The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-26
THE HOLY CITY.
A Novel Fire Brigade-No Insurance Com
panies, But Plenty of Noisy Talk.
Jerusalem Letter in Boston Advertiser.

Jerusalem Letter in Boston Advertiser.
during the past eight months we have had
but two alarms of fire. One occurred at
midday and the other during the night, but
neither of them would have deserved notice
In New England village. In one case some
articles in storeroom took fire and caused
a slight damage, but had the fire continued
until the entire contents of the room had
been consumed, it could not have extended
beyond the room itself In the second case
small pile of rubbish behind a certain
house took fire, and on this occasion the
fire department" OF Jerusalem was called
out. This consisted of a few soldiers, who
started out with their guns as though they
were going to battle. In the front of them
marched four or five men with broad axes.
These men and soldiers constitute the
fire brigade" and this is the only time after
several years of observation, that | ever saw
or heard OF such an organization in this city.
Surprising that such brigade really exists,
they have no buckets, pals, ladders, engines,
or any of the other appliances which belong
to this service in our country. What do they
want of engines, pals and buckets in place
where there is no water? What is there to
burn where the houses are all of stone? 1t
wonld be almost impossible to create con-
fagration, for there is nothing to burn. Con-
sequently there are no insurance companies,
for no one wants his property insured. One
can go to bed at night feeling absolutely GER
bdlIi lildI whatever Quiet evils may DeIdll
that OF fire, so Justly dreaded in our land will
not visit him. 1t will thus be seen that there
are some compensations i'll living in a
house of stone Such a house NAV be in
danger of falling down in winter when the
walls become thoroughly soaked by the rains,
but it can never be in danger of being burned.
When these soldiers and men with axes had
got fairly turned out and started they did
not appear to be in the least hurry. They
walked along as deliberately as though they
were marching in a funeral procession. In
fact, fire occurs here SO seldom that people
do not know how to act when there is one.
They are evidently puzzled to know whether
to laugh or cry, to sit still or run. Speaking
OF fire insurance companies, there are here
also no life insurance companies. In the
Turkish empire human life has not in the
past been considered as particularly valuable,
and although things have changed slightly
for the better yet company of the kind
would find little encouragement among the
beggars, lepers and impoverished people OF
the Holy City.
But are there no brawls, no drunken
fights, no street or saloon quarrels where the
police interfere, which a newspaper man
could work up" in telling shape? Quarrels
here seldom reach the point of blows. There
are quarrels of words of the most desperate
character, and if a stranger were to witness
one of these he would imagine that each of
the parties was about to smite stab or cut
his opponent to death. They do nothing of
the kind. Why there should be so much
terrific talking and so little actual fighting
it is not easy to explain. Possibly the
climate and no doubt the character of the
people have something to do with it. 1t
is fact, however, that one witnesses here
very few fist fights. They scream shout
and gesticulate in the widest manner,
and instead of tearing their antagonists
they tear themselves to pieces In all the
ie g
threatening done. Disputes frequently arise
between the peasants who come to the city
to trade and the toWnspeople, and the coun-
try people are sometimes beaten by the aris-
tocratic city folks. The peasants at such
times are very non-combative, but they say
to the city people who have handled them
roughly, III st come down to our village and
we'll pay you for this" The coffee shops of
the city are almost numberless, and some of
them enjoy bad reputation, being merely
what are termed in America Liquor holes"
Very few coffee or drinking shops remain
open in the evening, at least after or
9 O'clock, while the most of them like the
shops in the city, are not kept open after
sunset. Thus great deal of carousing by
night is avoided. In these places, however
one often hears singing, loud talking and
cursing; indeed, all the audible signs which
poor liquor produces upon depraved men.
A large number of these drinking places are
kept by Greeks, and Jerusalem is not the
only eastern city that has reason to complain
of the injurious influence of the ordinary
representatives of that particular nation. In
connection with the saloons to which we
have referred much might be said of the
drinking habits of the people. To the SUI
perficial observer there would appear to be
but little drinking and little drunkenness in
the Holy City. Fewer drunken men are
seen upon the streets than would be seen in
any city of similar size in Europe or Amer
lea.