Evening star., 1918-06-09

arrangements Dy Dullu1nS sHldil
stoves of brick, stones and pieces of
sheet iron. These stoves were built
in the corridors or aisles of the cars
and were fed with wood and charcoal
picked up along the line. They were
not very successful as heating ap-
pliances. but were occasionally useful
for making hot coffee or tea.
Slept With Guns Under Pillows.
The new order of things which the
bolsheviki have introduced into Rus
sia was perpetually in evidence.
Everywhere along the line the officers
IN charge of the train had to deal
as good a right as anybody else to
travel on 1t. Unbidden guests were
always coming on board At night
they would often enter by way or
for a ride. others in search of plunder.
The Americans all slept with their
revolvers under their pillows, ready
to repel boarders.
At almost every railway station there
were prolonged arguments and alterca-
tions. Excursion parties OF Russian SOL
diers would express a desire to travel a
few hundred versts with the mission,
and the French soldiers who accompa-
MED the mission would explain that 1t
was impossible.
The Discrimination OF the railway
system was well-nigh complete. There
was no semblance of train dispatching.
Once or twice a day a train going in
the opposite direction would be encoun-
tered In this case both trains would
STOP pourparlers would ensue, and one
train or the other would go back to the
nearest siding.
Anxious to Show Authority.
The stations were badly kept and had
generally become the headquarters OF a.
sort of local soviet, which was anxious
to impress its importance upon the pas
sengers OF every train. waiting rooms
and platforms were filled with soldiers
ex-soldiers, coolies and nondescripts.
The self-constituted authorities al
each station were a perpetual nuisance.
Every station soviet had to have the
whole business of the mission explained
to If, and the difficulties which tmme-
diately arose could only be solved by a
plentiful distribution of troubles and cog
mac. The total amount of money dis
tributed by the French officers in charge
of the train during the four-week trip
would easily have paid for the train
twice over. The Americans wisheo 10
share this expense proportionately, but
the French insisted on paying II all
The French also insisted on supplement-
ing the Americans food supplies.
The bolsheviki everywhere showed
remarkable friendliness for the little
1.-THE French belong to the bourgeoise.
but the Americans are just as good boil
sheviki as we are" said one soviet
leader in an address of welcome at
tiny village station north of Moscow.
Occasionally a Russian who had been In.
America was encountered.
Officer Dies, Buried Along Track.
During the severe weather one of
Co1 fell vi
with pneumonia and died in his berth
a few days later. His body was TAX
en- Off the train near Murmansk and
buried beside the track. All the
American and French officers and
deputations of British, Italian and
Serbian military men from trains
which Immediately preceded the
Franco-American train attended
the funeral service on the snow
covered field. The grave was
tree boughs by members of the Amerf-
can delegation. Over the coffin, at
Col. Odone's request. were draped the
flags of France. the United States and
the other allies.
At Vologda the train halted for
a visit to the American embassy,
which consisted of three railway cars
drawn up on a siding near the sta
tion. The American ambassador had
DriVate car or Pullman type, a Olu-
ing car and a first class sleeper.
Much Rolling Stock in Discuse.
From vologda to Murmansk the
train dragged its way warfly and hes
itatingly. This line is new war
railway, every mile constructed OF
American material, but laid rather
hastily and over frozen ground. For
miles 1t skirts the White sea. vast
expanse of solid ice as far as the eye
can see.
It was unpleasant to see, at frequent
points along the line, vast quantities
of American rolling stock and rail-
way material lying useless and
gathering rust. At one station there
were sixty-four locomotives, almost
new, but dismantled and with various
parts of the mechanism smashed or
stolen. At another point there was
a great quantity of American agri-
cultural machinery. wire cables and
copper telegraph wire in rolls as tail
as a man.
The food supply of both the French
and the Americans began to give out
as the train neared Murmansk, and
for two weeks before the mission
sailed their diet consisted largely of
reindeer meat. This was supplemented
by a scant ration of macaroni and
black bread. The first bread of rea-
white appearance which
any of the Americans had seen in
almost a year was that served at
their first meal on board the steamer :.
In Murmansk harbor.