New-York tribune., 1918-08-04
10 900 Czecho-Slovaks Holding
Siberia Safe From German Force

and many we're in prison camps which
never came in touch with the head
! quarters Of the Czecho- Slovak army
At the time the Bolshevik overturn
occurred with its consequent complete
dlsorganlzation, recruiting in these
PRISON camps was in full swing. It
must be remembered that these camps
are thousands Of miles distant from
each other and some of them were hum
oreos OF miles from the nearest rail-
ways; w'yEs;;
The greatest number of Czech
prisoners were in Central Asia. near
the frontiers of Afghanistan and
China, also in Eastern Siberia and in
the Caucasus. When further recruitinp o
was made impossible last winter there
were 80 600 recruits who were unable
TO JOIN the army that was at that time
encamped in the Ukraine. As the
trains bearing Czecho-Slovaks rolled
across Asia toward the Pacific, thou
SANDS or these men marched long dis
tances to the railroad and ioined their
comrades, and thousands of others
who were merely loaing or looking for
Work IN the towns located on this rail-
road also Joined their friends. We
know that early in June the number
OF men under the orders of the Czecho
Slovak commander was 10000, since
their victories and their continued oc-
cupatlon of more cities must have en-
abled many thousands more to ioin
them. '0'''
Fighting Prussian Rule
1t is known also that Austrian pris-
oners OF other Slav and Latin races
occided to throw in their fortunes
with the Czecho- -Slovaks, and several
thousands of Italians and Ruman;ans
trio
of the Czecho- Slovak army. Thev arc
well supplied with rifles, machine guns
and bombs, and they have captured
some field artillery from the Red
Guard, put they are still very deficient
IN that important respect. That part
OF the army operating westward from
Vladivostok is now we'll supplied with
al necessary munitions of war from
the Allied stores at the Pacific termi-
=, THE present military situation is
The Czecho- -Slovaks hold in Euro
pean Russia the Volga River for 8
stretch of some POO miles, from Kazan
on the north TO place few miles south
OF Samara. Thus they are able to stop
the transportation Of grain from South
eastern Russia, the only fertile part of
european Russia not yet controlled by
we Herlnans. by their OccuDation of
Samara and Orenburg they hold the
Turkestan Railroad and prevent the
expectation of cotton and grain from
Central Asia.
They hold the Ural Mountains from
Orenburg in the south to Ekaterinburg
on the north. thereby controlling also
the Petrograd branch of the Siberian
Railroad. This makes it impossible for
the Germans to obtain platinum from
the mines of the Urals, from which
platinum fr'
The Czecho-S -Slovaks hold absolutely
a long stretch of the Siberian road
from the mountains to Lake Baikal:
thIs t,Is stretch runs through that part Of
Siberia which best resembles the
p,rnries Of Western Canada, and SUP
piled in the past the cities of Northern
Russia with -four, butter and cheese.
The most immediate strategic prob-
lem OF the Czecho- -Slovaks Is to clear
that stretch of the Siberian Railroad
extending from Lake Baikal to the
junction of Niks3sk of German Magyar
forces. well armed and supported by