The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1919-05-09
INTERESTING LETTER \
FROM SIBERIA

lIOW UIOI1uN
The following very interesting
letter written in Siberia by Lieut.
enant E.. A. Blenkner probably gives
more information in regard to what
the American ExpeditiOnary Forces
are doing in the far east than any
other epistle received here during
the war. Ned has a. very interest
ing way OF tell,ng things, and The
Tribune is sure that all its readers
will greatly enjoy reading what he
has to say. The letter was written
to his brother, r. T. Blenkner, of
this city. ->a2i&.'. T. z.
.@-E ....: April /, 1919.
Dear Folks: ~ = r..
Right here is where your ideas
of Siberia become changed to such
an extent that you will be aston
ished.5 To begin with the company
has been outside four hours today
but the only thing that prevents our
being outside the whole day is the
fact that there snow on the ground
which makes drill impossible but it
is melting rapidly and the next two
weeks should see the end of it..
The frost, however, is about eight
feet deep so we will undoubtedly
have }lots of sloppy weather but we
are provided with hip boots SO we
don't worry on that score. You
won't believe it but my face is act
ually sunburned. - t
I; am assigned to Co.. *" 9th
Inf. which Is all the address neces-
sary besides A.. E. F.. Siberia. At
present we are stationed at Khah-
aroysk (Ha-bar-sk) on the junction
Df the Amur and Usurus Rivers
just about 500 miles north Of Vlad
ivostok or 500 verse, which is the
Russian mile and contains about
5000 feet. ~ -.
The barracks here exceed any
thing you can imagine. They were
built for the Imperial troops by the
czar and he sure did a swell job OF
1T. They are mammoth two story
brick buildings and accommodate
two companies $500 men) without
any signs of crowding. The walls
are Sc inches, thick and have great
large double windows on hinges
with q. 16 inch dead air space. That
makes them very much like vac
uum bottle. The ceilings are 16 to
lS feet high and the floors are of
cement. On the whole I think
they are ideal buildings. @
The officers quarters are very ar
.tfst1c and built on the same style,
There is building 60 by 80 for
each eight officers. We have our
strikers In the same buildings as
we'll AZ the mess. They are cleo
trically lighted. The only objec-
tion to them is that there are no
bath rooms or toilets. For our:
closets we use an oil can. The
building is full OF great large In
closed tireplaces and is certainly
warm. They are as fine quarters as
anyone would wish. There are two
1st lieutenants from my company
with me and we have suite Of six
rooms including the toilet. The
rooms are very poorly arranged and
it seems to me lot OF floor space
has been practically wasted. There
il very little furniture here tho and
this table is pretty shaky.
- The. U. s. troops here have been
exceedingly well clothed during the
sued fne sheeplined coats and musk
rat caps and mitts. WAL.
i There are only seven companies
of the regiment here. The rest OF
them are up at Schoo Schin mines
and one company Is stationed at a
prison camp about Is verse from
here.
II It weren't for the fact that the
harbor OF Vladivostok is frozen for;
q great part of the year 1t would be
the most wonderful harbor In the
world. The Logan was docked
right up against the railroad tracks
and German prisoners discharged
her cargo. We arrived about noon
Feb, 9th and entrained for the
Khabaroysk at 1880 the next p. m.
You ought to see the trains here II
you some times think we have rot
ton Accommodations in. the States.
The box ears. are about one-third
the size Of ours and only have four
wheels. Our mess was In one Of
them and our complete illuminating
apparatus consisted OF tWOs candles
TO see anyone handle the knife and
fork would make you think he had
the palsy was afraid Of poking
my eye out. We could only I'LL
our cups about one-third fnll Of
coffee and even at that It splashed
all over n .8Sss i.s5 s5's n II.
We arrived here abot5 8 80 . y M.
sunday. BY the time we got 4 as-l
staned and our baggage straigh ghten-s;:
Ga out It. was evening.
sunday evening We vent 5 d own VA
town and we found a place where
the t.natives" were staging some
I sortt ,,of q charity baa and musicale
ana and you've got to hand slt tos
fhese birds when; it comes TO music
and singing and they're not so3sslow t'3l'lf',
- the dance proposition s| IT / :sss
1T cost us nine rubles to get
seat. Il L" = Rubles' are nor. nor /
NAL worth about 54s cents but.yoa .s.o Y
l,an ret from ~ to- 16 IL for. $4soO 81! ~
nov. There isS no coin. n y circnia; g:
tions here only paper and that ~ l'ot ~
every tescript lon, m ostly Bolsne1iI
yiki but good here In KhabarovssVk.l 81
There isS also some of the old In
perial rubless and some Kerens'ky
Il, Az 81 III 10 n 5a{s kOp0kS to