‘The Russo-Turkish War. 1877. Operations in Europe.’ [‎13v] (26/66)

26
Rb. 1877.
March 1877.
Jan. 1877.
Feb. 1877.
A February letter from Odessa gives the armament of that place for coast
defence at 88 guns of position, and relates that there had been recently added
to the defences of Otchakow some floating batteries, mounting among them
28 guns; and gives the Otchakow garrison at 8,000 men, including marines.
At Kischinev and Odessa, contracts were invited in March, and merchants
and others requested to submit terms for the delivery of large quantities ot
provisions during the month of April, at Jassy and Gmrgevo, and various
Roumanian towns between the two points.
V.
RAILWAYS, ROADS, BRIDGES, &c.
Besides the bridges over the Pruth, mentioned in Captain Clarke’s
(Deputy-Assistant Quarter-Master-General) paper on “ The steps which Russia
would take should she determine to occupy the principalities in the spring,
there is a floating bridge described as follows:—
It is somewhat above Husch, a place about 35 miles south-east of Jassy.
It will bear a cart, or anything of that kind, but nothing more, being ill-
constructed.
The other bridges over the Pruth alluded to above appear to be three
besides the railway bridge at Sculiani. A road bridge at Sculiani, one at
Falshi, a few miles below Leovo, and one at W oduly Isakchi, a few miles north of
Reni. Below Husch, the Pruth valley is a series of lakes and marshes only
traversed by country paths and not easily to be temporarily bridged for military
purposes.
In Captain Clarke’s paper above referred to occurs the following passage:
—“ Should the Russians desire to throw across an additional bridge they would
probably select to do so at the point near Hus (or Husch), where the country
road down the left bank meets that down the right.” This appears to describe
with sufficient accuracy the actual site of the above-mentioned floating bridge.
Generally speaking, the Kischinev—Jassy line is badly constructed. A
landslip of the bank, near the Korneshti station, such as might easily he
brought about by an enemy, would suffice to stop all traffic for a long time.
An addition was ordered in January to the Russian railway rolling-stock,
of 150 carriages suitable for the transport of sick and wounded soldiers.
Intelligence dated the middle of January, was to the effect that the state
of the Kischinev—Jassy line, near Korneshti, had been looked to ; and that
works had recently been undertaken to strengthen the crumbling embankments
and guard against landslips, and it was stated that that part of the line was in
good order, though closed to public traffic.
On the l7th January confidential instructions were despatched to the
managing offices of 54 Russian lines of railway, directing the necessary steps
to be taken for being prepared, if required, to suspend all ordinary goods
traffic after the 27th January, with a view to the possibility of the lines being
then required exclusively for the transport of troops.
An extensive order was issued in February by the Russian Government to
the railways to add ambulance carriages to their rolling-stock.
It was stated to be the intention of the Russians, when moving forward, to
advance as much as possible by road and leave the railway lines for the con
veyance of the ambulances and “ materiel.”
It was reported in February, from Pesth, that 8,000 men (“ military
engineers ’’) were employed on the lines in Roumania in assimilating the gauge
to that of Russia, by putting down an extra line of rails, and that the work
would be completed in three weeks. The Russian gauge is 5 feet, and that of
Roumania, 4 ft. 8J in. It was also said that the lines which were for the most
part single were about to be doubled. The Russians also had collected at
Kischinev a store of 200 tons of axles so constructed as to enable them
to utilize some of their own rolling-stock on the existing Roumanian lines.