New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-04-24
From Rev. A. rghold.
Beirut. Syria, M{ech 10Th 1889.

J " .J oihoo = ioAoseNaS A'''ii.i
house in Styira, Austria fcAmerica.
AS take my rest to-day, bmething
unusual for me, many thoughts of the
quarter century of my emigration into
strange countries pass through my
mind lowering from the borders Of Asia
Minor, the cradle Of mankind, through
North Africa over Europe to North
America. The loud roaring waves of
the Mediterranean sea, my telephone,
brings me conscious news of the past.
times from the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans and from the lands between
them. Among the news is that / once
promised you to drop a few lines for
your paper. Very well, will do so
but you must excuse my sins against
the English Grammar as never en-
joyed English schooling and can only
give what have gobbled up from hear
say. | would have written long ago
but it was very hard for me to find time
for an extra correspondence because [
could write only during the night and
then my time was taken up by official
correspondence to other papers and by
my own personal correspondence. [
have travelled over vast territory since
l left New Ulm, August 9th 1888:
through some of the middle and south
ern states in America, through q cir
cult in Europe including North Ger
many Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy
Bavaria, Austria and in Egypt, Pales-
tine and Syria. Up all the time in day
time, am as weak as the Turkish gov
ernment is.
We poor fragile human beings do of
tentimes make fair promises but as Of.
ten we have not only good excuses bat
also good reasons for not fulfilling
them. The spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak, was an acknoWledg dged ak
iom OF two thousand years ago-noW to
the letter for you. | am sitting in
Beirut on the veranda of the hotel on
whose foundation the waves of the Med
iterranean sea to-day are making such
a noise that my head is really aching,
| am sure that q furious storm has been
raging on her waters last night because
the waves are unusually high. Gigantic
white headed waves are blowing
through the salty waters and tossing to
and fro so that the snow tinted foam is
bounding over the rocks and stonewalls
more than twenty and sometimes thirty
feet. The wall Of heavy square hewed
rocks that is TO shelter about fifty large
boats in a little harbor is sending over
more than a pleasant spray of dust
beaten nature and high flying squalls
are filling the boats half q dozen times
a day and number of halt naked Ar.
abs and Turks are working hard haz-
arding their lives by throwing out the
salty brine where it belongs, in the sea.
Hundreds of dark-skinned and gaily
dressed Orientals are watching the wild
sport of Mother Ocean and her lively
children, while surroundieg Mount Le-
banon looks calmly down from her high
throne As If it was wondering at the
Mediterranean strange doings.
The Austrian Lloyd steamer that was
due here last night has not come yet;
there is rumor that she suffered con-
side ably and is now at Haiffa. Even
if she would come now, no one could
Ian FOR come ashore. 1t has been IS
hours since the sea has been so wild
and no prospect Of . change either.
! Those who are on land may thank God
for this favor. I had fearful night
| from the 18th to the 10Th of March,
| coming from the world renowned ruins
| of Balbek, 1 left Stora 40 miles from
here in company of two french officers
on a private coach half past nine F.
M. Crossing the anti-Lebanon ut a
I height of 1000 or 5000 feet, we exper-
fenced such a storm of rain, hail and
] snow that after drive of about three
hours, our driver a full-blooded Arab
ian, gave out, lost his courage and
begged to be allowed to drive back to
Stora. We had great trouble to en-
courage him to continue the journey to
Beirut. The higher we went up the
mountain, the worse blew the wind
bowling through the treeless Alpine
cliffs and more than once we were in
danger of being whirled and hurled
down to the bottemless abyss below.
! Had one of the horses given way to ia.
tigue. we might all have lost our lives.
! / was glad indeed when we reached the
plans OF Beirut. The officer of customs
being asleep, our driver tried to get him
out of the watch house when the hors es
| started off into the city and / had trou-
/ bic enough by jumping out OF the car.
\ riage to catch and to stop the horses.
BY the horses running as they did we
were saved the examination OF our
baggage because the great Turkish
officer of customs when he awoke
could not follow us up.
Travelling in Ottoman dominions is
very bothersome because you have to
get All extra pass port III the official
4 language of tie country As we'll as to
have. Your baggage shown and exam.
1 lned both in coming and gong unless
You spend u few francs i'll the ever open
i hands of the respective officers as did
At Jaffa in the Holy L;lnd. had
4 bought ten cigars and put them IN IN,
4 satcnel, optima hdes. when left Beiru,
! for Damascus. Examining officers
found them therein and it took the in.
i terference of a higher official to save
4 me from the greatest in convenience,
i loss of time and from great expense.
/ The moral of this is: Do no: smoke in
Turkey or at least do not carry any to.
bacco or cigars with you-leave the old