Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-11-07
Turk1sh Fnterpriss.

The foreigners in Constantinople are
much amused at the latest exhibition Of
Turkish enterprise. The pride of the
Turkish Government has been hurt by
the necessity the European residents
have been under, owing to the total in
efficiency of the postal service, to have
their own post-offices and mail carriage.
The French, English, German and other
post-offices have long served their ma
tionalities, and their mails have been
dispatched on foreign steamers. The
Turkish Government determined TO end
this state Of things, and, having organ
lied its post-otfice department., announ-
ced that on August LIST it would close
the foreign post-otfices in the city. The
foreign ambassadors remarked that the
abolition of a long-established privilege
required a negotiation. and meantime
they would not permit any hindrancc in
the way of the transit of the mails to
Europe. The Government did not close
the Offices, but set it out to show how use
less foreign po~st-olfices and foreign mail
boats were in Turkish territory. 1t an
nounced that on August lst the Turkish
mails to Europe would go by a Turkish
steamer to Varna to meet the lightning
express to Vienna.
The foreigners looked with some
.mazement and incredulity at this cshi-
oition of Turkish enterprise. The nail
rain from Varna leaves at six a. M.
every Sunday and Wednesday; the dis
lance from Constantinople to Varna is
one hundred and forty miles; the mail
81 a M. 1nn ,,0 lI,p,f,, ~ ~ rr1
p. m. on the previous day, thus having
fifteen hours in which to make the con-
nection. This time has been easily
made. The Turkish steamer which set
out with such Il loud proclamation az
rived at Varna four hours late. The
authorities telegraphed to have the
mails sent on by special train, and re-
garded the matter as arranged" The
srain ran as far as Bucharest, and there
the agent discovered that there were
only accommodation trains to Vienna,
and consequently the mails arrived
shirty-six hours late. The next mail
day the Turks tried again with another
steamer. 1t reached Varnn six hours
behind time. Again a special train
was chartered to reach the Bucharest
accommodation trains; but as this sud
der demand for transportation to Var
ma absorbed all the postal facilities, the
Asiatic mail for that week was, sup
pressed. 1t was hoped that the foreign
ers would not notice this. a grave
consultation was held by tho authori-
ties, and it was determined TO sacrifice
everything to make the Varna connec-
tion.. To avoid the swift current of the
B%osphorus the mail steamer was lei5 at
the Black Sea entrance and Il swift
steam launch was dispatched to her
with the mail an hour before the usual
hour. This change of hour discounted
the post-ot'ice. BY charging a cent
less postage than the foreign offices it
had built UP quite Il business in letters
for Europe. but on this day all the GUS
toners OF the Turkish office took their
letters to- the other offices which were
open an hour later. 1t was said that
the Turkish sacks contained only seven
letters; but, with these seven letters
the steamerrstarted, missed the train. at
Varna, and the letters were forwarded
by special train as before. BY this
time the whole population of Varna VAS
in the jokesand jeered and guycd che
Turks wheE.tley landed.
On the fcsrth trial the Post-Ofice
Department. had to face the task, of
reaching Varna in the face of an
amused andt %ridiculing world. This
time the steamer did better; it Only
missed the train bv about an hour. On
the fifth trial she Turks determined to
win; they closed the Constantinople
mails two hours before the usual time,
and at last did catch the train. In faet,
the Turkish mail, with its empty bags,
reached Varna only half an hour sitter
the Austriam steamer which had left
Constantinop!e three hours after the
Turkish mail closed. The Turks. how
ever, determined to pcrsevcre. and;they
capped the Climax of absuriity by an
nouncing tha5ithey would receive letters
as late as ~the.soreign offices and would
send Il supplementary mail by tha Aus
tlian steamer which runs in competi-
ton with their own slow line. Naahire
more is heard of closing the i&reign
p%ost-oitioes Cor. A. Y. Il;Juq3a.