THE RUSSIAN . . UPHEAVAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 29

THE RUSSIAN . . UPHEAVAL.

PANIC AMONG THE AUTHORITIES.

BARRICADE FIGHTING.

A STATE OF WAR.

OFFICIAL CIRCLES IMPRESSED.

APPALLING SCENES.

A PATRIOTIC PORT ARMIRAL.

TROOPS DECLINE TO FIRE.

THE PUNITIVE FLEET AND THE KNIAZ POTEMKINE.

MUTINY ON ANOTHER WARSHIP.

SAILORS AT KRONSTADT IN REVOLT.

MANY ESTATES ABANDONED.

CONFLICTING OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS

KEEPING BACK THE TRUTH.

ENTRAPPING A TRANSPORT.

DISAFFECTION AMONG CREWS.

DISARMING WARSHIPS

ASKING THE CZAR'S FORGIVENESS.

ALL DANGER OVER.

WORK EXPECTED TO BE RESUMED

ST. PETERSBURG, June 27. The Russian Social Democrats declare

that their mission is to crush the baneful tutelage that the Bureaucrats exercise over the Czar. They are even daring to minimise his promise to the deputation cf Zemstvoist6.

June 28. j Further Cossack brutalities are reported from Lodz. General Maksimovitch has been invested with supreme military powers, wliich he will be able to delegate to another.

The Czar has entrusted General Trepoff with the execution of the decree.

There was severe rioting at Odessa owing to Cossack biutality. Many workmen and two high Government officials were ' wounded. Trains ai'e being overturned in the s treats, and a bomb thrown into a cathedral porch killed a police ome'er.

All the ringleaders of the Jewish Bund at Warsaw have been arrested.

A great strike has begun in the coal and iron mines, in the foundries, and in the factories in the Polish districts of Dombrowice, Streyemieszyce, and Sosrrawice.

June 29

General Novikoff and AL Geneseiff, Chief Prosecutor in the Courts -martial, censured the Lodz police for not stopping the disturbances at the outset. The Russian battleship Kniaz Poteinkin,

accompanied by two torpedoers, was voyag- • ing from Sevastopol to Odessa, when a seaman named Omelchuk was deputed to

complain of the bad food. He told the officers that the crew was served with bad soup, whereupon an officer shot him dead. The. whole orew thereupon killed and threw the captain and all the officers, except "ight, who joined the men, overboard. A launch landed the feaman's corpse at Odessa, the sailors warning the authorities that if they attempted to interfere the whole place would be bombarded. The red flag was then hoisted. The battleship's crew visited steamers and compelled the cessation of work. The mutiny occurred in the Odessa roads.

One thousand dockers and other strikeis at Odessa, with bare heads, passed belore the corpse of the seaman, which was laid out on a new pier.

The following inscription was pinned on the seaman's breast: — "Died for telling the truth."' His comrades would not allow the authorities to approach the body. Thousands-, flocked to the pier and poured in a money collection to defray the cost of burial.

The inhabitanto are greatly excited

The crowd detected a disguised frontier guaid near the corpse, and killed him. The Mayor, who had gone to Moscow, telegraphed beseeching the citizens to keep quiet, and not to participate in the disorders.

Firing is proceeding in various parts of Odessa. A workman threw a bomb, killing a policeman and himself

It is reported that the crews of four battleships at Sebastopol hd.ve revolted, and that t\ra ha\e started fo join the Kniaz Potemkine.

The Revolutionaries at Odessa fired the haibour warehouses and offices, and some Russian ships.

All the foreign vessels prepared to slip their moorings. There are 15 British merchantmen at Odessa. The crew sf the Kniaz Potemkine threatened vb Lombard Odessa unless sup-

plied with ample provisions, and also exempted from punishment.

The a.uihorities are in a state of panic, and dare not summon the troops, fearing a revolt.

(Received* J-une 30, at 8.39 a.m.)

Three hundred rioters and several -Cossacks were killed irl Odessa.

A vast amount of merchandise was destroyed in the fired warehouses.

For a time the mob gained the ascendancy, but later news indicates that when reinforced the military rapidly restored order, though some soldiers refused to fire on the crowd. I>esperate barricade fighting took place. During the outburst of incendiarism at Odessa the mob devastated the entire harbour and all warehouses. Five Russian steamers were burnt. June 30. The transport Vecha joined the mutiny. The officers were taken prisoners, and placed aboaid the Kniaz Potemkine. Eleven of the Kniaz Potemkine's surviving officers were landed s'ebterda\ r , and a party of mutineers, headed by a chaplain, visued the military commandant and <Jomanded that the remains of Omelchuk, the sailor killed by an officer, be interred with naval honours. The streets are strewn with victims. No quarter of Odessa escaped bloodshed and devastation. The mob prevents attempts to extinguish- the conflagration at the port. Martial law has been proclaimed. Terror-stricken groups are fleeing before the soldiery, who are shooting indiscriminately. ]

Tie sailors in the Naval Barracks at Libau revolted and wrecked the barracks. They also wrecked the storehouses, attacked the officers' houses, and fired rifles at the windows. The artillery summoned

a force of Cossacks. A regiment went to the harbour, and the fighting resulted in loss of life.

An outbreak at Reval is also reported

Vice-admiral Kruger and four warships quitted Sevastopol, and is proceeding to Odessa to summon tf.e Kniaz l-'oitiiilcine to surrender. If she refuses she will be

sunk. Thereafter Admiral Kruger will assist the authorities. & , -• ■> ■ " The Consuls of various nations have psked for warships to protect foreigners.

The Volunteer cruiser Saratoff was burned at Odessa.

The Czar has addressed to the Senate the following Ukase : "In order to guarantee public safety and terminate the disorders at Odessa and neighbouring localities, we have found it necessary to declare a state of war in the Odessa district, and to invest the commander of the troops with the rights of military authority and the special rights of civil administration.

Six companies of sailors at Libati complained of their food They seized arms and ammunition, and a series of severe contests took pkee in the streets. The mutineers scattered tho department police.

The authorities at St. Petersburg are convinced that the. Odessa and Libau revolts are concerted in connection*" with the revolutionary organisations in Russia.

It is computed that 2000 were killed at Odessa, and 1000 wounded.

The central railway station at Odessa was burnt. Many wei'e injured, and three wero removed to the hospital.

At the interment of Omelchuk, the sailor who was killed, there was a great popular demonstration, and several thousands fol-

lowed the body to the military cemetery. Eight .sailors bore the coffin. .There were no police or troops on the route.

Events at Odessa and Libau reveal so ominous a position that official circles in St. Petersburg doubt whether the gunners p£ the Black Sea fleet will fire on the Kniaz Potemkiue. It is feared that if the crews mutiny and lead the rioters against the soldiery th,ey will foim an armed and organisecfroree, and will most probably be joined by a section of the taoops. Implicit reliance on the loyalty of the services has been an unshakeable article in Russian faith. The reaction has now come. A revolution is not only described as a possibility, but the word is even applied to present occurrences. The fimtiny at Odessa has made a far deeper impression on the ruling classes than the defeats in M-mchuria and the annihilation of the Baltic fleet combined.

The Police Commissary and five Cossacks were prosecuted at Evanroznesensk for participating in the killing of workmen.

Two hundred and forty-three Jews and 80 Christians were arrested at Lodz for belonging to a secret organisation, and 200 others on suspicion of being concerned in the destruction of the Government spirit store and the erection of barricades.

There have been appalling scenes in Odessa.

Machine guns were freely used in the streets, while a thousand incendiariejj-^rere busy with tar, torches, petroleum, benzine, and bombs, trying to fire the public and private buildings. Tlie conflagration extended for a mile.

Two regiments have reinfoiced the garrison.

Nine ships were burnt. Not one of them was British.

The Socialists chiselkd a hole in the wall of the warders' quaiters in the Odessa Penitentiary, and instiled three powerful fuse bombs. Their object was to release 2000 prisoners. The bombs weie discovered just in time to avert disaster.

Near Ometchuk's body two signallers stood on the quay ready in the event of molestation to signal the Kniaz Potemkine to bombard the town. The mutineers announced that their comrade would ba

buried with full honours, and sent an escort with the ship's band. In the event of any interference with the procession, the 12in guns were to open fire on the town. The port admiral offered to go aboard the Kniaz as a hostage for the escort's safe return, and to prevent danger to the city.

The majority of the troops at Odessa aie Reservists, whereof many declined to fire upon the crowd.

The damage in the city of Odessa is estimated at two and a-half millions steiling. Only two of Admiral Kruger's ships sailed from Sevastopol to Odessa. The crews of the others are not trustworthy.

There are agrarian riots throughout thi provinces of Kherson and Ekatermoslav. Many estates have been abandoned.

The Russian newspapers accuse the Government of i'legaliy increasing the paper currency from 60 millions steriing to 90 millions within a year. July I. The Kniaz Potemkiiw's shelling of Odessa was due to the temporary arrest of portion of the mutineers attending Ometchuk'a

'uneral. The demonstration secured their | lelease. The Odessa authorities ha^p stopped the "gas and electric light supplies. Thirty thousand residents have quitted the place. All the dockers at Kronstadt have struck J .ts a protest against mobilisation. Martial law has been proclaimed over Jhe whole province of Evivan and in SebasWpol and Meolaieff. July 2. The panic in Odessa is unabated. The British, Consul has chartered a ressel to take away British subjects. The conflagration in the town continued intil Friday evening. I The coast defence batteries have been ! 6tationed in the Odessa streets dominating the harbour. accounts of the events at Odessa \ are contradictory. Some state that^ the Kniaz surrendered, that the crew were ' transferred to other vessels, and that the Revolutionary Committee at Odessa was arrested on board. Other narratives state that the Kniaz and Georgi Pobiedonosetz are still in the bands "of the mutineers, who are threatening to bombard the city unless the workpeople co-operate by means of a general strike. The rest of the fleet apparently Las sailed for Sebastopol. Cossacks, infantry, and machine guns guard Labau against the rioters. Two hundred of the troops refused to obey orders and fled to the forest. An officer at the Kirsk railway station, in consequence of the impertinence of a drunken soldier, cut him down with his sword. A mob collected, and poured petroleum on the railway carriage. The officer replied with revolver shots until the .carriage was fired and ha was burned to death. The Czaj' provides the funds for General Trepoff's scheme to subdivide Russia into carefully organised police districts, with an enormously increased fores. July 3. Admiral Kruger, commanding the battleihips Rostislav and Sinope, and Admiral yyshorevebky, commanding the battksliips Georgi Pobiedonosetz, Tri-Sviatitelia, and Dvenadstat Apostoloff, the torpedo cruiser Kadarsky, and several torpedoers, proteeded from Sebastopol to Odessa. The flagship signalled ordering the Kniaz totemkiae tp join the fleet immcdiatelj;.

i The Kniaz Potemkine replied, asking the admiral to come aboard, but receiving no answer, she cleared for action, and steamed at full speed along the whole line of the fleet, passing so close that the features of her commander, who was wearin a civilian dress, were clearly distinguishable. Many others, dressed in mufti, were seen on the Kniaz Potemkine. Admiral Kruger signalled, , " The fleet to proceed to Sebastopol," and the Kniaz Potemkine signalled, "We remain here." Guzevitch, commander of the Georgi Pobiedonosetz, then signalled, " Machinery disabled." Admiral Kruger repented the order to make for Sebastopol, but the Georgi Pobiedonosetz replied, "We remain here," and steamed alongside the Kniaz k Potemkine, and then, signalled, "We wish to land our officers." The rest of the fleet then headed for Sebastopol. On arriving at Sebastopol the admirals and captains held a council aboard the Roslislar. Admiral Kruger presiding. It was resolved to put the machinery of the warships out of gear. The council authorised tn.e officers and men to go ashore if they dlesired. The ironclad Catherine 11, lying at Sebastopol was disarmed. Many reservist sailors were granted two mouths' leave. The Kniaz Potemkine sailed away on Saturday, and called at Silina on Sunday morning, and then ay Constanza, where she sent a boat ashore, asking the Roumanian authorities to supply provisions. Late on Sunday evening Lloyd's agent telegraphed that the Kniaz Potemkine and torpedo er 267 were anchored off Rustendji. Another steamer was apparently watching the offing. A state of seige lias been proclaimed at Sebofitopol and Nikolaeff. An official telegram received here implies that the Georgi Pobiedonosetz has been left to guard the surrendered Kniaz Potemkine. It is also alleged' officially that the crew revolted while under the influence of liquor. LONDON, June 29. The American Consul has cabled that all the Kniaz Potemkin's officers were murdered. The situation is precarious. The Black Sea fleet is expected to join. Other advices state that the mutineers seized a collier at Odessa and began to transfer 2000 tons of coal to the Kniaz - Potemkin. There is some uncertainty as to whether she proceeds to sea.

The Daily Express's Odessa correspondent reports that the Kniaz Potemkin, late at night, fired a shell and killed several Cossacks on the quay. This was the signal for a general outbreak, and the rioters fired the shipping in the harbour. The crowds, earlier in the day, burst into cries against the Czar and the Government. Cossacks who were sent to recover the body of the Kniaz Potemkin's murdered seaman for burial were repulsed by the crew and the strikers. The battleship, after training her guns on the shore, signalled for the corpse to be brought back and buried at sea with naval honours. June 30. The Daily Mail's Odessa correspondent reports that when the mob tried to ascend the great granite flight of steps near St. Nicholas to the Boulevard Nicholas the Cossacks and other troops repeatedly volleyed. The massacre was awful. A bomb thrown near the Catherine monument killed five Cossacks. Their comrades then fired a volley, and killed 18 people. The Daily Telegraph reports that the Kniaz Potemkine, was shelling Odessa at last night. I The limes states that Admiral Chukhnin, of St. Petersburg, is hurrying to resume | command of the Black Sea fleet, with summary powers for quelling the revolt. July 1. The Times' St. Petersburg correspondent states that a telegram is reported to have been received last night announcing that a battle was progressing outside Odessa, adding that several of Admiral Kruger's ships had mutineed. There is no official confirmation of the report. Although, the American Consul cabled that the Kniaz Potemkine surrendered soon after Admiral Kruger's squadron arrived at noon without firing a shot, the Daily Mail's Odessa correspondent mentions mysterious signalling between the Kniaz aii'l the punitive fleet, and the final departure of the latter, followed by the Kniaz Potemkine. Private telegrams from Odessa state that tlfc? cre\r of a second battleship, supposed to be the Georgi Pobiedonosetz, mutineed. There is no possibility of an early resumption of business, and the position is undoubtedly critical. Reports from other sources state that jblie sailors at Kronstadt mutineedj, object-

ing to fatigue duty ashore. They killed two officers and wounded six others. July 3. Sebastopol advices state that the mutineers killed the captain and all of the Kniaz Potemkine's officers except five, mostly engineers. They entrapped the caj>tain of the transport Vechas by signalling him to go aboard the Kniaz Potemkine. Then the Vechas's crew mutinied. Reuter's Odessa correspondent telegraphs that the Georgi Pobiedonosetz on Sunday gent 40 hostages on shore, and asked the Czar's forgiveness for mutinying, pleading that they hact not damaged the ship. The Governor has proclaimed that all danger of a castrophe has passed', and he Las ordered the strikers to resume work The manufacturers ore sanguine that the men will resume immediately. Some accounts state that the Kniaz Potemkine's crew drank all the champagne and vodka- aboard. On Saturday the- mutinous ships sent a deputation threatening the Governor that they would bombard unless the city capitulated Arithin 48 hours. The Governor sent the civilians away, and the garrisons were further strengthened. It is believed that a staff of civilians, representing the revolutionary organisations, are directing affairs aboard the Kniaz Potemkine. The fleet twice surrounded the Kniaz Potemkine, which passed through the iron ring unmolested, presumably owing to the general disaffection in the fleet 1 . CONSTANTINOPLE, June 28. There is trouble at Erivan over the appointment of General Alikhanoff as Governor, he being a Mohamedan. He did not interfere in the recent massacre of Armenians. He has now been transferred to Baku, which is likely to imitate Erivan.

The Eketaiiuna correspondent of the Wellington Post states that Mr J. C. Cooper, vice-president of the- Wellington Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, has been invited to addre&s meetings in Wellington, Christchurch, and D.uaedin on the land tenure question. He has accepted the invitation, and will give his first address in Wellington about July. The following amounts have been collected by Canon Mayne for the Mrs Boardman fund: — Mr and Mrs Lilburne, ss; Mrs Lovett, 3s 6d; "M. H. B,. t " 10s.