The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-03-02
MERICANENG|NEE
DESCRIBES ESCAPE
FROM CAUCASUS
Party Of Copper Mine Employees
Has Hard Time Getting Into
Neutral Area When Turkey
Begins Hostilities.


tAssociatcd Press CcrFespondcnce.l
London. Feb. 22.-The gauntlet Of
dangers which n small band Of Amer
leans and Engllshinen passed IN their
escape from a copper mining camp
in the Caucasus mountains at the
time of the outbreak % war between
Turkey and Russia II told by A. II.
Trotter OF Syracuse, n. Y, chief en-
sineer Of the company. who has u
naliy reached London. Their adNen-
lures form one Of the most exciting
minor epiHodea Of h war.
The mining village where the party
Vas caught 81 called D%znnsoul, and
lies high up In the mountains about
90 miles from he Russian port OF
Batoum on the Black sea. The de-
Tense Of these mpuniain yillases was
left to only a few companies Of RUS
sian police armed with I'D black
powder rifles. The report that the
Turks were ADVANCING In force from
the south, M had driven In some
OF the Russian ~outposts. reached the
village In November, and this was the
first news that hostilities had begun.
The people In the shelter camp were
HNAN " A'MAANN AhA NNNHhA AhHN ~
rounded them. and took no steps TO
escape until the American manager
% the company.i r. r. White. was
shot N sunday morning while on
his way from the camp To the mines
some miles higher up In the noun
.tains.
White was riding up the trail when
shot suddenly poured upon him from
a ridge across "A raviae. Both he and
his horse were struck and he fell
from the animal. wounded In the Lex
From noon until evening he lay In
the shelter Of a rock. sniped at evory
time ne showed his head At dusk
a party. OF which Trotter was n mem
Der. sneaked up the trail TO effect his
rescue. They brought him down 20
camp, and then sent him to Batoum
The following evening some Rus
sian soldiers, with "a battery Of three
inch field guns. moved up. They sta
toned two Of the guns near the
smelter and four Others lower down
at Kura. Most Of the non-combat-
ants OF the village left for Batoum.
but "a small party Of Americans and
British remained at camp. The sit
uation was not taken seriously. as the
Turks were thought To- be only a
small party Of ~mgrauders.
The next morning when two Rus
sian guns az the mine opened up az
the crest held By the Turks. the in
fantry. which had been increased to
about 400 men ~ the mine. were
forced into their trenches by the hot
return fire. or the Russians. only "a
small band OF Cossacks carried mod
ern guns. the rcservists having only
shot picces.i The mountain pu-
lice. who were iul the majority. were
with 1ncieat guns, as said, fir
ing black powder hnd lead bullets.
The lighting bedhme so intense hat
Trotter decided % make his escape.
On the way down the mountain he
often had 90 taxi refuge from the
fire. AZ Kura he met q Russian ann
munition train, whose officers arrest
him as q German spy % seized a
package of bank NOTES De had with
him.
Meanwhile. however. the Turks
had slipped across the crest Of the
opposite ridge and had begun q sur
attack on the ammunition train
The horses. which got the worst uf Il,
down the mountain. wrecking
ns they rrn many OF the carts OF sup
and ammunition.
Trotter tried 20 jump on one of the
wagons 10 escape, but wa prodded
off with ~bay0ncts and sought cover
When a motor car filled with wound,
ed came by he tried his luck again.
but was unable 10 explain himself
FOR lack of Russian, ana was again
bayoncted off the car.
The Russian cOmmandant. coming
up later In an automobile. gave him
conduct Ia Borchka. where the
train was oycrtaken and
money recovered with q
pass from the officer he
his way hy rowboat Co Rutuum. !
The rest OF the Enslish speaking
party at camp, caugh. In the lighting
90 late To escape. Ind remained m
the hospital al the mine. lying the
Red Cross flag The d~rtillcTymcn
the runs M the camp vcrc
cut 10 two men. and the infantry to-
night heCame helpless. The
were advancing in the dark.
their way with burning
Two OF h party, AN Amcri-
and "a Scotsman, started out 20
cross the mountains To the Russian
~ Artyin, while the others. un-
cover OF darkness, took "a chance
IN reaching borchka and got throut h
The American, Morris Culd-
well. ana the Scot, got lost In the
mountains and were for three duys
food before they finally AR
rived az a river which tbcy had TO
swim In midstroam they were greet
rel Boy ID rife fire. The Scot was
killed, and his body drifted down
but Caldwell escaped to a
village. He was So worr out
hat he even dropped Oft 10 sleep
seeing 10 Turk In the same -oum
vhet "a butcher knife and tax about
q holy war,
BY good fortune an old Turk for
merry employed at the mine. tecug
lized Caldwell as an American ana
set him free. He returned q tho
mine. boarned up the camp. ana then
his way 20 Trebizoude. Here
was arrested as "a SOY and uer,ed
eighteen days In q Turkish prison. lie
obtained release only by the mere
nance of signalling "a passing Amer
whO happened Co be- the United
'tates consul From Trebizoude he
ook a Greek steamer for Cnustanti- I
fnr1R wHHNYn nd. a.. NVU. L.. .a.H.... ]