Evening star., 1915-11-16
Russian Government Cares for
Large Body Of Prisoners and
Interned Civilians.
INSPECTION OF CAMPS
DEVOLVES ON AMERICANS
Men Appointed by State Department
to Make Investigations-Horrors
of War in Southern Russia.
of the Associated Press.


vLADIvOSTOK. October 14.-AIore
trian prisoners of war and interned
civilians are being cared for in Siberia.
Russia has scattered it's prisoners the
length of the transsiberian line from
the eastern border of European Russia
ers has been sent into the region of
all adjacent territory is restricted very
carefully.
1t is estimated that Russia called at
out of Siberia at the opening of the
war, including it's great railway guard.
The barracks evacuated by these troops
were available for German prisoners
and interned civilians. Consequently
Russia relieved the crowded conditions
in European Russia by sending the
overflow into it's Asiatic domain
Americans Inspect Camps.
The work of inspecting the Siberian
war prisoners camps has devolved upon
Americans designated by the State De-
partment at Washington. who are to re-
port on the welfare of the Germans and
Austrians. Many Of the Siberian camps
are SO far removed from Petrograd that
| their inspection has been accomplished
more easily by American representa-
tlves going into Russia through the
Consul General Caldwell. at vladivostok,
has been intrusted with the disburse-
ment of funds for the relief of war pris-
oners, interned persons and refugees
AS result the burden upon the Ameri-
can consulate here has been very heavy.
William Warfield, special representa-
tive of the State Department. is at pres
ent on a tour of prison camps, and
within the last six months r. NJ Burr,
Charles Ogflvie and DIR. Charles Lewis,
all of the Peyang University. Tientsin.
China, have made tours through Siberia
at the request of the State Department,
looking after the welfare of prisoners.
Few Claiming q. s. Citizenship.
A few refugees, claiming American
citizenship, have drifted all the way
from Poland and Galicia to vladi-
vostok. But travel is SO much inter-
rupted by munition trains. and the
transsiberian service is SO limited
that it is extremely difficult for refu-
gees to get through. All travellers
coming from Russia on the weekly
express train tell Of the hundreds Of
thousands of refugees who are moving
toward Siberia or are already located
ment has established
Tourists from Russia report large
numbers of Poles living in temporary
quarters in Siberian towns, +prepara-
tory to being sent by the government
to farms.
Travellers from southern Russia say
the Russian newspapers estimate that
25.000,000 persons in all have left their
homes in Galicia, Poland and Russia
proper. Many of these persons lived
great distances from the fighting lines.
Kiev. which probably is $50 miles from
the front, has been almost completely
evacuated.
Horrors of War Cause Panic.
The horrors of war have been so WV
idly presented to districts near the
front by fleeing refugees that panic
has seized the public in many cities
and transportation facilities are quite
Inadequate to accommodate the crowds
anxious to get farther away from the
front.
Wounded Russian officers and SOL
diers who have returned to their homes
here to recuperate tell of the many
difficulties they encountered in getting
out of the war zone. Excited refugees,
anxious to get into places of greater
breaking out all windows in their ef-
forts to get aboard. The excitement
was increased by the high cost of food
stuffs and the falling price of paper
roubles.
In several towns of southern Russia
money changers availed themselves of
the discrepancy between the value of
silver and paper money. For time
during September paper money brought
only half it's value in silver at Warsaw
and in other big centers. Money chang
ers collected silver and shipped it to
the centers where one rouble in silver
would buy two paper roubles.
Complete Silver Famine.
The result was complete silver
famine in some sections. which inter-
fered with trade. making it impossible
for people to get any change. For
several days in Kiev the street car con-
ductors could not change bills and
| were forced to put passengers Off who
| did not have small silver. Similar dis
| comforts in other cities enraged the
| public so thoroughly that a movement
| against money changers was feared.
| In Kiev several wealthy citizens re-
| lieved the silver famine by using their
| own funds to ship silver to other
| centers.
| very low. In ordinary times an Amer
| lean gold dollar will buy two roubles.
| Now 1t will buy three in ordinary ex-
change transactions. This cheapness
! of Russian money is held by many
| merchants to make it imperative for
them to increase their prices. On the
| other hand, the public insists that mer-
chants are taking advantage of the
| war situation to make unwarranted