The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-03-28

troop trains, because the soldiers
would all get off and pile on to the
passenger train If this were done.
Trouble at Manehurian Border.
| Our express caught up to a troop
train twice, and the soldiers stopped
u.s. as they were short of engines. 1t
would never do for the bourgeoisie TO
go ahead of soldiers. they argued, and
so they would have to take our engine
and go ahead / didn't care anything
about that If they would only stay out
of our train so that We could remain.
There was food in the dining car and
We didn't care particularly about lit
tie lost time.
Such little difficulties aside, we
didn't encounter any trouble until we
got to the frontier at Manchuria
| There the customs men were very in
sistent, and said that they would have
to see what was in the boxes. | show
ed them my letter with the seals on it,,
which was written both in English and
in Russian and succeeded in b!ufring
them Off. One Of them stated that his
superior officer would demand from
him report, and / said | had embas-
sy documents and that if he would APP
| ply to the embassy in Petrograd very
likely they would tell him what the
documents were. Going across the rest
of the way to Vladivostok didn't
find any difficulty. Now that it is all
over, l don't see why worried about
| it.
My instructions were that when l
reached Vladivostok | would find ship
| ping directions. When / reached
Vladivostok l didn't find anything, but
l. deposited all the platinum in the
bank and then began to wonder what
I should do. Then, however, got a
telegram from Petrograd saying that
evidently the telegram to the New
York representatives hadn't been per-
mitted to pass the censor and that l
must repeat it. So, had to leave the
platinum in Vladivostok and go to
Japan to telegraph to New York for
instructions. 1t took II days to get
reply from New York to Yokohama.
This, Of course, was due only to war
conditions and because the cables
were overcrowded with work. How
ever. l finally got an answer, and my
they were all over.
Cause of Steamer Delay.
had figured it all out that could
go back to Vladivostok, get the plat
steamer, reaching Yokohama at a GER
tain date, and from there ship it by
express. I got it all fixed up and
started for Vladivostok. When l got
to Tsuruga, the Japanese steamer Of
the Russian volunteer fleet was one
day late in coming in. 1t seems that
it had had a characteristic occurrence.
One of the firemen had insulted a pas
senger on the steamer and the third
officer, hearing it, had reprimanded
him, a thing which in these days of
freedom is forbidden. The fireman
promptly informed the officer of his
opinion Of him, and then it reached
the captain and ended in more or less
of row. When the captain got back
to Vladivostok he refused to take his
steamer out unless this fireman was
discharged. Well, the fireman put the
case up to the workmens council ant
after debating the matter, the steamer
meanwhile lying at the dock, the
workmens council decided that
the fireman was to blame, ant
that he shouldn't have insulted the
passenger, but that the officers Were
also to blame. in that they shouldn't
have called this fellow down. Then
in order that there shouldn't be such
an occurrence again, the council de-
cided that it would appoint a commit
tee to sail on the ship in order to keel
the peace between the captain and the
crew. Well, of course, the captain
naturally said that he was either run.
ming the ship or he wasn't running thu
ship, and he wouldn't put to sea il
that way All this had delayed thu
boat, and when finally we got to Vlad
ivostok we were about a day and {
half late.
More Delays.
Well, l had three days to spare, ant
I thought things were still all right
The boat should have sailed again OF
Saturday night, but owing to the de
lay had not had time to load befor'
Sunday noon, and therefore we mad'
arrangements with the bank to ge
the platinum out on Sunday, which re
quired the presence Of the bank EN-
ployes on a holiday. In these days o
freedom they don't like to work. The.
never did, but they like it less now
They finally agreed to be on hand AM
we got the platinum down to the boat
which was to sail at 500 o'clock. TIL
whistle was blown once and so l fel
that it was now all right, and l coul
J say goodbye to Russia. I waited, an
, when the second whistle didn't come
I began to get uneasy because ha
! the platinum in my stateroom wit
, me; and when more time passed an
, still the steamer didn't leave, l mad