The sun., 1918-08-11
Arctic Ports Afford
the Allies Points of
Remittance Into
Western Russia
II HE Thurman or Murm~z:sk coast of

forces, is the coast Of Russian Lapland,
some 400 miles, as the crow flies, north
west of Archangel. The ocean in ques-
ton is the Arctic, and the region is well
within the Arctic circle. Owing 10 eli
matte Inconsistency, generally supposed
10 be the last effect of the warm Gulf
Stream, the ports of the Thurman coast
are practically free of ice from month
TO six weeks longer every season than
Archangel is.
The coast is indented by the Kola inlet,
a rugged ford which is the mouth of the
river of that name. On or at the open
ing of this ford are the ports affected by
the American Entente landing. They are
Kola, at the head of the ford where the
river widens; Thurman, TO the north where
ford and ocean meet; Alexandrovsk,
formerly a Russian naval station, and
Katherinenhafen.
Thurman is the coast terminal, although
kola is the principal Arctic port, of the
railroad laboriously constructed among a
thousand lakes and across expansive
marshes TO connect the Thurman coast and
Petrograd Construction hung fire for
years, but was rushed by the former I'm
perial Government after the war began,
in order TO insure supplies chiefly of mu-
nitions.
Cannot Bear Heaviest Traffic.
Exactly how serviceable the railroad
now is has appeared IN no recent authorl-
tatIve statement. 1t is known that the
roadbed will not bear the heaviest traffic,
and this explains the huge accumulation
of munitions at the port of Kola, which
before the war was an insignificant fish
ing village of some 600 inhabitants. The
announced purpose of the American-En-
tente landing was to prevent the munition
stores from falling, by Bolshevik suffer
ance, into German hands.
The landing, made six weeks ago, was
the principal excuse of the Bolshevik
Government for its hostile policy toward
the Entente and American embassies,
which have been forced TO remove, first,
TO Vologda, thence 10 Archangel, and
finally to kandalaska (Kandalaksha) in
the Thurman region on the White Sea 1t
seems also to have caused the proclama-
ton of a state of war throughout the
province of Archangel, which includes the
entire northern coast Of European
Russia
Through German channels the Boil
shevlk Government was reported 10 con-
slider the landing tantamount TO a declara-
ton of war The Germans themselves re-
guarded it strategically as the beginning of
an allied attempt to connect the Czeeho-
Slovak and the anti Bolshevik Cossack
forces operating between the Volga and
the Urals, 600 miles or more TO the south
east, with a northern base for allied in
terventionary military action.
The Germans thought this connection
was TO be attempted by way of the Arch
angel Vologda railroad, which intersects
the Siberian railroad in European Russia
further south. The Archangel- Vologda
railroad used to be single track of mar
row gauge, requiring special rolling stock.
but it is reported to have been recon-
structed during the war, as result of the
greatly increased commercial and strategic
importance of Arehangel.
Many in Favor of Archangel.
The state of the Kola-P etrograd rail-
road and the marshy and lake pitted ma
ture of the country south of Kola-the
whole peninsula is virtually cut off from
the continent by water and marsf-has
made military experts unanimous in be-
lieving that Archangel and not Kola
would have to be the starting point of any
effective interventory expedition in force
that might be landed from the Arctic
Ocean. Up TO last week the Bolshevik
control Of Archangel and the White Sea
has been fairly secure.
Last week, however, from an official