New-York tribune., 1918-03-24
/ rans-siberiian
Railway Held
By Germans
Capture of lrkutsk by Wa1
Prisoners Gives Them
Control
By Adachi Kinnosuke

ny AQdCnl NlI1DOSukC
Control of the Transsibcrian Rail
way is in German hands. That is the
meaning Of the news that German war
prisoners in Siberia 10000 of them,
organized into two divisions of 10000
each--have captured the city Of Ir-
kutsk. The official report of this in
cident has reached the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs at Toxic, according to
cable report dated March %.
Irkutsk, capital of the province of
the same name, stands on the River
Angara. The province of Irkutsk con-
tains within it what is reputed to be
the richest gold field in all Siberia.
About seventy miles from the city
there is a coal mine at which large
number of the war prisoners of the
Central Powers were being employed.
According to The Associated Press
Pekng dispatch of February /, last,
the mine was wrecked by the radical
Reds and the damage caused thereby
was estimated at 100000 rubles.
This city, founded in 1861 by hand
full of adventurous Cossacks and which
holds to-day it's 10000 inhabitants
within few square miles Of it's
crowded area, stands in the heart of
Siberia 1t is 1900 miles from the
Trials and $40 miles west of Vladi-
vostok.
On Main Line of Siberian Railway.
The commerce of the East--of the
Pacific provinces, the valley of the Lena
and of Manchuria-must pass through
it. Also the commerce of the West
east bound to the Far East must pass
through it. 1t is directly on the main
line Of the Siberian Railway.
The Bolshevki, brigands, ex-con-
yicts, all made for the city as soon as
the Kerensky government at Petrograd
fell. Fire started in the city on De-
cember %, 1917. On the last day of
the year it was still burning, according
to the report published in the "Hochi"
CT Toxic. The streets were heaped
high with murdered men at that time,
according to the same report.
the Kaiser is about to set afame the
Imagination of the Moslem world
Mahometans number 6s,Ooo,oo0 in
India, 2O,Oo0,oOo in China and 2o,ooo,-
600 in Turkestan and the Steppes.
This occupation of Irkutsk by the
German army means that Germany has
practically written the preface to the
story of the German entrance into In
dia through her northern frontier.
Japan, or any other power, can not
dis lodge a Tcutonic army Of $4,000 men
at lrkutsk and rush on 800 miles to
the Urals in no time.
Corro.u OHscorc ood RiCforc
The Bolshevik rioters, looting Reds
and army brigands and outlaws in
Siberia all find the Teutonic occupation
exceedingly satisfactory to them-in-
deed, according to the recent cabled re-
rorts from Toxic, they seem to be serv-
ing actually under German officers and
Joining forces with the Teutonic forces
in Siberia.
Moreover. once the Teutonic war
prisoners take over the control of the
Siberian line west of 1rkutsk it is
utterly unreasonable to assume that
the force at Irkutsk will not be re-
enforced by at least 100000 additional
war prisoners of the Central Powers
who are known to be in the compara-
lively convenient neighborhood of Ir-
kutsk To dislodge the force of $780,
600 or 100000 Germans at Irkutsk
is piece of work that will call for
the mobilization of half a million men
of the japanese army-especially if the
Teutonic army is in position to get
additional armed assistance from Eu
rope to stop the onset of the japanese
along the railway line.
Even if Japan = the only power
which can do anything effective over
there-wcre to receive all the hearty
cooperation of the United States in
this vital enterprise, what about the
time that she will have to take in order
to make her power felt along the Sibe-
rian line clear to the Urals?
Germany Will Have Plenty of Time
Germany will be able to command
all the time needed for the ncfarious
work Of setting Asia on fire in bring
ing about the uprising of the Mahom-
ctan world and carry out the threat
of breaking up the British Empire by
forcing the northern frontier Of India
Japan has ordered her Ambassador
to Russia. Viscount Uchida, to fall back
as far as Harbin. And according to
the cablcd dispatch from Toxic to
Japanese paper in San Francisco, the
ambassador and his suite have, after
innumerable narrow escapes. succeed
ed in passing through the town of
Manchul on the Siberian border into
Manchuria a few days ago.
The reported occupation Of Irkutsk
by the German force explains this ac-
ton of Japan in ordering her ambas-
sador out Of European Russia out OF
even Siberia. Japan IS better Informed
about the Siberian conditions and stu
uations than almost any other power
interested and must have realized the
danger which was threatening her am
bassador.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, w. VA.
The f;recnbrcr. European plan. Wonderful
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