Omaha daily bee., 1888-09-09
DOOM,
The Historic Old Town Likely to Fall
Again,

London Daily News: The historic
old fortress town of the Crimean penin-
sula appears to be destined shortly to
suffer another fall. This time it is the
young and budding commerce which of
late years has lent life and movement
to wharves, assisted to rebuild and re-
peoples her streets, and attracted to her
c%ommodious land-locked harbor the
flags of all the maritime nations of
Europe, which is about to depart from
her, and leave Sebastopol to regain the
military and naval glory which she
was so rudely bereft of thirty-three
years ago. AS the Novoe Vremya,
writing on this subject, s~enteniously,
remarks, Commerce does not frater-
nize with war nor flourish under the
moLth of the cannon
At the time when the construction of
the Lozolf Sebastopol railway scheme
was under the consideration of the i'm
perial council, the question was fully
discussed whether Sebastopol should be-
come exclusively II military port or at
tie same time q port of commerce. AT
the time" remarks the Novoe Vremya,
"ro one dreamt of the reconstruction
OF the Black sea fleet, except as q re-
mote possibility in the uncertain fu-
ture." 1t was the future uncertainty
which at that epoch decided the gov
eminent upon making Sc bastOpOl n
port of expectation, and as such the
place has to II certain degree p]rospered
greatly during recent years. 1t is i'm
possible, however, to create great COM
mercial centers at will. Sebastopol is
situated at least 100 versts from the fer
tile regions OF Taurida, whence her eX-
port industries are drawn.
1t snouid also be remembered that
Sobastopol has never really possessed IL
,tIass Of iirst-class merchants, properly
so called, and those commercial agents
who have of late years established
themselves there are almost exclusively
occupied in the shipment OF grain.
They are chiefly representatives of
large Jewish houses in England and
France, or more particularly in London
md Paris. These agents have never
hid from themselves or their principals
the fact that their establishment at Sc
bastopol was dependent on the tempo
rury permission of the naval and mil
itary powers which have virtually con-
trolled the place, and it is for this rea-
sen that, despite the immense profits
realized of late years in the grain eX-
port trade of Sebastopol these merchants
and agents have never embarked n
rouble in the erection of maya
zines and stores, but have
hired the government granaries and
magazines or allowed their grain await
Jug shipment TO accumulate temporarily
on the open wharVeS, and protected it
as best they might from the elements.
Their economy and prudent foresight
appear to have been well grounded in
the result.
Now it appears the government, act
ing upon the advice of the naval and
military administrations, has decided
IN aNpll1n all mnritinnn f,,,,
the South bay, which in future will be
reserved to the imperial navy. This
exclusion is equivalent to a suspension
of the cereal exports from Sebastopol.
The maritime commerce OF Scbastopol
will certainly be transferred to Theo-
dosia by coast, which is only four
hours sail further eastward. This
transfer will no doubt be easily and
rapidly accomplished. The ancient
katfa, at one time notorious rs the
greatest slave market between Europe
and Asia, possesses natural advantages
highly inducive to its future eminence
rs n Black sea port of the Taurida. 1t
will be necessary only to construct a
branch line of railway from Djankoi,
on the LoZoff Sebastopol system to The
odosa, a distance Of ITO versts; but rs
Djankoi is only distant 100 versts from
Sobastopol, it will be seen that the new
port of Theodosia will be reached from
the interior with a saving of forty-nine
versts of railway transit. Besides this add
vantage, Theodosa itself is situated in
the fertile region of the peninsula, rich
in export products Of many kinds. A
good road connects Theodosia with
kertch, a distance of only ninety versts
or about sixty English miles, and with
the transfer OF the commerce of Sebas'
topol to the former port, there will be
every incentive to the rapid connection
al Theodos-a and Kertch by rail. A
glance a the map will convince anyone
that under these circumstances Theo.
,osla is destined to become in future q
i.uurishing industrial center.