Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-07
MISSION saw A
DANGER OF The
TR||P.TO ! ODESSA
Old Fashioned Engine and
Engineer Added to
Dangers.
CLOSE CALL WHEN
TRAIN IS ABANDONED
Shells from Teuton Guns
Strike Within Half Mile
Of Train.

SeA A3AS W AS4AAA 1919 ASAAA~
Of Train.
London, May Tin its flight from
Jassy. the Rumanian capital the
American Red Cross mission to Ru-
mania, which now has arrived in Lon
don, escaped from Odessa SO hours
before the Germans entered 1t only to
be fired upon by a German battery in
the Ukraine 200 miles north Of the
famous Black sea port.
The German shells did no damage
to the Red Cross train, falling about
a half mile from 1t. The bombardment
lasted five minutes.
When the mission left Jassy, 1t was
known that the journey likely would
be dangerous. Reports in Jassy as to
the whereabouts Of the Germans va
ried greatly, but it was fairly clear
that they were within fifty or sixty
miles Of Odessa and that advance par
ties might be encountered along the
line.
The American Red Cross mission
left on the third Of six trains which
carried the allied missions from Jassy.
The first train left at noon March 8
and the other trains followed at in
tertals5 OF two or three hours.
'egS Provisions for Month. ss4s
Each train was provtSioned with
food for a month. There were no din
ing cars and the food was cooked in
two military food kitchens carried on
4 freight car on the end of the train:
Three other freight cars loaded with
rails, ties and railway iron also were
carried - that the road could be re-
ifssnsSsan hsss With II ia srn. = .up A tIe line.
The train on which the Americans
Travelled wan ono spk thu most saxtra.
ordinary combinA zion OF railway roll
ing stock ever sSen. American doctors
and officers had q third class sleeping
car, white tho nurses had second
class sleeper. Both cars were Of an
eient Russian vintage and without
Rater supply or heating facilities.
y +, The French officers had sleeping
cars, some. Russian and some Ru-
mAnian, but the; privates were COM
pelled to use ordinary freight. cars Of
nondescript~- types and two or three
passenger cars. 5w
The engine dated back to 1876 and
burned wood which was picked up
along the way. The engineer matched
the engine. He was an elderly 'Sussian
Of Bolshevik opinion. and hal to be
fed with rubles and cognac almost as
frequently as the engine required
wood. He carried his family with him
in a box car next to the engine and
whenever meals or other domestic af-
fairs required his attention he stopped
the train and went home" to his box
car. a.
Engineer Strikes.
Just outside Odessa the engineer
: became dissatisfied with the flow Of
rubles and cognac and went on a
strike. The French officers tried to
reason with him but he was obdurate
and departed with the engine and box
car, leaving the. remainder Of the
train standing on the main line. He
had chosen rather a critical time for
reports were current that the German.
were likely. to reach the railway a,
any moment. After some delay the
French succeeded in finding another
engineer and engine and the train
German battalions entered Odessa
only SO hours after the American,
passed through; the city and it i.
probably that some Of their advance
parties already were in the suburbs al
the time the engineer went on strike
change Of heart soon after he left the
train, for the next day when the train
was q. hundred miles or 10 beyond
Odessa, he, with his engine and
home" caught up with the train. HI
begged the French officers to take
him back on their own, terms The
French declined TO- reinstAte the old
engineer and the last seem Of him. hi
was taking his engine and box ca,
backward on the return trip to south
Russia sE,.4:;''. s.4::;',' ,yi i
); Train Almost, Hit. Il :.
on the second day when the train
bearing the Americans was about 20(
miles north Of Odessa. one Of the doc.
tors eaw O. nash Of fire away on or
the horfEop. 1T was followed. quickl,
by loud sexplosion and . great gey.
ser Of earth and rocks q 9, shell burs
In a ;neld about half hSmile from thu
: moving train: The hrst shell was fol
lowed by many others.
Nobody knew what was going on
but the general opinion was that the
train had come within, sight OF q dis.
5tant German observStion post which
.was trying TO direct the nre Of its bat
.teries on the railway track. Militar,
!; men on board declared the she'll
appeared to fall IN Q regular Hire, n
if the gdnners had the, railroad care
fully registered.s But tho range was 1
little too great. for the German guns
however. and all the shells fell short
several OF the cooler headed Ameri
cans were. inclined to laNgh ut thi
whole a1faira In the belief that tn,
ring probably .wes the.saccompani
mont to q battle between the Germani
away.4 At any rate. the engineer anis
Arsrnsn pushed their losomotiyes j.
IN utmost efforts. u III h 81 ~
AZ Kursk the Americans were crest
"a enthusiastically ~ several thou
81 eand Bohemian troops who ortginall,