New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-15
Russians Rolled
Flaming Trains
Up to Roots Car
Quick Action by Engineer
Saved American
Mission

CHICAGO, Aug. IA startling stor'
of the two attempts by Russian anar
chists to wreck the special train carry
ing the Root mission from Petrograd u
Yladivostok reached Chicago to-day.
Mrs. Gregory Mason, wife Of the cor
respondent OF THE Outlook in Russia
related to the Japan Advertiser" o.
Toxic, how anarchists burned wooder
bridge at Viatka, three days east Of
Petrograd, and when they found thai
they had failed to wreck the train SCI
fire TO passenger trains and rolled them
in the direction of the American special
in which the leader, Elihu Root, was
fast asleep. This attempt was frus
trated.
Mr., Mason relates in the "Adver-
tiser," copies of which have just arrived
in Chicago, that shortly after she
reached Viatka on the Siberian express
where she found the Root party halted
by the wrecked bridge, some one began
crying that the Bolsheviki (anarchlsts)
had set the town on fire.
"Sure enough, cloud of black smoke
was pouring out of gigantic freight
storehouse, which was in the middle OF
the train yard, with tracks on each side
Of it, says Mrs Mason.
Walters and trainmen from our
train and from the Root train carried
buckets OF water from these trains and
from the station in an attempt TO put
out the blaze. Their efforts were pa
,het;ceIly futile. The fire soon spread
70 three passenger trains near the
warehouse and a number Of scattered
freight cars.
"Ostensibly trying to remove these
cars from danger, but really IN the at
tempt TO carry the fire TO the Root
train. a number OF soldiers and work
men pushed several blazing cars down
tho tracks Just to the windward OF tho
Root train, so that the breeze drove tho
flames directly against the cars carry
ing the American mission.
Engineer Saves Root Train
"Onlv the prompt action Of the en-
yineer of Senator Roots train saved
II from catastrophe. He backed the
train away from the cars and did not
stop until he was five miles out IN the
country.
"The explanationn which was given
ne nv the railroad officials at the sta
ton and by the militia of Viatka was
that the fire had been started by the
ssme miscreants who had burned the
bridge. Il seems that parallel to the
wooden bridge which was destroyed was
a stone bridge just being completed.
"When the anarchists learned that
work on this had been so sped up that
IL would prove an avenue Of escape for
the Americans within a few hours, they
decided on a last desperate measure ana
set fire to the storehouse. III they had
been efficient they would have made
good lob in the first place by destroy
ing the bridges.
AT length, n few hours after this
second fire, this stone bridge was ready
for use. The conductor Of the Root
train ordered his engineer 70 proceed,
and our train was about to follow when
there was a protest from the soldiers
AZ several troop trains which had
pulled into Viatka during the long ces-
sation of traffic. These soldiers, who
were riding in freight cars, we're on
their way to their homes in Siberia,
having had enough of the war.
"They said that it was an outrage TO
suggest that trains carrying American
canitalists and Russian bourgeois
should precede them, the real lords OF
Russia. so the American mission was
forced 10 submit to another consider
able wait while the Russian army pro-
ceeded on to the rear.
Root Calm In Danger
"Of course, the noise and excitement
which had ensued when the warehouse
fire was discovered had awakened Mr..
Root, and throughout the trying mo-
ments when the blazing cars were being
sent down the tracks against his train
he was on the platform, calm as could
be. and his face perfect study. Per
haps the most interesting of the I'm
pressions of anarchical Russia which
he will have to report to President Will
son were gained during these exciting
moments. when the Russians he had
come TO aid were trying to burn him
alive.
Colonel Chubukov, the new military
attache TO the United States, was rush
ing about trying to verify the report
that the plot to burn the bridge had been
formed by Russian officer in the pay
of Germany. All the Russians in sight
we're wildly excited, shouting at each
other to kill the anarchists or to kill
the bourgeois as the case happened to
be. II looked as if there would be a
fight between the Russian passengers
on our train, among whom were several
officers, and the soldiers of the garrison
Of Viatka, reinforced by socialistic
workmen.
"In the mean time two or three train
loads of soldiers coming from the river
passed US. They had been ferried
across in boats from other trains on
the far side"