The Washington herald., 1921-10-04
FAMINE SPREADS
OVER RUSSIA AS
DEATH RATECROW
Victims Helpless Against
Cholera for Want of
Food and Medicine.
Especial Cable TO The Warrington Herald
and Chicago Tribune.)
ny LARRY RUE.

BY LARRY HUE.
MOSCOW. Oct. s.-The Russian
famine is spreading south into the
Caucasus and injecting isolated
spots in Turkestan.
After fighting with frantic refu-
gees for seats in third-class rail-
way cars or for a place on steamers
loaded to the sinking point.
reached Moscow three weeks after
leaving Baku on a steamer for As
trakhan. At the very beginning Of
my "Trip encountered several thou
sand German colonists who. once
the most prosperous farmers in Rus
sia. had reached Baku where they
were listlessiy lying in churchyards
and filthy compounds, too weak to
moan, dying from hunger, cholera
and other diseases at the rate Of .
per cent weekly.
Await Death on Docks.
This spectacle OF living skeletons
packed together SO closely they
were almost piled on one another of
humans wrapped In dirty gunny-
sacks. of scrawny hands reaching
for bread. of naked babies, and OF
men and women walking about in a
dsze. with such variations as the
srisly comedy of cootie hunting.
began at Baku and grew more and
more. horrible as proceeded from
Astrakhan up the Volga to Samara.
the center of the famine area.
Although Astrakhan and the ter
ritory upstream for 100 miles Is not
in the original famine area. emf :
grants. by the tens of thousands
L.. - N.Vfs
on the docks there grimly awaiting
death. The government is not able
to help them and they have moved
outside Of the areas where foreign
relief has been instituted. SO COM
pact are the concentrations of hu-
man misery that the passengers
have to step Gingerly in making
their way to the boats. to keep from
tramping On the bodies, which are
| all but carcasses.
Persia Extends Relief.
While places like Astrakhan
might be able TO survive the win
ter without outside help. the
entrance Of refugees Is extending
the famine area as far south as the
Caspian. while isolated groups,
wasting away from hunger, lie near
the transportation centers OF Tur-
kestan.
The only help 40 far reported as
being extended 10 these people 4,
that given by PerSs which is giv-
ing homes to 1000 German colo
nists at Baku and is sending 10000
pounds OF grain to Turkestan. The
Turkestan crops were good. but the
refugees, who sold all their per-
sonal effects and even much of their
clothing are not able to buy any.
thing.
Estimates as to the number need.
ing aid are most uncertain. The
original population of the famine
area from kazan to Astrakhan wa,
10000. 900. At least so per cent oi
this number are suffering from laci
OF food and half of the others will
need help before the winter is over
Twenty-Five Million suffer.
American Investigators have placed
the total number of famine sufferer.
: at as high as $4,000, 900, which mum
! Der is believed to be approximate!
. correct.
Three kinds OF relief are neces
; sary-food. medicine and clothe.
, Hospital reports from Astrakhar
northward indicate the lack o
medicines. such as quinine. aspirin
, and castor oil, has resulted in a!
many deaths as the famine ha
caused. The Astrakhan medica
chief has 500 grams OF quinine TO
100000 people. In the hospital
as in all the others, there were NJ
other mediclneA' antiseptics. anaes
thetics or 'bandages.
l visited several hospitals, wher
learned the mortality rate anon.
typhoid, cholera and other patient
was more than so per cent, owing t,
4 the lack Of resistance on the par
r of the sick. Oriental malaria 1
:. carrying of victims in eight hours
/, As the cold weather comes on
will be replaced by typhus an,
pneumonia.
Copyright, 1871