The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-03-15

CANADIANS IN RUSSIA
Had Hard Time Trying to Build
Railroad.


New York, March 14.-Pierre B,
Lawrence, French Canadian OF
American citizenship, came back yes
terday from Northern Russia, and
told some of the difficulties which
have been encountered in constructing
the railroad from Kola, on the White
Sea, TO hitch up with the line for Pet
rograd, by which the Allies hope TO
supplement the Archangel route for
munitions. When he left there last
February there was still a gap Of
forty-seven miles left, he said, but it
was covered by reindeer service, and
some of the supplies were getting
through.
Last October" Mr.. Lawrence said,
advertisements appeared in Winni-
peg and other Canadian cities calling
for men used to railroad building in
cold countries. An English company
backed them, and they got together
$40 fine, husky chaps, who had worked
on the Grand Trunk Pacific, the Cana
dian Northern, and the Hudson Bay
Line. ! was engaged as deck Super
intendent.
They brought us down here to Waa-
hawken and took us aboard the Rus
sian-American liner Gear We got to
Russia in twelve days, but then found
that we were not at Kola at ALL but
at Simienonono, q mere fishing village
which was shelled by the British dur
ing the Crimean War. The nearest
place was Kandalasha. but that was
twelve miles away. We got in in
binding snowstorm at the end of Octo-
Der, and found it was about 10 degrees
above zero. They told US to be ready
TO land next morning, and we began to
disembark at o'clock in the morning.
1--WE got the machinery off although
there was nothing but a beach, and
we had to walk quarter OF mile to
get off the sand The bosses came off
about 10 o'clock, and then suddenly
the steamer pulled out and left Arch
angel. We asked for food and found
all that had been landed was three
barrels of green apples, two hams and
one case of eggs. Think of that for
$40 men. There was q rush for them,
and you can imagine the jam as a lot
OF husky Irishmen and Scotchmen
started scrapping to get the grub.
Some of them were showed in the
water but we got them out all right
when we asked the boss what to
do, he said, Make out the hest you
can He told us there was another
ship already two days overdue, and
she would have the provisions. Then
she didn't come, and they said she
had been torpedoed. 1t may be so,
cannot tell.
1--WE could get all the black bread
and tea we wanted from the Russians,
but there was no sugar The Russians
would give you anything, only they
hadn't anything TO give. There, were
some huts near and we pulled them
down and made shelters. Then there,
were seventeen horses and we killed
five of them. There were plenty of
turnips, carrots and cabbages brought
from the South. They were just lying
about on the beach, and we made stew
of those, So we had to live for five
weeks In the end we got reindeer
When at last ship arrived, the first
thing she discharged was cases of
beer and barrels OF rum, and for
time, at least, Mr.. Lawrence said, the
gang seemed to have for
gotten their troubles.
One day." Mr.. Lawrence went on,
"a Russian official. all covered with
came along and said he repre-.
sented the Department OF Rivers and
Harbors. He said. I suppose you can
give me accommodation for sixty-five
Of my staff and we had only got
huts for our own men. The boss
said, The nerve of him!' and I told
him it as nearly as could in French;
so he took his sixty-hve aboard Rus
sia ship and sailed for Archangel."
According to MIR. Lawrence there
was trouble again in February with
the Russian authorities about the pay.
and the construction gang were driven
by Russian soldiers aboard ship.
But the British Admiral interfered and
forced the Russian authorities to live
UP to their agreement and give the
men passage back to this country.
Altogether this expedition, Mr.. Law
renee said, built seventeen miles OF
track, but he had rough sketch show
ing the jam of vessels in the harbor
without docking facilities and piles of
freight on the beach.