New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-06
RUSSIANS AWAIT
PANAMA OPENING
VIadivOstok Hopes to Get
Rails to Relieve
Congestion.

Congestion.
Vladivos,ok. Oct. l0.-With its
wharves piled high with var supplies
and it's railroad facilities wholly made
ouate to meet the demands of the Rus
sian army, Vladivostok looks anxious
ly toward the Panama Canal. hoping
for q report that the slides have been
mastered and will permit the passage
Of ships carrying the rails. locomo-
tiyss and cars 80 necessary TO speed up
transportation along the 5000 miles OF
, railway which separate the battle lines
from Russis's greatest gateway Tor sup
| plies. NJ
So far not q single ship from New
York has arrived bearing locomotives
/ or railway cars. Four hundred anu
/ ff.v American locomotives and 2G.OL0
American freight cars have been pur-
chased and many have been shipped.
| Several ships bearing railway supplies
passed though the Panama Canal pc
| fore the slide Of September 10. Be
cause of the block supply ships from
| New York have been ordered to 'ladi-
/ yostok by the Suez route, which taxes
several weeks longer.
Port Is Open All Year.
Two fundamental errors have entered
| into much Of the discussion on 'Iadi-
vostok's possibilities as a supply gate
way. The first is the statement that
/ Vladivostok Is icebound part OF the
winter. This is not true. The other
/ ia that tho Trans Siberian Railway IS
/ double tracked all the way from Viadi-
vostok to European Russian. This Is
/ equally untrue. Nor Is there sufficient
steel TO complete the double track
! along the entire route.
/ Last winter two ice breakers Kept
| Vladiyostok open throughout the en-
/ tire cold season without any trouble.
, Thi, year a tn I'd ice breaker has been
/ purchased in Japan, and the port au-
/ thorities expect no difficulty in keeping
/ the channels open.
Vladiyostok has hitherto been an ex-
/ porting and not an importing centre.
| The high freight rates across Siberia
made the port useless rs supply cen
/ tire for European Russia until tho pres
/ ent war shut all the Russian ports ex-
cept Archangel and Vladivostok.
War Supplies Swamped Docks.
Heroic efforts have been made At
I Vladivostok to measure up to the unex-
/ pected responsibilities. but warehouses.
{ docks. cranes, trackage and rolling
stock were lacking to care for the ava
/ lanche Of war supplies. Temporary
tracks have been built In every possi-
/ Bile direction. Warehouses have been
enlarged, new piers thrown out. But
I the enlarged facilities have not been
equal to the influx of freight, and the
worst 10 to como. SO far large guns
have been the only bulky machinery
unloaded. The great cargoes OF Amer
| lean locomotives and steel freight cars
call for docking machinery and faciil-
ties which Vlad!vostok does not afford.
Owing TO the conformation OF the
| harbor, large part of which Is wholly
monopolized by the navy and army as
/ dryGock, arsenal, navy yard, barracks
| and supply depots, no more than ten or
twelve ships can be unloaded at once.
Every available foot Of ground along
| the waterfront Is stacked high with
| war supplies. covered with canvas. 1t
1 Is estimated that a trsinload OF war
supplies starts westward every three
| hours, but the great warehouses and
piers are constantly filed again from
! the ships always at anchor, waiting
| for a chance to dock.
u. s. Tins Are There, Too.
Many familiar trademarks are seen
along the congested waterfront. Auto
mobiles from Detroit, steel rails from
/ an Illinois company, army wagons from
several American manufacturers, Amer
/ lean timed milk and meat and many
other products OF the United States lie
waiting for car space. American cot
ton may be seen In many OF the ware
houses. Trains leaving for the interior
carry a strange assortment Of freight.
J Gun carriages, rails, structural steel
for bridges, lumber. pilng and coal are
seen on the open cars.
! At Amur Bay. on the west side OF the
! Vladivostok peninsula, the waters are
rough. Extensive improvements have
been made about four miles north OF
/ yladivostok on the Amur, where the
/ American locomotives and cars prob
ably will be unloaded. A Cleveland
| frm is erecting thirty-hvs engine
cranes at First River to be used in
handling the locomotives, and Ameri-
can contractors arc preparing to put
/ the new steel cars into commission
with the greatest possible speed.
! Serious Tls-Up Feared.
inc ne" ioEA "tHaNrHip llht "HiSH
/ has the contract FOR delivering the new
American rolling stock TO Vladivostck
will probably require about sixty ships
/ Tor locomotives and ears. II was
I planned that all this freight would
come by way Of Panama, but not more
than three ships bearing locomotives
and cars passed thrOugh me canal be-
fore the big slide OF September IS.
/ Consequently, several ships we're de-
/ lsyed before they were ordered TO so
| TIE Susz way. The result will un-
doubtedly be that many ships carry
ing heavy eargoes vii! reach Vladi-
vostok at the same time many weeks
hence, and serious congestion is feared.
Japan 10 supplying Russia with great
/ quantities OF lead and copper which are
/ delivered 81 Vlsdiyostok. Shells. rifles