Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1794855874

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-179223

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Polner, Tichon I. http://d-nb.info/gnd/172311195

Title:: Russian local government during the war and the Union of Zemstvos

Place of publication:: New Haven

Publisher:: Yale Univ. Press

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: XXV, 317 S.

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter XI. Work in the army

Collection:: Economics Books

194 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR the wounded would then be loaded and unloaded regularly for weeks at a time. In spite of the fact that the transport of the sick and wounded demanded strenuous labor, almost without sleep from the beginning to the end of a trip, the staff worked with a will, and long lelays and inactivity would sometimes produce grumbling and weariness, and at times even cause sickness among them. They showed their eagerness for action in every way, and when they found themselves at the terminal railroad stations at the front, were anx- lous to penetrate even farther into the danger zone, so as to be able to establish dressing and feeding stations for the wounded men be- fore they reached the railway terminal. They also organized special expeditions to collect the wounded at the front and transport them to the nearest railway line that was in working order. The trains, or at least several cars detached from such trains, manned by mem- bers of the staff, would cautiously proceed into the zone of actual ighting at the risk of being fired on or falling into the hands of the enemy. This is how the “flying train-squads” originated which saved the lives and eased the sufferings of large numbers of wounded. These squads were formed and again disbanded as circumstances re- quired. In eastern Prussia, in the sector of Graevo-Lika, railroad carriages taken from the Germans were put together as a permanent narrow-gauge hospital train, which operated during the whole time -hat the Russian troops remained on enemy territory. In the area of he Mazurian Lakes a horse tramcar service equipped by the Zem- stvo Union was used for the transport of the wounded. The conditions under which zemstvo trains were sometimes com- gelled to work may be illustrated from a report submitted by the officer commanding Train No. 173. We quote the following passage from this report: On February 2, 1915, the train left the station of Belostok at 3 a.m. for the station of Augustovo. At 8 the train was switched on to the Suwalki branch line, over which the last trains from Suwalki and Augustovo were already departing. Only towards evening was it at last possible to approach the station of Augustovo, situated in a spruce forest. At a distance two to three miles before the station the train passed through the Russian line of skirmishers, who had taken up their position on both sides of the track. At this time the enemy was ad- rancing on Augustovo from the opposite side, confining himself to rifle fre. . . . I ordered the superintendent to climb on to the locomotive,

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