New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-29
Hordes of Fugitives From
Devastated Districts
Besiege Cities Crying
for Food to Save Lives
Red Troops Fight
Oncoming Masses
Dead Line Drawn in Effort
to Prevent Mad Rush
Into Rest of Europe
Special Cable to The Tribune


BERLIN, July 2s.-Between $1,000
and 10000 persons are dying daily of
starvation in Russia, according to Boil
shevik newspapers reaching Berlin,
With each succe ding day the situa-
tion in Russia appears to grow more
critical.
The horrors of the great plague that
swept Europe in the fourth century
are being recalled by the Russians in
their present disaster. The number of
famine sufferers is estimated at 3d.
100000. The huge masses of people
that are fleeing from the villages are
now actually besieging the cities in
demand for bread.
Thousands at Volga Crossings
At some of the crossings on the
Volga there are thousands of wagons
with miserable human freight gathered
IN desperate effort to escape from
the starvation area.
The elemental movement has given
rise to bloody battles, in which the
Red soldiers have fought with bullets
and sabres to check the advance of
the starving, ragged peasants and save
the cities from pillage and destruc-
tion at their hands.
Izvestia, the Soviet official news
paper in Moscow, announces the es-
tablishment of regular famine front
at which the Bolshevik army is trying
to halt the mad onrush of the starving
millions. This front runs southwark
from Murmansk, past Petrograd and
through Pskov, Minsk, Kiev, Ekateri-
noslav, Mariampol, Taganrog and
Rostov-on-Don to Torgovaya, in Kuban
province. Thence it swings toward
Turkestan and stretches into Siberia
as far as Irkutsk
The entire region within this front
line is under martial law and adms-
sion beyond it is permissible only on
special passes from the extraordinary
commission.
Thu population in the famine strick-
en- region, which covers three -fourths
of Russia, is subsisting on insects,
Rats have become delicacy in many
places.
Cholera Epidemic Spreads
The lack of food is rapidly tanning
the cholera epidemic throughout Rus
sla., According to the Pravda, $4,000
cholera cases were registered in Mos
Premier Lenine has again offered to
place the entire relief work in stricken
Russia in the hands of American or
CARNATIONS and give them complete
freedom of action. He hopes thus to
bring sufficient relief to the country to
counteract the demand for the extrem-
lists for mass foraging advance into
Poland, Rumania and the Baltic states.
Invasion of East Europe Feared
Unless relief comes, Europe may
witness titanic invasion by Russian
hordes, such as has not occurred since
the advance Of the Mongols across the
Russian steppes. 1t is feared that the
Soviet army cannot indefinitely hold
the famine front against which the
hosts of starving people, driven mad
by hunger and disease, are trying des-
perately to break.
Although the leaders of the Soviet
government and the Communist party
are trying desperately to organize and
put in operation some sort of a relief
parties are throwing up their hands,
feeling that the situation is hopeless.
The latest DEGREES Of the Moscow gov
ernment regarding the so-called tax
free trade have proved useless, as the
peasants have nothing to give or to
sell. According to the Krassnaya Ga
zette, bread costs more at PERM,
Cheliabinsk, Orenburg and Viatxa than
in Moscow and Petrograd.
Government Changes Possible
A fact which is regarded as symptom
attic of possible developments in Rus
sia is the open discussion in Moscow
of expected changes in the Soviet gov
ernment These changes will depend
upon which faction is victorious, viz,
whether the extremists, demanding an
irvasion of Europe in search of bread,
get the upper hand instead of Lenine,
who still hopes to keep within bounds
the calamity which has befallen Russia.
Food rationing in Moscow and Petro-
grad has been discontinued. Bread is
selling in the capital for 1000 rubles
a pound, potatoes at $4,000 rubles a
pound, butter at 10000 and meat at
10000 rubles.
Advices received from Russia indicate
that the chief causes of the famine are
terrific, unprecedented drought ard
the economic conditions under which
crops have been raised the last four
years. Fearing constantly that their
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