Omaha daily bee., 1885-11-09
AROUND THE WORLD.
An Ad,.ptasouI 3aerio,p no,ono, rspsi,
cuR Bicycle,
Interesting Extract from Mr.. Stevens
Letter from Asia MInor-Under
the Shadow OF Mt. Ararat-
Tehcran AMI Tabrcs6

lOlnNN bbNNul9t Allt AUltIlNtl, NllO
started from San>Francisco, and passed
through Omaha, to 90 around the world
on bicycle, has-rcached Tubrcca. Per.
sia Tho following interesting letter,
which we are allowed to use in
advance of its publication in Outing
details some of the riders experiences
in passing through the almost trackless
wastes of Asia.
reached Tabreez yesterday, Soptcm-
her 18th, after journey OF 3Sg miles,
as registered by oyComctcr from Error
oum, the point from which | last wrote
Thus far my experience in Persia has
proved even more novel and interesting
than in Asiatic Turkey; and, leaving out,
of course, the question of literary merit,
| have no hesitation in saying that tho
series of paper, descriptive OF this part
of the journey, will prove u real treat
to the readers of the magazine, and more
novel and entertaining than either tho
American portion published last spring,
| or those on the European part of the
| tour now appearing. Oh the route from
! Erzcroum mere, passed close to
! the foot of Mt. Ararat | have been
] nOnOitu ana entertained DN NlllnS, anu
! have slept IN, and purtakCn of hospitality
in the famous black tents OF wild
| kurds, against which these same khuns
| had warned me to beware. Nobody
thinks OF travelling without guards in
! this country, but nave vcuturCd alone
| anywhere and everywhere, and have so
! far escaped ser Gus mOlcStatiou, though
| | have several times had to display any
/ revolver | find the PurSiuus excessively
| inpDiSitlNp.--N worse than an tDipp "a llpUtU
! against the Americans, and 1t IS an
! everyday occurrence for me TO race
away from hOwling mObs OF villagers,
who insist on obtaining me until the
Khan OF the village and every Individual
| OF them has seen me RIDE, and spectrd
! the bicycle. 1t is II great wonder tine
bicycle hasn't become disabled long
since, for | am literally compelled to
mount and at least, attempt to ride in
| all sorts of impossible places before the
people wall consent to my
departures and often the only way
] can g.. convince them of the
impos,ibi OF complying VITA Their
demands, is to convince them with the
revolver; however, | haven't had occa-
son, 50 far, to so much as tighten spoke
in the wheel, everything ABOUT it being
in per!e order, except that the rubber
tire of the snS&il wheel is getting worn
down Everybody goes armed here; but
| have so far managed to avoid serious
! trOuble--the mere sight OF Il SiXshooter
being sufficient te scatter them like so
many sheep. T1gse people do not mean
harm, simply wishing to s,tisty their
curiosity but fraghentiy it is impossible
tor,de at the place, and they VII not
take mo" for AN answer. On the other
hand, they arg very kind and hospitaD,e,
sometimes refusing to accept amy pay
ment whatever for such accommodation
.,ut thpU GGnrI buUh inIinI
country less mountainous i'll Persia than
in Asia Minor bat there is total ab-
scnce ot wheeled vehicles, and cOnSe.
quently of wagon roads. Tho great
camel caraEapIG sronteS -, afford Il
greater praleffisn Of ridable path
way, however than anticipated,
enabling me to do fifty miles Il day be-
tween Hoi and Tubreez. besides 90 :ng at
least ten miles out OF my direct course to
reach village for the night. he dis
tance travcrsed from lsmidt to Tabree2
is l. !O4 miles-3UO of wiiicn is Turkish
measurement by post hours, between Bel
Bazaar, where my cyclometer pin was
broken. and S,yas, where | had it re,
pared again, and the remainder actual
measurement by cyclomcter. IL is some.
where near 4OO miles from here to Te-
heran, where | shall have to remain for
the winter, and as there is no particular
hurry | shall probably accept the invita-
ton of Mr.. Abbott, the English consul
here, and Mcssrs Odfather and Whip
pic the American missionaries, to re.
main Tor couple of days. The Journey
to Tehcran will probably occupy about
ten days, more or less. lCcOrulingas lind
the roads On the way | pass through
Mana, the place celebrated for the poi
sonous bug, whose bite brings on violent
fever. | understand that THESE insects
are only in the houses, consequently
district during the daytime, or sleep out
in the open.
Through AHa-Mnor, from Slvas to
Erzeroum, there are welldelined cara
van routes from one important town To
another, but the mountain trails are the
most abrupt ! ever travcrSrd, in In s re-
spcct they nre much more dlIhcuiC 10
overcome with the bicycle than anything
| experienced in the Rockies, where the
ascentS are comparatively gradual.
Often these mountain trails are cnurned
up by the feet OF the pack animals that
have travcrSed them all through the
ruinlesS summer months until several
inches of loose material covers the sur
face, and this in addition to the steep
ness, makes it impossible to ascend save
by pushing the bicycle ahead with rear
wheel alOlt like ascending pair OF
stairs; sometimes | have tn.6 highly in
tcrcSting task to accomplish for miles ut
II stretch; but in the valleys there Is i'll.
variably found II good average proper
ton OF ridable road, and the last forty
miles of my road to ErHeroum, trayerHcd
in half day, was macadam' road,
part 0f the great IrcbiHoud and Persian
caravan route. From Silvas TO Er-
zcroum the cycIometer registered
3uS miles, and in spite
of mountains and 5ridgeless streams |
averaged over forty miles day, Per
haps l should na ay rage quite 50 much
butt is only at these distant POINTS
where one can experience the luxury OF
listening to, AMI GOnverslng in his own
mother tongdf..and what is perhaps quite
as important wtGre anything like what
Americans call square meal is OBJ
tainable, herre the inducrment to worry
along as rapidly rs possible, The ordn-
AIRY mode OF travelling in this country, by
people in any StiipS like com Ortaple r
Gumstances, lst0 20 on horseback with i
guard OF Haptiehsl ana extra horse and
attendants carrkqg bedding, tent, eases
OF provisions, QtCS for the Villages are
the most poverty Stricken people imag-
Unable and tlm accommodation obtain
able from them is something 10 shrink
from, so that it is not easy iOr an mex
| perIencud pcrsOu To imagine what n tel'