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Show DMU CUI III Iff American Officer Describes Conditions Under, Which Russian Fugitives Live letter's Note Mors thin .tt of the Crimean rrfotMi are atlll living aboard solos sear Constantinople. Every available refugee eamo In the Near Kast Is filled, to overflowing, and the. probabilities prob-abilities in that moat of these eO.toS persons will havs to remain oa ship- board for maav weeks ' ooma. The following account of the life of ths ahln-dwellers is sent by Major 12. J. -Swift of Han Francisco, on duty with the A merle aa Bed Cross at Conslea-llnop.J Conslea-llnop.J - By MAJOR E. J. SWIFT Written far Universal 8ervie. CONSTANTINOPLE. March . The shipment of 100 tona of relief supplies for refugee hospitals In Oalllpoli gave me an opportunity to go to Oalllpoli aboard a refugee boat, the French ship Lorely, which was carrying refugees to one of the camps there. On the voyage voy-age I lived the same life that 110.000 Russians from the Crimea are living " these wintry day here In the East.-! am back In Constantinople again with a deeper appreciation of what these brave and uncomplaining people have gone through atnoe leaving their country coun-try early In November. CROWDEO DECKS.-' DECKS.-' We steamed out from Stambou harbor har-bor at midnight The holds were filled to capacity with supplies. The decks and every Inch of space to the bridge was occupied with men. women and children, huddled together to keep warm. There waa little shelter from the wind, and although I had picked out a place behind the wall of the deck house, to stretch out In my blankets, gusts of wind seemed forever trying to rob me of my warm covering. Before we were well out Into the Sea of Marmora Mar-mora I waa on my feet, beating my arms to keep warm, for there waa no room to walk upon the crowded deck. The Lorely la a cargo ship and there are no accommodations for passengers except in the crowded ahip'a quarters. The decks are flush except for the batches, and the bridge is forward, so that the wind has full sweep. And this sort of ship la typical of the fleet that la housing 40.000 refugees. COUNTESS IS CHEERFUL. A Russian countess, who stood shivering by the rail, was asked to go to the engine room. "I would rather not take up room, for there are many women with babies who ahould have the chanee to keep warm," ahe said. I can very well stay here, for It la only for tonight. Tomorrow Tomor-row morning we will be at Oalllpoli." Just after daybreak we sighted the mouth of the channel that Is the beginning be-ginning of the Dardanelles. And when the sun came Into the sky with a little welcome warmth everyone seemed to feel the hope of a new day. Cans of "corned willy" were produced from the capacious folds of army coats and from some unseen place huge loaves of bread. There was no water to wash with, but grimy hands and faces are ths fashion with refugees. IN GALLIPOLI HARBOR. Shortly before noon we came Into Galllpoli harbor, and added another ship to the fleet already discharging there. The little town, which gives Its name to the peninsula over which ths allies and Turks fought so fiercely during dur-ing the war, haa the appearance of a ahell wrecked village. Its ruins are the remains of Greek houses burned by the Turka after the allied attack, and I am of the hospital eases are still In Constantinople, Con-stantinople, 1600 of them being cared for In emergency and city hospitals. Here there were no beds or mattresses and only scant coverings. In the corner cor-ner of each room waa a tiny atove, making a desperate effort to give out heat. The room was thick and the air foul, but the nurse would not open the windows, because she could not keep her patients warm, They lay on the floor aa closely together aa space would permit. UNDER FRENCH CONTROL. The original plan for the camp at Oalllpoli, which like all others Is under un-der the control of the French, called for about 20.000 refugees, but there are already over IS. 000 in the camp and when I left the ships were still being unloaded. The main camp la situated iota - tne village waa - never really ehelled. A French launch came out to arrange for our landing and we went ashore to report to Lieutenant Colonel Welller, the French officer in command of the refugee camp at Galllpoli. Our refugees refu-gees and supplies wsre landed later In the day. We pushed our way through the tiny, crowded streets, ankle deep In mud over cobbled surfaoes. very one seemed walking along with no definite direction. Little groups of soldiers chatted in ths side streets. We had glimpses of temporary camps m clear-lnga clear-lnga between the houaea. Commandant Command-ant Guyenet, of the French navy, military mili-tary commander of the peninsula, received re-ceived ua and arranged for the unloading unload-ing of our hospital. HAVE NO CHAIRS. General Koutenoff, who Is the Russian Rus-sian camp commander, received ua in a little room in the house that had been aaalgned to him. There was a deak in the corner, but there were no chairs to sit on, not even one for the ffeneraX "Our principal need at the present time Is for the women and children," he said. "Our hoeptraia need supplies, which yon tell me you have brought. . We have found four walla for a hospital, hos-pital, and we have doctors and nurses." While the supplies were being unloaded. un-loaded. I called at a hospital with two hundred patients, mostly with illness crmacdtlHrhexpowtire Mrwt at ths foot of a range of hills, four milea from Galllpoli, where long, double dou-ble walled hospital tents have been erected under the supervision of British Brit-ish engineers. These tents came from the American Red Croas stores at Constantinople. Con-stantinople. The town Itself Is capable of taking care of only a few of the refugees and It la during the clearing of the refugees from the ships to the camp that the greatest hardships are experienced. ex-perienced. Many ahlpa came In through the mist and each unloaded Ha burden of hu. manlty upon the pier. A steady stream of men, with their little packs, here and there a woman and children, with a huge Coaaack carrying her bags, puahed through the open mouthed herd crowding the narrow streets. Kach group as It came ashore waa assigned to a temporary camping space, and Into this open field, with the sky for a roof, soldiers and men. women and children, aet down their possessions and looked about. PRIMITIVE COOKING. Little fires sprang up. fed by wood cut with sabres. Occasionally oneseee I a field kitchen, but generally the cooking cook-ing is done In gasoline tins. When the rations haws been nerved out and cooked, all gather together, men, women wom-en and children, and eat their plain meal. The French have provided ample am-ple food, but temporary shelter for the refugees on disembarkation is still woefully lacking. A heroic effort Is being made to ret everyone under abetter of some sort. Ruined houses are being rented, big hospital tents are being pitched and "leantoa" put up against the aides of crumbling walla Buildings of every sort are being utilised, on the hill above the town aland the walls of the Greek church, destroyed by the Turka Here quarters quar-ters have been established for women, and where once the priests prayed In the altar snare little children are now made comfortable when the rain falls at night. In another section of the town, under the ruined minaret, a huge canvas haa been spread to keep dry the floor that once was sacred to Moslem Mos-lem feet, SCENES ON BEACH. Along the beach In front of the mosque every day one can see the refugees washing out their clothes In the salt water of the harbor, one piece at a time, because their supply of clothing Is so scanty. Some of the refugees have articles of value which they try to sell, but the city of Galllpoli la not a metropolis and there are few purchasers. Refugees are strange creatures, particularly par-ticularly the women. Sealskin coata. encasing feminine finery, move along the muddy cobblestone streets, propelled pro-pelled by tiny feet in high heeled shoes and ailk hosiery. Others are more sensibly sen-sibly clad in leather boots, short skirts and sweaters. Most of the women are excelk-nt types and are bearing the I hardships of life in Ualllpoli with a . |