The Republican journal., 1885-11-19
Into Persia on a Bicycle.

Thomas Stevens, the American, who started
from San Francisco to go around the world on
bicycle, has reached Tabreez, Persia. The
following interesting letter, which we are al
lowed to use in advance of its publication in
Outing, details some of the riders experiences
in passing through the almost trackless wastes
of Asia.
l reached Tabreez yesterday, September 1S.
after a journey of 3S9 miles, as registered by
cyclometer, from Erzeroum, the point from
which | last wrote. Thus far my experience
In Persia has proved even more novel and In
teresting than in Asiatic Turkey; and, leaving
out, of course, the question of literary merit,
| have no hesitation in saying that the series Of
papers, descriptive of this part of the journey,
will prove real treat to the readers of the
magazine, and more novel and entertaining
than either the American portion published
last spring, those on the European part of
the tour now appearing. On the route from
Erzeroum here, | passed close TO the foot of
MI. Ararat. | have been honored and enter
tanned by hhans. and have Slept in, and par
taken of hospitality in the famous "black tents"
OF wild huids, against which these same khans
bad warned me to beware. Nobody thinks of
travelling without guards in this country, but
| have yentured alone anywhere and every
where, and have so far escaped serious molest-
all0n, though l have several times had to dis
play my revolver. | find the Persians excess
eiNely inquistiye, worse than anything alleged
against the Americans and it is an everyday
occurrence for me to race away from bowling
m0bs of villagers, who insist on OBTAINING me
until the Khan of the village and every in
diyidual of them has seen NE ride. and inspect
edtbe bicycle. 1t is great wonder the bicycle
hasn't become disabled long since, for | am
literally compelled to mount and. at least. at
tempt TO ride in all sorts Of impossible places
before the people will consent to my depart
ure; and often The only way ! can convince
them OF The impossibity of complying with
their demands, is to convince them with the
revolver; however ] haven't had occasion, so
far, TO so much as tighten a spoke In the wheel,
everything about il being i'll perfect order, eN-
cept that the rubber tire of the small wheel is
getting worn down. Everybody goes armed
here; but | have so far managed to avoid
serious trOuble,-the mere sight of the six
shooter being sufficient to scatter them like so
many sheep. These people DO not mean harm,
simply wishing to satisfy their curiosity but
frequently it is impossible TO ride at the place
and they WI! not take mo" for an answer. On
the other hand. they are very kind and hosrit-
able, sometimes refusing 10 accept any pay
ntnt whatever for such accommodation us
theN can dtfor0. | have found the country e 5
mountainous i'll Persia than in Asia Minor, hut
there Is Il tutai absence of wheeled vehicles
and consequently OF WaCon-r0adS. The great
camel-caTaNan routes afford Il greater propor-
ton Of ridahie pathway. however. than |
anticipated, enabling me TO do fifty miles a day
between lioi and Iabreez, besides going at
least ten miles out Of my direct course to reach
a lilage for he night. The distance traversed
from lsmIdt TO TabreeZ is POP miles, 800 OF
which Is Turkish measurement by post hours,
between Bel HnZaar, where my cycIometer pin
was broken, and SiVas, W here | had it repaired
again; and the remainder actual meas ure meat
hy cICIometer. 1t is somewhere near 400 miles
frUm here to 1ehrran. where | shall have to
ttIn t1n Wi etar u tI,,,tI
particular hurry shall probably accept the
invitation of Mr., Abbott, the English Consul
here. and Mes,r>. Oidfaher aud Whipple, the
American missionaries, TO remain for a couple
of days. The journey to leheran will probably
occupy about ten days. more or less, according
as find the roads. On the way | pass through
Mana. the place celebrated for the poisonous
bug, whose bite brings on violent fever. |
understand that these insects are only in the
houses. consequently shall either contrve to
pass through the district during the daytime
or sleep Out in the open.
Through Asia Minor, from Sivas to ErZer-
Oum. there are Well-deIined caravan routes
from one important town to 'her. but the
mountain trails are the most abrupt | ever
traversed: in this respect they are much more
difficult TO overcome with the bicycle than any
thing | experienced in the Rockies, where the
ascfnls are comparatively gradual. Often these
mountain trails are churned up by the feet of
the pack animals that have traversed them all
through the rainless summer months until sew
eral inches OF loose material covers the surface,
aid this. in addition to the steepncSs, makes it
Impossible to ascend save by pushing the BIZ
cycle ahead with rear wheel aioft like ascend
ing pair of stairs; sometimes have this high
" interesting task to accomplish for miles at a
stretch: but in the valleys there is invariably
found 4 good average proportion of ridable
road, and the last forty miles of my road to
ErZeToum, trayerSed in half a day, was Il mac
adam road, part of the great Trebizond and
Persian caravan route. From Sivas to Erzer-
oum the cyclometer registered 3OS miles. and in
spite OF mountains and brdgeless streams
averaged over forty miles day. Perhaps
should not average quite so much, but 1t Is only
al these distant points where one can expert
ence the luxury of listening to, and conversng
i'll his own mother tongue, and what is perhaps
quite as important, where anything like what
Americans cali ii "square meal" is obtainable,
hence the lnducement to worry along as rapidly
As possible. The ordinary mode of travelling
IN this country, by people in anything like COM
Ioflable circumstances, is to 20 on horseback
With guard OF .optnehS. and extra horses and
attendants carving bedding. tent, eases of pro-
visions, etc; for the Villagers are the most pow
erty-strlcken people imaginable. and the ac-
c0mmodation obtainable from them is some
thlnS TO shrink from, so that it Is not easy for
an inexperienced person to imagine what fell
low carrying none of these things, but trusting
entirely TO whatever many turn up from one
hour 10 another has to endure.
sincerely yours, THOMAS STEVENS.