Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 113, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 May 1918 — [?] EAST of the [?] EAST [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

[?] EAST of the [?] EAST

PUBLIC attention has been drawn to Vladivostok, Russia’s great Pacific ocean port, by the possibility that Japan might Intervene to save the immense stores sent there by the allies to help the Russians in their fight against Germany. Vladivostok or “Queen of tile East,” as the name signifies, Is the eastern terminus of the great Trans-Siberian railway, Marion H. Dampman writes in the Pittsburgh Gazette-Times. The corresponding western garrison city is called Vladlkaukas or “Queen of th? Caucasus.” At one end of the long main avenue of Vladivostok stands an imposing statue of Admiral Nevelskol, who laid the foundation of Russia’s occupancy of Pacific ports; on the statue are inscribed the famous words of Czar Nicholas I, “Where the Russian flag has been hoisted it must never be lowered.” At the other end of the avenue, where the railroad crosses the boulevard toward Europe, is a post on which is engraved in gigantic letters the simple statement: “Vladivostok to St. Petersburg, 9,922 Versts.” The mean annual temperature of Vladivostok is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, although It lies in the same latitude as Marseilles, France, and Buffalo, N. Y. Its bay is ice bound from the middle of December to the beginning of March; but sea communication is rendered possible by ice breakers. Its elevation above the sea is considerable and there are no barriers to the north to protect it from the piercing winds; while the Japanese archipelago interposes so as to prevent any advantage being derived from the warm waters of the Black current, the Gulf stream of the Pacific. Splendidly situated at the head of a peninsula about twelve miles long, separating two deep. bays, whose shores, however, are completely sterile, Vladivostok faces the western and more important of the two bays in a harbor called the Golden Horn. The shallowest part of the harbor is 12 fathoms in depth and is so extensive that 60 steamers of 5.000 tons each could ride there, leaving broad channels for maneuvering for a navy. There are no artificial breakwaters, .as nature provided such in a massive ’lsland directly athwart the entrance to the bay which acts as a fortress not only toward the angry sea but toward Invading fleets. On this Island the Manchuria sllka or spotted deer are preserved. The Vladivostok harbor is considered vastly superior to that of Port Arthur, .which is 530 miles farther south, except in climatic conditions. More Men Than Women. The town was founded in 1860 and has a shifting population, variously estimated from 75,000 to 120,000, which includes many soldiers, Chinese, Jap- , anese and Koreans. The houses are stone and several stories in height, presenting quite an imposing appearance in comparison with the small wooden-housed towns of interior Siberia. Its streets are lively but vastly different from Vancouver, Tacoma and Seattle, on the American side of the Pacific. Pigtailed Chinese in blue, Koreans in white and Japanese in varicolored costumes are mixed with soldiers, sailors and Hutopeans In civilian garb. There are many more jpnen than women; for most of the inhabitants are there to amass fortunes and expect to return- to their homes and families when/they have done so. Living, too, costs veA high, which Is another reason for -not making it a permanent abode. • Seen from the sea the town rises in terraces. Ths houses glitter in the aun and give an invitation to land. Once on shore one is quickly impressed with being in a money-mak-ing place and not a place of residence. Cargoes hastily discharged are stacked high In every available place. The streets are crowded with horses, carts and men of all nationalities. There is one fine street, on which are the residences of the governor, the commander of the port and many other magnates. There are several fine

monuments, one of which Is in honor of the last czar’s visit. There are numerous churches, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic and Lutherans; a museum Is noted for Its collection of weapons and costumes of the far East; and the Orient institute was opened In 1899 for the study of Asiatic languages. The crispneps of the air, the newness of everything and the general hustle and stir are suggestive of Alaska rather than the Orient, were It not for the ponies with their Russian harness and the prevalent Russian beards. Piled High With Supplies. All things consumed in the town and all the adjacent territory must be imported, as locally there are only bricks, matches, lumber and a bad beer to be had. No risk of seizure being foreseen, great speculative possibilities being open to traders, and the port offering the best means of sending provisions and munitions to Russia, combined to produce an extraordinary state of affairs in that faraway city. There is a perfect glut- of coal, kerosene, cotton, flour and muni tlpns of all kinds waiting for furthei transportation and with no protection. European express trains could traverse the long distance between Petro< grad and Vladivostok in less than a week; but it is not possible to run trains oyer the Siberian railway at such high speeds, as the road is constructed lightly, so the journey re quires nine days, and previous to the war was done twice weekly by express trains. The fare was more-than $275, the difficulties varying from sheets and soap to pistols and mosquito veils. The plan to construct this great Russian railway was started as early as 1875, but it was not begun until 1891. The Vladivostok station w-as opened by the recent czar in 1897. It is an excellent building, but has been used so much for the coming and going of troops that its dirt and dllapida-" tion make the weary traveler feel as though he had stepped Into an abandoned emigration camp. Very light rails are used on the tracks of the Trans-Siberian road, but Russian engineers believe in very heavy ties; timber may be had for the asking. So half deeply embedded in ballast, 'to give the traces the strength Americans provide with heavier rails. It Is a Free Port. ' The Importance of Vladivostok Iles in the fact that it is the natural warehouse of this vast region, both from a commercial and a military point of view. Russia, China, Korea and Japan are all interested in Its trade and connected with it by railroad or ship communications. *lt has been a free port and Russia has been remarkably liberal in encouraging other nations in helping her to build up an evergrowing traffic and develop . the resources of a rich inland frontier. Germany is fully alive to the value of this trade, whose value Is ever growing; and when the war gamble Is over she would like to. possess it. The presence of large Korean agricultural communities very near, great Chinese immigration tide surging in the district. the unceasing activity of the Japanese fishing boats that trade along the coast, the fact that European culture is not yet definitely es-tablished-all these things appeal to % the German mind, with visions of possibilities for the future. Vladivostok is Immensely strong as a naval fortress, being surrounded by 76 forts on the seaward side, but at the rear there Is a great open country that now Iles at the mercy of bolshevik! sympathizers and German spies. Russia’s chief dread has been of nearby Japan; so her fortification of Vladivostok has all pointed toward that power that lies only 450 miles across the Japan sea.

View of the Port of Vladivostok.