Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-12-05
death TRAIN" IS
kept MOVING
Shunted On From Station to Sta.
ton. Covering 1000 Miles
in Russia.
RESCUED BY U. S. REQ CROSS
Scatters Victims OF Disease Aiono
Railroad Line in Siberia--Amer.
leans Save the Survivors
at Razdolne.

Toxic For the second time word
comes oar of Siberia of death train"
traVersing the 1900 miles of railroad
between the Ural front and the Pa
cihc. shunted on from station 10 sta
tion, with help denied until word of
II reached the American Red Cross.
In the spring train loaded with ty-
phuS victims distributed its dead
across the land The latest death train
carried in addition to the typhus the
dreaded spotted fever and cholera.
Word Of the presence of this train
on the main line between lrkutsk and
NIadivostok reached American Red
Cross headquarters 10 the latter city
few weeks ago, and preparations
We're started Immediately 10 Succor
what survivors there might he OF the
callous cruelty these stricken soldiers
Of the Kolchak army had been sub
iected to. Major Riley Allen, eXecu-
! tive secretary Of the American Red
Cross in Siberia. who is only just re.
covered from an attack of typhus him.
self, organized hospital train TO meet
the death train, going out with it. DR..
Rakitin, of the staff of the American
Red Cross hospital at Russian Island,
who has also been laid low with ty.
plus, accompanied ior Allen, with
nurses and aids.
Doctor Dies on Train.
| The death train, they had last heard.
was at Nikosk on August -, where
the Russian authorities had simply
| passed il on, as all other Russian OF.
| ticiaiS had done at every station for
weeks. Just before the train reached
Nikolsk the doctor aboard 1t had died
Of cholera Seven Of the 15o sick who
had survived to reach Nikolsk died
| the next day Their bodies were
/ dumped ont Of The moving train by
wrecks of men who had not the
strength to dig graves. even If they
might lave had the inclination. AS
things We're going il was only mat.
Ter OF time unrl their own fostering
bodies. crawling with typhus lice and
foul with living for weeks in I'M
cleaned box cars, wou!d be rolled out
of the side door 10 become a center Of
/ infection for the COUNTRYSIDE.
The Red Cross train caught up to
the death train al RaZdolne, where 1t
/ lay on siding near n barracks in
which American troops We're quar-
/ tered These soldiers were doing what
/ little they dared for the pestl.dden
sufferers, having run so many risks in
/ fact. that they were all pat into quar-
anime when The medical authorities
/ discovered the facts. Until these
! American soldiers in It more or less
rough and ignorant way offered some
lrlp. the patients in the death train
! had received nothing from the troops
| they had met except alarmed orders
| from commanders 10 be on their way.
Railroad Officials Bslk
Before reaching the death train the
Red Cross officials had made arrange
mentS to bring the typius and cholera
, patients to the Russian hospital at
NikoNk, which had been fitted up by
the lnter-Alled sanitary committee,
and permission had been obtained
from Colonel Lewis, o1 the American
army. 10 use the inter-aIied wards OF
| this institution. But the Russian rail-
| road authorities Al NlknSk proved to
be like the hundreds of others along
the line and refused TO permit the I
| Heath tra,u 10 be brought there and |
/ the Russian military command refused |
to permit he patients TO be brought |
into the town under any circum' |
stances Neither would the Russian |
military authorities at Razdone per 4
mis- the sick 10 be removed from their !
filthy box cars Ia any building IN the |
Gown. Finally, after long parIeying |
! with NladlN"Stok, permission was !
! given 10 house the sick at Nikolsk on |
! condition that they be cleansed first |
! and brought there in sterilI2ed and |
sanitary clothing
! The Red cross report showed that y,
there had been fifty deaths aboard the |
tram between the time II had left |
/ PERM and the time the rescuers |
reached it at Ra2GoIne
Being refused help in all directions, !
the Red Cross workers did the only |
thing possible They ran the death /
train out on tie prairie aud extern
ported a field hospital. one by ono
the living skeletons were taken from !
their tram their clothing stripped on
aud burned and the men given II
securing bath and then placed aboard
! the Red Cross train.
fTha .ffn,t al tho plpuu clothes the