The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-30
By Assocmred PrSes

Irkutsk, January 20.-Oelayed.) d.)-Ir- kutsk is of considerable military and political interest because it has def
 initely marked the westerly limit of the Japanese occupation of the great Trans
 siberian railroad, the westerly limit of the zone of influence of General Semenoff, the Cossack leader. and the beginning of the sphere of territory clearly dominated by the all-Russian government at Omsk headed by Admiral Kolchak.
 For the newcomer, unusued to the severity of Siberian winters, IrkutsK possessed much of the dramatic and un- expected. The city is separated from the railroad station by the turbulent Angara river and when we arrived the pontoon bridge across the river had been destroyed by floating ice. The river steamer. used to transport passengers when the bridge was down,
 was immobilized by heavy fog that hung over the Angara.
 To cross the river to the American consulate and telegraph office, the trav- elers were compelled to depend upon ! score of hardy rivermen in stout1y- built roWboats. On the short stood thousands of people waiting and clam bring to get across the river. Hun
  down to the rivers edge waiting for passengers from the other side of the stream. As the fog shifted slightly one caught glimpses of floating and swirlng miniature icebergs out in the river.
 The cold was terrible. Almost it froze the very breath as it panted from | the mouths of the waiting, shiver1ng l travellers. The polar aspect of the scene, the crowd of ice-covered people, | the shouting and cursing boatmen, the , excited drosky drivers clamoring for ! fares, the general wildness of every i thing made it all a picture not soon | to be forgotten. AS the rowboats strug- I gled in the floes one of the Americans | exclaimed: "It reminds one of the picture of Washington crossing the Del 1 aware." AtHIN Thirty persons had perished that day 1 in attempting to cross the river in | small boats. Nevertheless, the Ameri- ! cans embarked in one of the boats and after struggle for life in the ice floes. ! crossed in safety. Fortunately. the fog 1 lifted in the early afternoon and the
 big river steamer was able to make the 1 return.
 1 Irkutsll is an impressive looking scity in the heart of winter, with its fine 1 looking buildings and it's many green l domed churches The American consult | ate is located in a spacious, well 1ur- 1 nished apartment which was the scene
 of exciting events during the stirring
 incidents of the year 1917, when bat
 ties occurred in the streets between the | bolsheviki and the Czecho -Slovaks. who
 were fighting with the Siberian army. l The bolsheviki rushed into the house, which was then occupied by Russian
 middle class family, hacked the furnl-
 ture to pieces with their bayonets'
 dragged the woman of the house to the
 streets by her hair and shot over the 1 head of her husband in an effort to l force him to hand over his money and
 valuables The terrorists also menaced | the parents with the death of their chill
 dren. Later the consulate authorities l took over the house and the family was
 glad to have the protection which the presence of the American consulate at- l forded.
 In December, 1917. some 5000 casual .
 ties occurred in xhe street fighting in l Irkutsk and today one may see the
 houses, riddled with shot and shell.