The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-06-30
WAR CAUSES TOWN
PR|NGING UP N|GHT

London, May 10.-(Corresponden
OF the Associated Press.)
the northern terminus of the great
Russian Kola -Petrograd railway. is a
mushroom town which has sprung into
being on the shores of tbs Arctic
ocean since the war. When The AS
ISOLATED Press correspondent visited
it on his way out with the American
Red Cross mission to Rumania, it con-
tained about 5000 inhabitants. more
than half of whom were refugees.
The houses in Murmansk are little
more than frame shacks and the con-
struction of the whole town resembles
that OF Klondike mining camp. Dur
ing the winter the temperature Drop
ped as low as 80 degrees below zero,
for Murmansk is $50 miles north of
the Arctic circle. The most pictures
que feature of the town In winter is
the abundance OF reindeer sledges
which jingle up and down the stray
Cling steets carrying supplies OF food
and freight.
There is one American among the
permanent population of Murmansk.
He is young army man, Lieutenant
az lAiis VI &hCIIdidil, MISE, VINO brave
ly flies an American flag from a staff
on the roof of railway car which con-
stitutes his office and residence.
Lieutenant Martin is officially des-
ignatsd ~as the United States passport
E2Ificer. He is a person of great i'm
portance in Murmansk. He speaks
Russian fluently and is not only highly
regarded nv the French and British Of
ficers of the port, but Is also spoken
of by the bolsheviki as lone of the
leading citizens" He is actually ex-
officio chief advisor to the local boil
sheviki and attends all the meetings
of their soviets and committees.
The Murmansk bolsheviki are not
a bad sort. and are on good terms with
all the allied military and naval men.
This is perhaps in part accounted for
by the actual fact that they secure
nearly all their food supplies from the
British admiral. For many months
they have been eating flour. canned
meat and condensed milk-aII from
! America.
Every Murmansk bolsheviki wears
American shoes and Murmansky is al
most the only place in Russia where
shoes are cheap. pair in Mos
COW or Jassey costs about $50. In Muir
mansk the correspondent was offered
an eAcSllenl pair Hldue III l%y iilr Hldote'
for So or five rounds of sugar
Money has little value in this far
northern port The citizen of Muir
mansk shifts at a handful of ruble
notes, but he is willing to talk bust
ness If you can show him a few pounds
of sugar. a can of tobacco or a bottle
Of whiskey. A fine fox fur for which
the owner refused $500 changed hands
instantly for a bottle of whiskey and
six ounces of tobacco.
A live reindeer highly priced also as
draft animal and for food, sells on
, the Murmansk curb market for about
four hundred rubles, but a man with
five or ten pounds of sugar and a
pocketful of cigarettes can go home
with as good reindeer as there is in
the town.
The ship on which the American
mission left Murmansk lay at one Of
the naval docks. Not far away were
several Russian war ships and de-
stroyers. almost entirely abandoned by
their crews. A large Russian cruiser
which lay out in the harbor had only
twenty-one of her crew left after
series OF bolsheviki disturbances.