The sun., 1918-03-19
MANY IN PANIC
QUITPETR0GRAD
Manufacturers Transfer Ar
chivcs. Material and Men
to Moscow.
/, FOOD AND FUEL SCARCE
Horse Meat Esteemed as Deli
rary-Epidcmic Is
Feared.
FOOD AND FUEL SCARCE

sDtc,ai f0bIe Desputch 10 Tue Sr> tram re
London Times
"opyIokf. .sis: all rioha ,>serred
pErRooRAD. March 1S.---So,nething like
a panic Sc. in during the evacuation of
| the capital The people were unable TO
get railway tickets owing to tho conges-
ton OF traffic. Many were compelled TO
take TO the ordinary roads. often COM
! bining TO hire horses and sldlges to
! transport their goods and chattels.
othe,s have left and are continuing TO
leave or foot. not wishing to remain
here 10 s;arve or be caught h. the Ger
mans.
a number OF British subjects who
"ere trying TO go 70 Mu.msn by railway
lave been detained by the NeXatious
passport regulations and truwpery for
nal.ties o. the Bolshev.l; officials, who
: continually rrolopg the delay and fail to
keep their promises.
The stan and general council OF the
peoples coynn!ssaries with their effects
left here for Moscow several days ago
\ Most OF the commissiaries were escorted
BY l.ettisN Guards, who are the most
trustworthy armed forces at the COM
.'iard OF the Bolsheviiii. Many OF the
heads OF Government departments. OF
railway offices ard factories also are
fleeing They are taking their archives,
materials and men. and in some cases
their plants. or par<s of them. TO Mos
COW. Some OF the plants later will be
roestablshed in Siberia or Archangel.
city Dethroned.
The officials remaining in retrosrad
will be SUFFICIENT only for the local re-
qul.enents. 1t is said that II is'not the
intention to reduce PetroErad 10 n sec
ond rate town and make Moscow tho
capital unless the Germans settle down
here. but Petrograd already has been
dethroned and wears the aspect of
vast provincial borough. The disconso-
late inhabitants straggle along the mid
die OF the roadways, as vshicular trat-
ilc almost has ceased Only or 4 tew
OF the main thorough.ares do motors
and sledges continue 10 appear.
Electric lighting and tram service has
been curtaiied TO the minimum. to save
. fuel. the shortage of which becomes in
creasngly serious. There is no trade.
according 10 an announcement OF some
days ago Pctrosrad is 10 be declared
, a free town. whatever that means. Tn
. der the present extraordinary circum-
stances It sounds like reverson TO the
old system of the German Hanseat!c
League an idea which would be quite IN
, keeping with the sad results accruing
. from the forced German peace terms.
, which Will reduce Russia to !ts ancient
, Muscovite limits. beginning with the
. time OF the first Romanoff Cars. in the
seventeenth. century
Confusion Increased.
In the absence Of the Centia! Council
Of Peoples Commissaries in Moscow
petrograd is to he governed by another
! council OF cpmTissarief. or labor COM
Y runp. with extraordinary powers FOR de-
Tending the city against any external
, foe. This new communistic government
is 10 he assisted by revolutionary war
commissaria, under the presidency OF
Leon Trotzhy These various govern
mental agencies. with the somewhat
:. onineus introduction. for the FIRST time.
2 Of the labor commune, tend 70 increase
the confusion,
II must bc inferred, from the dcscrip-
tion that this new organization OF
TrptZkNS $ Is lltenuti W HldN' MN
I tor of the situation here. He will re-
t main IN Pe,rograd while his colleague
= NikoIsi I.eninc, in Moscow, will manage
= the ratification OF the peace conditions
t. II is Thought that in the event of Ger
| man occupation Of this city, foreign and
q diplomatic representatives may lapse. In
. some instances. into the status OF pri-
! yate personaKcs. their businesses bcina
. carried on through certain embassies
Il which would preserve their former
oower In the meantime Il is pointed
: ont tina, they may adapt themselves &c
tho pcculiar needs Of the situation and
continue to deal with the Bolshevik au.
\ thorities through the medium OF secre'
t.ries. without troubling about officia
recognition.
FamiWe Feared.
Az food dictator Trotzky Is receivins
| opneals for urgent relief made by many
| 6erutations from the provinces. One Of
these. from the district OF Naluga. In
formed him that the peasants OF tha
region long ago consumed all the whea
and other grain they had stored. als'
ali their seed corn, and that a famine il
tho fall Is Inevitable The food stua
tlon here is becoming more acute every
day. There is hardly Il single provision
shop that remains OPEN A little froOe'
| or smoked fish sold In tho streets b,
hawkers Is all the food In view
Many dead horses lately have bee'
sccu lying for days on the snow hum
,nocks, witnesses to the ice covere'
streets ard poor feeding, Only an aero
hattie man. much less a horse. is able L
keep safely on his feet with the street
in their present terrible condition.
SO hungry are the people that the,
b,yc taken to cutting uD the curcasSe
OF these animals when they fall. Mnce
horse meat. eaten raw with plenty O
salt and pepper. is getting to be a ia
vorite delicacy. The consumption O
horse meat promises to become gen
| -, 90 tvs FREQ sale So far has esca ne