South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-05-18
YOUNG RUSSIAN
NAVAL OFFICER
SAVED HIS CREW
His Courage Made Possible
Allied Expedition Up Dvina
River From ArchangeI.

ARCHANGEL. March 2S-CCor-
respondence. 1T was largely due 10
the '.blun-' Of "a young Russian ma
val officer. in cbmmand Of one Of the
little allied steamers on the Dvina
river. that the original allied expe-
diuon up that river from Archangel
was not wiped cut by the bolshevik
in the early phases Of the northern
Russia campaign.
The Dvina expedition. 1873 strong
went poking its way nonchalantly up
the broad river aboard two or three
funny looking river steamers. or
which field pieces and machine
guns had been mounted. The boil
sheviki had taken the best boats
Mississippi type OF paddlewheelers.
with them IN their flight
The famous 1873" reached Der
esniki. nearly 200 miles south OF
Archangel az the junction of the
Naga river with the Dvina. without
firing shot. one night. all of
-udden. three Of four bolshevik side
wheelers mounting big guns came
around bend in the river and
started trouble. When we fired our
cannon 1t fell through the thin
decks into the stateroom OF our
steamer.
Bluff HaIts Action
young Russian naval officer in
command o. one Of our little ships
with his own gun out Of action. stood
pat. with the useless muzzle turned
toward the biggest of the enemy
ships, and barred the channel while
our other ships reiterated.
Then our river expedition got the
glad news that "a British monitor
sent an the way from the Belgian
coast. was on the way 20 help them
The monitor crawled along the
sandbars and got 10 Beresniki The
colonel i'm command OF the river land
forces told me about IT, a few weeks
later. when 7 went up 20 HIS sector
of the front. 1t was something OF
tragedy this first episode of the mon
itor. but the colonel couldn't help
laughing about 3d.
THE monitor steamed up" the
colonel said land its captain was
rowed over 90 my headquarters ship
The navy was on the job and $50.
naturally. all was over. lie didn't
want to stop "a minute
Where he shouted. els tho enc
my fleet and which is the way to
Kotlass2'
Shell Hit Relief Boat
"a
OF in the direction OF the Bolshevik
ship around the bend In the river.
II didn't ind the enemy feet, and
IL certainly was "a long way from
Kotlass. when a Bolshevik land bat
terry. masked I'm the woods on the
river bank, dropped q big shell into
the monitor. putting 1t ont OF com
mission and sending IL back 10 Beres-
niki"
II was in this episode OF the mont
tor that a young British naval sur
econ performed one Of the feats 81
bravery and self-denial that are
continually taking place in this war
With one eye shot out and with
blood nearly binding the other. thi.
young surgeon calmly and success
fully attended 10 the monitor
wounded until he fell exhausted
on the river our forces had reach
ed Beresnild. on the railroad "a little
command OF French had Dattled its
way nearly one hundred miles 10
Oboserskaya. and. IN the swampy
tundra between tho railroad and the
river another party. including some
OF the American sailors. was lost in
the mud. when reinforcements. In the
shape Of three transports loaded with
American infantrymen and engineer
steamed into Archangel harb0r