The sun., 1919-04-01
PETROGRAD SLOWLY
STARVES TO DEATH
Former Wealthy Residents
Sell Household Goods to
Buy Food.
CROWD PUBLIC KITCHEN
Populace Grows Emaciated-
Women and Children the
Worst Sufferers.
Special csSh DsspstcA 10 Tsr son from rae
Y>a1xs Ff-.. G>~.f..

Special cabIs DespstoA TO Tsn suS from fhs
London Ttmss Service.
COPYRIGHT. 1915, ell eiohs rsssrved.
HsLstsoroRs, March sl.--Alas. Petro-
grad 10 no moro. It 10 slowly dying.
On Friday. February II. a. went
across the city from station to station
on cart with my things was horrihed
to see the smaciated faces Of the inhabi-
tanta They could scarcely drag their
legs along, or they stood for hours wait
ing to get on q tram. To ride on a
tram, II 10 true. costs ruble tnormally
50 cents) q Journey now. Still this Ii
not 80 rubles. the price Of a cab. and
so the unhappy inhabitant patiently
walt. for the order to scramble on board
somehow.
But woe to those whose work fin,shes
late. The trans run only until 6 o'clock
in the evening. and do not run at all on
Sundaye One day as was walking
along the zaeorodni Prospekt saw a
young woman standing with her eyes
closed, pressed against a wall and hold
ing fast to a waterpipe. I ran to her
and discovered she had been at work
sinoe 8 O'Clock In the morning In another
part Of the town. and had had nothing
to eat She had missed the last tram
and was so weak she could walk no
further. but she still had long distance
to go. How many such dramas are
happening every day everywhere in the
streets and houses
Happening to walk into the Nevsky
Prospekt was horrined at the sight OF
ar, old woman. She proved to be the
widow Of a Russian General. She was
mechanically holding out her hands, re-
peatins: "Give me a piece Of bread"
You may think should have Jumped
UP and given her something to eat. but
also that was out OF the question.
Nothing can be bought anywhere, es-
pecially by me, a visitor. Once a porter
in q public kitchen took pity on me and
lent me his food card, so I got into the
dining room. For az rubles had
a muddy broth with ientils for a soup.
As q second dish I had ealted her
rings with beet root. Opposite me sat
an emactated man with q gaunt face,
who literally watched every morsel
ate. When ! pushed away my soup
unfinished he asked me in perfect French
to allow him to finish It. You will
realise from this Of course that I pushed
across to him the herrings with bee,
root. Also, II appears, large number
Of people sit at the public kitchen In
the hope OF finishing other peoples leav'
ings.
Duke Calls Himself = Vendor.
How does poor Intelligentsia live
these days? What does It do? The
answer is simple. It sells out. When
the late Grand Duke Paul Alexandra
witch was examined he was asked on
what means he was living. He replied
ION proceeds from the selling of vdu'
ables." When a form was given him to
fill he wrote down in the space for his
occupation: 'vender OF antiquities."
Now you find the most select society
at the markets. They are selling clothes
linen and all sorts Of things. Then they
rush off to buy something to eat. Often
I heard children say: Mamma. what
shall we have to eat Tomorrow" %
We'll. dears, I'll sell this tablecloth ir
the market and buy you something
Such dialogues are heard everywhere
All my furniture, carpets and my mir
rors. all have been bought by peasant.
who are fitting up their huts sumptu.
ously. went 20 a village two mile.
away for a bottle Of milk 1t cost Il
rubles, and found IN the cowshcd where
bought II my beloved mahogany dress
ing table. for which new owners had moi
been able to find room in their hut.