The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-11-08
'SOV|ETS SEEK ID
 KEEP PORT OPEN
An American Correspondent Visits Cronstadt for First
 Time in Eight Months
Rr Assncinted Press


 Cronstadt Russia, November 7.- Today for the first time since the revolt of last March for nine days imperiled the soviet power. an Amer ican correspondent was permitted to visit Russia's Baltic fleet base and the island fortress, which form Rus sla's chief defense.
 Only one small boat plies daily the 20 miles between Petrograd and Kronstadt and passengers must have permits from Col. B. Poustam Eek, formerly of the old Russian army but more recently with the commission of Ludwig c. A. k. Martens in New York. Colonel Eek accompanied the correspondent on the trip, which starts from the main channel of the Neva and leads along the deserted docks, which are lined with warships, the guns of which are covered by wooden shacks, and rusting, mer- chant vessels. Only few tugs tow ing wood barges and tiny harbor craft, one of which bore the name "Clara Zetkin,' the communist agita- tor, were moving.
 Smoke was coming out of the stack of the gigantic icebreaker velkoff, with which the soviet authorities have promised the American reliet administration to keep Petrograd har- bor open until December 20, or pos sibly all during the winter. The ice- breaker IS great mass of steel girders. resembling the superstruc- ture of railway bridge, which rises amove sharp steel runners, like those of sledge, which are capable of cutting or crushing by sheer weight ice more than foot thick.
 When Neva widens into NeVa bay the American relief administration warehouse Is visible for several miles to the southward. Here a half dozen small Russian, Swedish and German steamers today were unloading grain, flour and farm machinery.
 1t was Cronstadt where the first Russian republic was created. Sailor mutineers established their own government in Cronstadt. It never acknowledged that Alexander Ker- enslSy had any authority over it and consequently 1t became the nucleus about which the soviet power grew and the instruction last March came dangerously near upsetting the bol- shevik regime in which sailors played such a prominent part.
 The correspondent or the Assocl- ated Press today was shown over tho city of Cronstadt by a crowd Of communistic sailors who participated in the red army defeat. They pointed with pride to the undamaged churches as proof of the accuracy of their bolsheviki gunners of the land forts who shelled the mutinous batteries all about the main island. These sailors said the British sea- planes which shelled Cronstadt when the British navy assisted General Yudenitcb in his movement against Pertograd did more damage to the city than was done in the March in- surrection.
 The battleships Sevastopol and Petropavlovsk are still lying in the naval harbor without steam. Many destroyers move in and out. engaged in coast patrol in the Finnish gulf. The wreck of a Russian transport boat destroyer which the British navy sank at the time of the Yule- hitch attack still lies half sub- merged in the naval harbor.
 Free trade has not been re-estab- fisher here. The sailors said they regarded it as undesirable to admit merchants or other foreigners. Con- sequently the government would continue it's liberal rationing system, but would permit cafes to remain open.