcoats; the gun.
ners with crossed cannon In red braid
ON their arrss. Polite little men. too.
Meeting On the step. they hold shop
door open for woman 10 enter first,
with a bow. and . "S'iI vous plat.
madame"
It was difficult TO get q shave IN
Archangei that day. though there are
plenty Of barber shops for the use Of
sailors. Rows Of Belgian soldiers &C.
cupied the chairs and benches In the
hinterfsnd, II was next to impossible
to get stamps at the post Office be-
cause Of the BeiGians there.
In group Of Belgian of,cers in the
Omtzerov restaurant was q priest.
also In militant Khaki. He was
dressed like an ofhcer. except for his
fasten- behind clerical collar and red.
black and gold cvoss pinned to his
breast. The gold tassel dangling from
the front Of the Belgian Officers cap.
BY the way. tss q cause Q: much gig.
Cling to the Russian matdens. DBL
For three days the Belg1ansi 70
NAMED Then. 80 myster,Ously -
they bad appeared. they faded sway
toward the south. 5.4 .q5s.
Craetine on Coffin. a