Evening journal., 1918-08-29
RY RURTON KNISELY
(StaR Correspondent. Newspaper En-
tprprise Association

]
terprise Association.)
HARDIN. Manchuria, Aug. 29-"Go to
Siberial Write full particulars OF sit
uation therew
/ In Mukden, Manchuria, ! got that
cable from my home Office in the Unit
ed States. / had been on my way to
Peking. But-people ordered to Siberia
always go. I wenti Out OF content
ment into chaos.
All day I Travelled nOrthward over the
fertile Manchurlan plain in one OF the
worlds finest trains, the South Man
churian express, pride OF Japan's col
Onial railway management Under the
bright sun the Chinese farmers worked
six, eight, ten to field. How peace
ful that pastoral scene wasl
An American Outpost in Siberia.
BY evening confusion and haze be-
gan. At Chang-Chun. half way TO 'Har-
bin, the rain was a flood. Through it
grasped at a straw, a man in khaki
outpost OF America, lieutenant in the
American railway engineers corps serv-
ing In Russia.
At midnight I was on Russian soil"
"a Russian railway coach under Rus
scian sovereignty. The lieutenant had
fought a way for us through the noisy
twisting mass OF Chinese, Russians and
Japanese jamming the dimly-it Chang
Chun station platform. In the coach
he had seized a compartment for US
fought for &C.
10 was almost pitch dark inside the
coach. We couldn't see the lieutenant's
face as we bade him goodbye. A tai
low candle, high in a lantern frame, cast
Just enough light 10 reveal two bare
hunks. No pillows No bedding Plenty
OF dirt
Japanese Order Ends; Russian Anarchy
Begins
We locked the door. folded our wet
raincoats into pillows, wrapped in
blankets the lieutenant had given us,
and lay down. Japanese and Korean
trains had never been even a minute
late This train, made up here. was
starting more than an hour behind
time.
japanese order had ended Here be-
gan the Russian-run Chinese Eastern
Railroad. link in the trans-Siberlan. The
coach was Russia, and Russia was an
archy.
Pounding at the door awakened us
three times. Twice It was passpc't
examination. Heavily-bearded Russian
officials scowled over our papers. Some
thing was wrong. They spoke no Eng
lish, no Russian. We would be ar
rested? Or just thrown Off? They
handed back the passport. Safe again !
Then other passengers tried to force
their way into the compartment. We
pushed them out by force, locked the
door against them. and kept it locked,
no matter W no pounded.
Chinese Work Between Firing Line.
BY dawn the train had crossed the
Sungari River and was stopping ten
minutes to half an hour at every way
side station.
At each stop most OF the passengers
got out and walked up and down in
groups, talking, like conspirators.
Fine forests bordered wide valleys,
wet but now sparkling in the sun,
where big herds Of cattle grazed. The
Chinese farmers were still busy. have
since seen them work between the
rifles Of opposing forces. But q strip
each side Of the track was Russia. which
Is not working, and hours late we
dropped down on Harbin-Russian city
in the heart OF the Chinese province of
Manchuria, then the only quiet spot in
Russia or Siberia then The only haven
from Soviet rule and therefore crowded
with refugees.
Now Harbin Is more than a "safe |
port" in the storm Of revolution. 10 Is |
a military base, today. Here inter
vening troops Of the Allies are starr |
ing their operations against Bolsheviki /
and armed German prisoners. Most OF |
the trains just now, from Chang-Chun |
to Hardin, are troop trains, carrying |
Chinese or Japanese troops the first
stage OF their journey to aid the Czech |
Slavs wipe out Germanism in Siberia. |
Harbin the Fighting Center.
In Harbin today diplomats agree on |
and military staffs plan army campaigns /
in Siberia. Orders for military stores /
are being sent, and arrangements made |
to receive and forward them. Here |
General Horvath, governor Of these Rus
sian acres through his position as head |
of the Chinese Eastern Railway, pro-
claimed himself provisional ruler Of
Siberia. and from here he sent his army
to Grodekovo, on the Manchurian-Sibe-
rian border, half way TO Vladivostok,
to link up with the Czech army which /
captured Nikolsk after taking over
u has been hard to keep track Of
the different siberian governments" /
have seen arise in the last few weeks.