HISTORIC SCENES IN PETROGRAD

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 115, 12 November 1917, Page 7

HISTORIC SCENES IN PETROGRAD

BATTLE AT WINTER PALACE SIEGE BY WARSHIPS AND ARMED CARS

(BY TELEGBAFH.— UNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION.—COPIBIGHT.)

( AUSTRALIAN-NEW ZEALAND CABLE ASSOCIATION.)

LONDON, 10th November. The Smoiny Institute, where the All-Russia Congress of Soldiers' Delegates sat in conference, was the revolutionary headquarters, from which orders were issued. The prisoners taken included Cavozdev and Pickopovitch The latter was arrested in a motor-car in the street, with his wife. Under'the soldier delegates' 'strategy the troops mastered various portions of the city, until the Winter Palace alone remained unsubdued. During the height oV the lighting the city- presented a historic spectacled Gardens, houses" and the neighbouring woods were stripped, and barricades were erected, barring all the bridges; and in all the thoroughfares the traffic was stopped only troops armoured cars, and antiaircraft guns were permitted in the isolated areas At wS h \° cl .°J k the besiegers gave the Ministers twenty minutes to surrender, ine Ministers and the guns at the fortress of PeW and Paul were trained on the Palace, which was surrounded. A detachment of revolutionaries attempted to storm it, but was driven back by a fierce machine-gun hie, the Palace Guards, cadets, and the Women's Battalion fighting finely A cruiser and two destroyers at anchor in the Neva, and armoured cars in Mor-skava-street, heavily shelled the Palace. The defenders still fought desperately, and a continuous rattle of machine guns, shells,* and rifles, was heard for some time.

Meanvvhile the Provisional Government drafted another proclamation, stating that the Government would only hand over its power to a Constituent Assembly The Government refused to surrender, placed itself under the protection of the people and the army, and telegraphed for assistance. General .'Headquarters replied that troops would be despatched. The Government then issued a further statement that the situation was-still favourable, and that the Municipal and Peasants' Councils were supporting it. Fierce fijrhtin* conIhTnl 1 , 11 n? ?f*e M a ce, the warkipsLd armoured clrs snelKng the place till one o'clock m.the morning. 6 / ?-^ in i S 6 T'^i 50 " 1 destroyers, a_ mine-layer, and-several mine-sweep-ers, with landing forces brought from Helsingfors, participated, and the revolt tionary forces succeeded in entering the Palace at two o'clock. While the battle went on a large audience attended the Norodnydom (the "People's Thea-„-a{ , "IE 9 -' 6 Chal i a P me was'singing, in opera. The captured Ministers were sent to their own homes, where they were detained.