Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-02-05
BRITISH Il TROOPS
Sent TOFlCHT
BOISHEWSTS
Trey Are Travelling in Rude
Box Cars Across the
Barren Lands.

I'm Route TO Omsk, Siberia, Dec. 10.
|-(Correspondence OF the Associated,
Press. )-People have talked lightly Of
sending an army Of half q million
men or 70 western Siberia to
battle with Bolshevism or for any
reason connected with this stu
pendous Russian problem. The jap
anese learned by bitter experience in
the wal with Russia of the difficulties
OF a Siberian campaign and would
ponder long before dispatching q
mighty army to the far Ural moun-
tains. The correspondent Of the As
ISOLATED, Press, a a passenger on 4,
special British. military train bound
fof omsk, the seat Of the all-Russian.
government, Is having a~close oppor-
tunitv to study thu @tficulties OF
transporting q great army.
We have on board a company OF
splendid British troops recently ar
rived o India-men Of the famous
Hampshire regiment-the. territorials
or militia Of England who ohe ed to
and who served there for two years.
Now the fortunes of war find them
riding across the barren lands Of
Manchuria on their way to the heart
offthe Siberian steppes where the
tempe .ature is forty degrees below
Zero Anxious as they are to return
to their homes, in England, they full.
fill this new task gladly and light
heartedly. They are travelling in plain,
rude boxcars, grouped about stoves
with all the discomforts that a jo4r-
ney OF two or three weeks and per-
haps more involves.
For the officers commanding the
contingent thee is a third class Rus
a1ar ayo0rfr0 Aa~ xv{kh h..
shelves to hold their sleeping bags
and blankets. In another British
military train which preceded us there
Is no sleeping a and the officers are
camping with their. men in.x the boz
cars. WeSare fortunate I'M one re-
spect , Lack Of Russian equipment
and facilities, for cooking obiige the
officers to eat the same rations as the
men which, If plain, is wholesome
and n%ourishing.
Lack of railroad cars is the most
striking feature Of life in Siberia to-
day. There is deplorable disorgani<
zation. There is urgent need Of cen.
tral management and people who
have the welfare Of Siberia at heart
earnestly hope that John r. Stevens.
the American railroad expert, who Is
now here Evil be given a chance to
bring order. from chaos 10
It. wassa a. pictuEesques, spectacle az.
the train stoppedsat stations on the;
way from v~ladivostok to Hardin. Tall
Russians, Chinese and Koreans In;
bulky. tattered, filthy garments
swarmed around the train Offering
doubtful-looking eatables for sale.
Hungry, long-haired dogs, wolish in
appearance. prowled about the cars,
swapping and growing. gulping down
anything that will stay death. In q
band in a lonely area they would be
formidable to any man The weather
was keen and cold. the wind biting.
Long delays occurred at almost every
station. Many freight cars were seen
but few in movement. Disorsaniza-s,
ton reigned master. g.
The two lessons taught early in the.
Journey were. first, the great material
obstacles to be encountered IN sending
a big army into Siberia and the Inn
perative need Of central management.
Of the Siberian railroads. The COM
fort and perhaps the lives Of the
people Of Russia depend upon q
prompt central control of the rail-
roads. %.,l