New-York tribune., 1918-09-17
Czechs Warn Allies
Army Must Be SEM
To Fight Germans
General Gaida Says Quick
Arrival of Troops Is
Essential to Success
tBu The Associated Pyessl

OLOVANNAYA, Transbaikalia, Sept.
(delayed) ).-The Siberian government
at Omsk, a fortified town of Asiatic
Russia, has declared war on Germany
and has ordered the mobilization of the
1918 and 1919 classes.
General Horvath who recently forme d
a Provisional Cabinet of Siberia. has
arrived here from Vladvo stok to attend
a conference of the Entente Allied
leaders. General Gaida said that Gen
eral Horvath was summoned for the
SPECIAL purpose of explaining conditions
IN the ChlneSe eastern railway area.
Other leaders who came to attend the
conference are General Semenoff. COM
mandlng the Cossacks; General Diete-
rlcJs. General Full, commander of the
Japanese forces in Manchura, and the
brltlsh. French and japanese attaches.
General Galda gave banquet in honor
Oh the Entente commanders and made a
speech of welcome.
General Gaioa, who received the
representatives of The Associated
Press at the field headquarters
was made general on September / bv
the Czecho- -Slovak National Council Of
RUSSIA, which body is now at Ekater-
!nDurg. The General Staff is composed
Jointly of Czecho-Slovaks and Russians.
All the officers are visibly full Of ad.
mlratlon for their chief The com
mander is a strict disciplinarian. and
tis flrst demand of officers, many of
Whom are offering their services. ia
to abandon politics and to devote their
energies to defeat their Austro- German
enemies.
Details of the manner in which the
Czecho- -Slovak forces fought their way
'hrough Siberia were obtained to-day
at the field headouarters The Czecho-
Slovaks seized Novo Nicolaievsk on
May 70, but 1T was only on June II that
lrkutsk was reached.
There was severe fighting all tho
way, and the Czecho- -Slovaks were
forced to leave the railway continually
IN order to strike at the enemy from
tne rear. This strategy was succe ssful
IN every instance and caused the enemy
heavy losses.
Thirty-nne tunnels on the Trans
Siberian Railroad had been mined. but
the Bolshcvik forces were taken bv
surprise and only one tunnel was sue
cessfully blown up While clearing
away the debris the Czecho- -Slovak ar
tlilefy had TO be hauled by man-power
over steep ridges. The troops like
" ioS "eiIl over tneSe preClplCeS under
the greatest hardships because of lack
of provisions
In the meantime Czecho- -Slovaks had
selzed Listvinichskaya, near Irkutsk.
on the west bank of the Lake Baikal
where they found two small damaged
steamers. These vessels were hastily
repaired and after two guns were
mounted and several machine guns set
up on the ships, they steamed to the
eastward towing barges filled with
soldiers.
BY ruse the Czecho- Slovaks man.
aged to land near Misovoya. though
larger vessels, including the Yerman
and the Baikal, came out to give battle
SHOTS from the Czecho-S -Slovak guns
shattered the gasolene tanks and set
nre TO the enemy steamers. The Boil
shev'k sailors became panic-stricken
and permitted the Czecho- Slovaks to
land and attack them from the rear.
Colonel CushakoF. chief of General
Ialdas staff was killed, and his BODY
later was found horribly mut;lated
IN the battle of Misovoya the Rol-
shevik forces lost forty complete trains
out of sixty. Of their forces. estimated