The Osceola times., 1881-11-12
A BUSY RUSSIAN CITY.
Odessa, the Great Wheat Capital. It's
POPULATION and Rennemo nts of SOCIETY,".
s, 5. cox's Letter in New York Express.


After the ride over the ranges of Rus.
sian grain-felds. with which / elongated
my last letter, we breathe the salt air of
the sea along with the dust Of Odessa.
Notwithstanding the dust, refreshment
comes. and with il the desire of leaving
this realm. We have no desire of COM
plant. We have had courtesy and kind.
ness. No spy has invaded our chamber
or dogged our path, but the feeling of
insecurity, even upon the railway, is not
delectabe TO pleasure tourists. There.
fore our hearts leap up as Odessa appears
in its robe Of white dust, simmering in
a warm sum, for it is the last step out of
Russia and toward the towers of Com
stantinople. We have a good view of
the city OF Odessa in passing around the
base of the near hill. The city is on a
high limestone cliff by the sea After
manifold anxieties at the station, a por-
fer, with proper badge seizes our light
baggage and our trunk tickets. We fol-
low him meekly, without word, bid
adieu to our Russian companions. and
mount the carriage. A strange gentle
man seems to be its occupant, and he dis
poses of our traps with sang 60id We
demur; in vain. Not word is inter
changed or interchangeable. / protest
in several broken tongues, including a
few remnants of emphatic English. He
finally masters enough of the language TO
say Me wagon" This was astonishing
intelligence, at which ! hesitated. If he
had only said, 81 am the waggoner or
the commissiOnaire" il would have been
intelligible. We were nonplussed, TIL it
occurred to us that he he had as in
charge. Calamity raising his yellow UNI
brella, he conducts the driver, the car
rage and ourselves through the long ave
nues to the ticket office, and We meet an
agent who is familiar with English. Our
steamer tickets are arranged and we pro-
ceed to the dock, bound for Constantine
plel After being supervised by Rus
sian policeman with sword, and our
passport examined and mutilated; not
without anxiety on our part, we are intro
duced TO the captain. He turns out to be
a splendid lrishman - Cart. Thomas
Duncan-all of the olden time. The best
and bigglst stateroom is given us, and
we are at liberty - awaiting the hour of
departure-.lo survey The city and har-
Dor. They are not Russian, and the very
breeze seemed TO clarity the atmosphere
u sAutoIidlii OipI anu uyI IdlEtI.
Odessa means business. 1t is cosmo-
poltau. 1t is the wheat capital of the
world, next to Chicago. II has two hum
dred thousand population and the refine
ments Of good society; nevertheless, it is
partially cursed by czarism. You
see that | begin to breathe and speak
freely, being alOof from the autocracy
of despotic Russia. Odessa lies between
the mouths of the Dnieper and Dniester.
and has history of classic and beliger-
ent vicissitude. Cossack and Turk, Gen
osese and Venetian, Russian and Eng
lish, Greek and Turk-fghts by land and
sea--make up this viccissitudc, while
commerce, inland and maritime, has
held various sway over its destinies
Once free port and even yet with evil
dences of freedom not accorded to other
places, with admirable pavements and
superb buildings, is a city. set upon a
hill and lighted by the Pharoes of COM
merce. so that it cannot be hid while
Russia grows grain and the world is
hungry. When the wheat transportation
begins its fine harb0r is choked with yes
sells Its suburbs are dry, herbless and
dreary, but its resources are manifold as
a place OF comfortable residence and
profitable trade. Many years ago my
father-in-law, who helped to build and
control the first elevators at Chicago
known as A and Bone of which sur
vived the fire. desired me to come here
and establish the elevator system, with
the aid Of government and his own
money. This was twenty years ago,
when the grain from the vast plains of
Russia was carried across the city by
women in baskets or sacks upon their
heads. What 2 business man Odessa
lost when / chose to be elevated" other
wise and how little, alas has politics
gained by my patriotic endeavors to serve
my country My first observation was
directed TO the cOnveniences of the grain
transit and lading The mole which
makes the landing is substantial and
elegant 1t is built up out on either side,
SO as 10 make breakwater, and upon it
the cars run with the grain; and out of
them, by the good old force of gravity,
runs the grain into the ships and steam
ers beneath. 1t is not our plan in Amer
ca, but il answers the purpose of dis
match. as well as the general object of
safety without storage, however. IL was
a funny work, as we entered our steamer,
10 see the Turks, our first glimpse OF
the old fez-headed genii of former MEM
ories. helping the Russians load our craft
with sheen and cattle We had TO walk
through flock of the former and under
the latter. as the cattle were swung up
by belt and dropped deftly into the
hold by machinery. The docks are
iammed with crowds of carts bringing in
English iron for the Black sea ports, and
wheat for the English steamers, which
carry it to market for the English do
most of the tradeihere. Stevedores are
as busy a. upon Our New York wharf,
loading and unloading and coaling up
with Cardiff coal. | count over a hun
dred steamers in the harbor, and but a
half-dozen sailing ships. Our ship flies
the eagle of Russia, double-headed and
triple-crowned, holding scrolls in its
claws-not Nihilistic pronunciamentos,
but royal screedsl Flags Of every nation
are seen-French, Greek, English, ltal'
ian. Turkish and German - not one
American The forts shine on the cliff,
the dredging machines ply their work,
the cars thunder around the harbor,
the grain is paid out, bales OF
goods are hoisted in and out of YES
sells granite blocks for Russ pavement
are niled upon the dock, few gulls
sweep abeut and swoop down for their
lunch of fish; lighters and tugs. are
alive, and the vessel we are to sail In
for three days is being crowded with an,
imal life. including other than sheep and
cattle. What molly lot of people are
fixing their beds and arranging their
sacks upon the lower decks, between
the bridge and rear deck. somo, OF
these strangers are deyotees on, their