The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-11
AoUEER COUNTRY.
Where the Police look after Your Har-
ness and Bankers cannot Figure.

There is great excitability about a Rus
sian. He loses his head upon the slightest
PROPAGATION. Ii you ask drosky driver the
second time how much his charges are he
becomes excited and talks so loud and fast
that the people in the next block run to see
who is hurt Twas driving one day down
the principal street in st. Petersburg with
member of the privy council. The carriage
went at rapid pace, as carriages usually do
there Directly we heard great noise be-
hind us. We looked, and the people for two
walks were yelling at us. asked my dis
tinguished friend what the matter was. He
replied that he did not know.
We did not stop. Our carriage rolled on
at the same rapid pace. Finally the confu-
sion became so great that the people in front
of us began to stop and gaze at us. The
workmen who we're putting down the Mich
olson pavement on either hand stopped and
yelled at us. Again asked my friend what
the trouble was, saying we were making a
sensation. He looked around again, and
sure enough the whole great broad street
was full Of people directing their voices to
our carriage. They pointed at us, and made
ordinations that even the native beside me
cold not interpret.
Five mounted policemen now turned into
the street and began to ride us down. They
cried "Stoil Stoip' which means stop"
Now my friend turned pale. He asked me
If my passport had been returned to the no.
tel with the chiefs signature, his leave for
me to stay. l replied that it had been sent
to the officer, but that as had not received
it did not know If it was all right.
81 expect" said he, that these officers are
after y0u," and be called to the driver to
stop.
When the officers came alongside uncon-
sciously raised up, ready to be taken into
custody, and looked to see which one had
the handouts.
"See therel'' exclaimed one of the mount
ed gendarmes.
My friend ami looked at the side of our
horses, expecting to see evidence OF crime,
and saw pull-back strap hanging loose!
The driver got down and buckled the strap,
the officers rode back, we drove on, and busi-
ness in the Broadway OF st. Petersburg was
resumed.
The same precautions againsi.ire are taken
In Moscow and st. Petersburg to-day that
were IN use a century ago. Scores Of fire.
About about IS to 100 feet are built like light
house, with winding stairway, and have
platform all around at the top, where
Waterman patrols day and night. Ii fire
is discovered signal Is given and the fire
department turns out. 1t was only recently
that ST. Petersburg, with hundreds of mil
lions Of government property, secured a
steam fire-engine; and that is poor, old
fashioned affair The hand-engine does SER
vice there yet, as in most other cities in the
empire. When fire breaks out the streets
are cleared for such department display at
an American town would make, people go
wild, talk loud, get in the way, and when
the fire burns out the fire department goes
back to watch the towers for another signal
| have been in four or five of the largest
banks in Russia and many OF the most extern
sive commercial and railroad houses, and no.
where have seen figuring done by pen or
pencil, like they do in America and England.
The Chinese counting machine, seen occa-
sionally in the hands OF John and Jap In the
United States, is everywhere. III you buy a
pair of socks for so kopecks, and handker-
chiefs for 70 kopecks the shopkeeper, even
the brightest and Oldest and most expert
enced, has to go to his machine to learn the
result-one rouble, 25 kopecks. ! venture
that there are not dozen bankers in Russia
who would attempt to discount any draft or
issue a letter Of credit, or change a ten
roube note into kopecks, without pushing
back and forward fer some time the strings
Of colored buttons in his machine, indicating
numerals.
But it is wonderful how adept some of
them are in the use Of the counting machine.
You may buy bill of goods ever so large.
The salesman keeps the machine beside him,
pushing out the numerals as. the purchases
are made, and the instant you call for your
bill he repeats the total. The Russians were
taught most of their business knowledge by
the Chinese and Turks, and these counting
machines are yet Indispensable in all oriental
places of business.
The stranger wonders how, in st. Peters
burg, for instance, the markets and shops
are kept as clean as they are, when the water
is so filthy. One can smell the water Of the
Neva, which furnishes the supply for drink
ing and household purposes, for a mile on an
ordinary summer day. 1t discounts the
water that used to get green in the Potomac
flats at Washington.
A native tells me the reason things are
Clean Every day health officer goes about,
inspecting the shops and houses. Gendarmes
assist. If there is any stencil OF decay dis
cernible. or any filth of any kind, the place
is arbitrarily closed, and kept closed for
weeks or months. There is no recourse, no
help for it, Cleanliness in the commercial
centres is an imperative necessity. Many
people have been ruined in business by being
closed by the officers. They can never learn
what is wanted. The only reply is: "You
must keep the premises clean" How clean
is not explained, and there can be no appeal