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Show LIEUT. FRED C. SMITH IS BACK FROM ASIA WHERE HE HAS BEEN IN SERVICE OF UNITED STATES First Lieut Fred C Smith, formerly assistant superintendent of tho Salt Like division of the Southern Pacific railroad, who was In the contingent of railroad engineers sent to Russia last October for the purpose of aiding in improving railroad conditions, is back in the United States on a throe months' furlough and is spending a few days in Ogden visiting with friends. Lieutenant Smith became weary of the inactivity while waiting at Nagasaki. Naga-saki. Japan, on returning there after three days at Vladlvostock, and asked for a furlough in order that he might go direct to Washington and seek transfer m France where he rnn S0P active service The mission to Russia lailed in part when the Kerensky regime re-gime fell to pieces last fall about the time the railroad corps landed in that country. Only a part of the railroad men went to active service in Asia and they are still there, but their activities are not as they had expected when they sailed. On his uniform collar the lieutenant W( an bronze letters, "R. R. S ," which mean Russian Railroad Sorvice, Most of the time that Lieutenant Smith was in the far east he spent at Nagasaki, Japan, where the larger part of the American railroad men were stationed following tho crumpling of the Russian military situation. Returning to the United States, he vas twenty-four days on a transport So many ships have been taken from the Pacific shipping lanes, he says, and used for war service on the Atlantic that it is difficult to get accommodations accommoda-tions for travelling All the ship companies com-panies have booked their passage right up to tho first of September and when the situation will be relieved is a matter mat-ter of conjecture. On the transport returning to Amer lea were a number of army officers coming back to take more active service ser-vice being glad to get a chance to serve at the battle front A part of the railroad force that went 10 Russia is now engaged in work on the Chinese Eastern railroad. Stationed at Harbin. The road is under a Chinese president and was first built and operated by the Russians. For some time the Russians operated and guarded the road, but the control has gradually gone over to the Chinese, who now have a guard along the entire line. The Russians have proved to be good railroad constructors, but poor operators, Mr. Smith says. Lieutenant Smith says the Russian ruble, which corresponds to the American Amer-ican dollar, is now worth only 14 cents and is not good money at that price. Russia Is a land of chaos, he says, and may take a long time to find itself, but he believes that some day Russia will advance out of her troubles and become be-come a real democracy. |