Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-03
AMERICAN CAPTAIN DESCRIBES
TRANSPORT CRUISE FR0MFRANCE
TO ARCHANCEL WITH THE A.E.F..
Tells Of Russ Harbor Of Musmansk, Only Ice-Free
Port on North Coast Built Since War
Brought Railroad in 1916

We then crossed the Arctic circle and
shortly after passed within plain view
of North Cape, a bold. snow-clad pro-
montory juttinG out from Europe into
the Arctic Ocean, continues the former
captain, who was with tho 3l0th En-
gineers in North Russia Shortly after
passing Varanger Fjord we steamed
into Kola Bay. and thence up the mar
row kola Inlet for some thirty miles.
mostly thru floating ice, dropping an
chor off tho town OF Murmansk. Wa
had on board some twenty-five British
officers and soldiers and several hun
dred American Army officers and en-
listed men, bound for the American
Expeditionary Force. North Russia.
Even the snow-clad hills and the rein
deer looked inviting after some hvs
days of tho Arctic Ocean.
Mur1nansk Is In latitude about 50 de-
grees North (about the same latitude
as southern Greenland. or % degrees
north of tho northernmost point OF
Iceland, well inside the Arctic Circle.
and dates only from 1916. 1t spranE
into being upon the construction of the
railroad from Zvanka. ION the Petro-
grad-Siberian Railway to Kola Bay, a
gigantic undertaking of $50 miles. put
thru by the Russian government willis
tho war was in progress. Murmansk Il.
Russia's only ice-free port on the
north; the strategical Importance OF
such railroad during a world war
can readily be appreciated. 1t waa
built during the long Arctic winter.
and largely by German prison labor.
The harbor of Murmansk is almost
ideal for large port. and the predic-
ton is made that some day Murmansk
VIII be one of the important ports OF
northern Europe.
The little towns nearby arc old. Kola,
which is somo six miles south of Muir
mentioned n
tory as far back at 1864. Kandalaksha
and other small settlements along KoIa
Inlet were founded during the fistcenth
century. The natives adopted Chris
tianity about 1888.
The presence of pino and spruce
trees. even II rather scrubby. was most
unexpected. On west slopes of the
mis- and ridges about Murmansk and
koia there werc fair stands OF Scotch
pino and some spruce, and birch and
willow were abundant. on the western
part OF tho kola Peninsula. owing to
effects OF the Gulf stream, pine and
! spruce are found within twenty to
, twenty-five miles of tho Arctic Ocean.
whiie in the eastern part of the PEN
insula, timber Ia not found until Won
arc from sixty to seventy miles from
tho coast Thruout all this country.
however. birch and willow are most
abundant along stream and lake shores
while tho berries found in extreme
hortHcrn latltudeS arc present.
Agriculture plays n very small part
in the industrial Iifo of most OF tho
kola peninsula. a small quantity of
potatoes is grown by tho Lapps Just
south OF Murmansk, and some hay is
raised, the total crop for this entire
region in 1914 is said to have been only
200 tons. Farther south. along the
west coast or tho White Sea crops OF
rye, barley, potatoes and oats arc
grown. Fish and lumber arc tho prip-
cipal products of tho Peninsula.
Murmansk was n very cosmopolitan
pace; Ihcro wero English. Canadian.
scottish. French, Polish. Serbian ItaI-
ian. Russian. and American officers
and men, and civilian population of
Dlpps, Einns, Russians and Chinese
Football was on tho schedule and a
boxing match held. between American
sailors and British sailors, in Y hut
Nor''", " 3comcd as II tho rnds of tn.
'7irth wcrn met. Each announG cl.Ist,t
during tho match had to bo made in
thrco languages. Russian. English aud
Frcnch-ard thon II is doubtful II half
oil tho audience understood Tho
matches wero refereed by a British
Admiral whose decisions werc abort
sharp. Just, and admitted of no argu-
mcnt
ono hardly expects to find tho Gulf
stream in Northern Russia, but it's in
huoncc is most marked and makes that
Tor MurmanslS being Russia's only ice
trco northern port. Tho winds from
tho north and northwest aro the mid
ones the south and southeast wind,
coming from the land arc cold. Th,
climate is In general therefore rnfloar
than at rctroGrad. which Is some l. 900
miles farther south
Winter lasts from tho middle OF No
Ncmber until tho middle of April The
snowfall Is naturally heavy. II to q
tcot, and houses in hleNandrovsk near
Murmansk. arc said to DO often on
ttrcly covered over night; there worr
some three fcct Of wcil-pa clScd snow
ON tho ground at Murmansk when We
wcro there In April. Tho long winter ia
followed by rainy season hardly to
be called spring for with tho coming
OF tho rains the whole country sccfns
To shed its snow and leo nj once. and
summer comes with high temperatures
and twcnty-four hours of sunlight, and
innumerablc mosquitoes.
There is a government mctcorologi-
cal station some % miles north OF Muir
mansk whoro records have been kept
for many years. The mean tampcra-
turcs arc given as IL degrees T. I'm
winter and IS degrees + for summer
by tho government records. on Tho
White Sea coast however tho temper
aturcs 60 down as low as As degrees
f. The Polar ice has never been know,
to reach tho Murman coast on the
coast tho sea never freezes and steam
vosgcls can traverse tho bays and CULTS
at all seasons.
Murmsnsk was laid out in most
sensible manner and was planned to
have a port district naval base. mar
kct. lacor, services, and administrn tior
districts. but the revolution of course
put an end to further development.
The town in April, 1919, consisted OF
some 800 buildings all of logs. and
mostly onc-story IL, height. There wero
extensive railroad sidings and yards,
shops, large warehouses and barracks,
a fire department. church, a Y. NJ
g. n, wireless station. and several
foreign consulates. I<ois peninrule
Govern some $1,000 square miles or Is
about the size of the State of Michigan,