The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-28
Francis Leaves Petroerad.

4
/ Staff Correspondent
PETROGRAD, Feb. 27.-(Morningr
The American envoy left Petrograd
last night for Volodga, accompanied
I By the Japanese. Brazilian and Siam
csc ENJOYS.
| CYologda is the principal city of
| the province of that name. 375 miles
east OF Petrograd and 275 miles north
| OF Moscow. From this point the en-
voys can travel by rail either to
Archangel, 800 miles north. or to
| Moscow. where they can take the
| trans-Siberian railway to the Pacific
coast The former place is ice-bound
and practically untanable until late
spring.
United Press dispatches have al
ready tntinated that Ambassador
| Francis would 60 10 San Francisco,
when he left Petrogsd. There is also
| the possibility he may remain at
| yologda or some other interior point
| for some time
| The American embassy's affairs
are believed TO be in the hands of
the Norwegian envoy. United Press
dispatches Tuesday said Francis was
taking steps in that direction.
| The German invaders are reported
to have advanced one station above
Pskotf. (Pskof is 162 miles south
west of Petrograd. The next station
of any Importance on the railway
leading to the capital Is BielaJs. nifty
miles nearer.)
Retiring from Reval GOO miles
west of PeroEad) the Russians are
prepared to destroy all railways and
asphalt roads. as they fall back upon
the capital.
| The loyal Cossacks are rushing
from the DON region toward Pskon
/ TO aid in the defense OF Petrograd-
| Partisan warfare on q serious
scsle has broken out 81 Minsk (40o
! miles southwest OF Petrograd).
Replying 20 Ensign hrylenko's
cusry a. TO Why the Germans ad-
vancsd IN the face Of Russta's &C
ceptance OF peace proposals, General
HOFFMAN, replied that Germany
would continue 70 advance On the
basis Of the German p-opossls-de-
fsnss OF Finland. Livouis. Esthonia
and UEatn-unul peace Is signed
The Russian delegation arrived at
B-.sE-L.tovsk yesterday 10 renew the
peace conference
Ho1nann's reply strengthens the
belief OF tbs BolsheTih that the
Germans do not Intend 10 capture
Pe--cSrad- Instead Il is believed they
intend 10 occupy a line from Norya
600 miles west Of Petrogred) 10
yftsbsa $3.50 miles south OF PetTo-
grad) under the prstense Of protect
ing small nations
Ready TO Take Petrosred.
by VIM. G. Shepherd, United Press
STAFF Correspondent
NEW YORK, Feb. 2s.-This Is the
time, selected long ago by the Ger
mans for the capture OF Petrograd-
All well informed military authori-
ties in Russia have known this for
many months. II is the consensus OF
expert military opinion
Even II there had been no peace
conferences at Brest-Litovsk, the
Germans necessarily would have had
to wait until this time TO make an
attempt upon the Russian capital,
because they could not do SO without
Jack Frost as their ally. There was
no means OF taking Dyinsk except by
utilizing the ice in the marshes.
AS for Petrograd, the frost OF the
Arctic winter has created a battle
field for the Germans which could
not exist in the summer. 1t is no
less than the frozen Neva and its
vast mouth that flows past Kron-
stadt to the Baltic. Fields of ice
cover the Neva every winter. One
Of the most popular and remunerative
trolley lines IN Petrograd Is that
which is laid-poles, wires, ties, steel
rails and all--on the Neva ice and
which carries traffic lengthwfse of
the city during six winter months.
| Hundreds of thousands Of acres Of
this ice field, strong enough to sup
port the heaviest artillery and trac-
tors, environ Petrograd. All danger
of the Neva mines IS removed.
i Instead Of approaching Petrograd IN