Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-08
THE CITY OF FILTH.
Modern Jerusalem Fills the Weary
Pilgrim With Disgust.
DIRTY STREETS AND FOUL WATER.
Spots Of Sacred Memory Have Become
Objects Of Contention.
DANGERS OF A TRIP TO THE DEAD SEA
IcoRRxspoNpENcR OF THE p1sp.rcH.,

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPArcHI
JERUSALEM, May 25.-To the average
American mind there is connected with the
name of the Holy City certain indescriba-
BILE something; mysteriousness due, 1 think,
to the lack Of knowledge of the place as
compared to what is known of European
cities. People wonder how things look
there, how the people dress, what their Gus
toms are. In imagination they picture
| Calvary, Bethlehem, Jehosaphat and
Gethsemane, and wonder if their fantasies
portray anything like the original. With
the hope that description of trip just
about ended in Palestine may enlighten all
such, this letter is written.
A trip to Jerusalem at the present time is
by no means the arduous undertaking gen.
orally supposed. A pleasant sail of from
five to seven days from any Of the Mediter-
rsnean ports, lands the tourist at Jaffa, from
which an excellent turnpike road of 36 miles
extends to Jerusalem. 'Tis true that the
onger journeys through Palestine, to Naz.
aretb. Caifa, Damascus and other points, on
horseback, over rocky, uncertain mountain
paths and necessitating camping out at
night, are not pleasant experiences, but o
trip to Jerusalem and its environs, Bethle-
hem and the Dead Sea, occupying week,
may be made comfortably and pleasantly.
LANDING AT JAFFA.
Such a trip I began, when the steamer
Diana, two days out from Alexandria,
dropped anchor in front of Jaffa. early on a
clear, bright morning a week ago. It was
quite breezy and there was heavy swell on
the water. In consequence it required all
the strength and skill of the six bronzed and
brawny Arabian boatmen timing their oars
| to the strains Of native air to successfully
pass the Jagged reef on which the mytho-
logical Andromeda is said to have been
chained, and land US on the quay. Then a
long walk up the narrow, tortuous, dirty
street of Jafa, a city said to have existed
before the flood, past the crowded market
place to the hotel, and we were soon in a
comfortable landau drawn by three horses
abreast, bowling over the good road to Jeru-
salem.
This road Is of very recent construction
and is quite q piece of engineering work, as
by easy grades it ascends and descends the
mountains of Judah. The trip is nowfmade
in ten hours. Formerly it required two
days over the old Roman road, which we see
at intervals as we proceed. 1t is said the
construction of the new road is due to the
manner in which the English treated the
Sultan on mis- last visit to London. They
wined and dined him and supplied him
with everything calculated to make an
Eastern potentate happy to such an extent
that in gratitude he asked his hosts how he
could repay them. The answer came, ''give
us good road to jerusalem" And on the
return OF His Highness of the Harem the
road was built.
LEPERs AS OF OLD.
It is the only road in Palestine, and e1-
tends past Jerusalem to Hebron via Beth
lehem. Over this road two hours ride,
through cactus hedged orange groves,
through the Valley of Ajalon over the plain
of Sharon, where the Crusaders fought, and
we reach Ramleh. AS we stop to eat our
lunch we are approached by a party of
lepers three women and two Inen; the ad-
vance guard of the many we afterward see
along the road and outside the walls of
Jerusalem. Upon inquiry I found there
are about hundred cases of this dread
disease roaming about these parts. We
were glad to get rid of the company of our
unfortunate and hideous visitors by tossing
them some coin.
The same laws are binding upon these
wretched creatures to-day as in days of old.
They are forbidden to enter the city, and
must announce their condition 'iunclean,"
and remain at distance from those of whom
they beg aims. I asked my drayman why
the Government did nothing for their relief,
and found there was q place set apart for
them in the valley of Hinnom as of yore.
But they will not stay there. preferring to
be upon the highways begging. He further
claimed that the disease was not of the ma
iignant type existing in the days of David;
that the lepers stole into the city at night
to barter and trade, and that no harm came
of it. A sight OF the victims, however,
would cause anyone to doubt the truth of
the last statement, and determine him to get
out OF the city of such commerce as soon as
possible.
FIRST GLIMPSE OF JERUSALEM.
From Ramleh the road crosses the noun
tains, and as the day advances the heat be-
comes almost intolerable; and late in the
afternoon we reach Kolovieh and cross the
bridge spanning brook from which tradi-
tion says David choose the smooth stone
with which he slew Goliath. An hour later.
as the shades of evening are setting over Mt.
Scopus and the Mountof Olives, we round
spur of the mountain, and Jerusalem, the
end of our long journey, lies before us. The
first sight of the city is disappointing. But
as we draw nearer and pass some buildings
which have obstructed our view and the
walls come in sight the prospect is charming
and we can realize what magnificent place
it must have been in the days OF its grandeur.
Soon we pass through the Jaffa gate and
are comfortably quartered in the grand new
hotel opposite the Tower OF David. The
next morning early 1 started out with my
drayman for a look at the city. Truth and
candor compel me to say that as result of
this trip was disappointed, even disguised.
Outside OF its holy places and sacred spots,
which of course have peculiar fascination,
there is nothing to make the traveller an1-
ious for long stay in Jerusalem. Its
streets, of which there are really only three
or four, are narrow-not over IL feet wide
crooked, dirty and foul-smelling.
REEKING WITH FILTH.
One has actually to watch his steps to
keep out of the excrement, which befouls
the epassage-wavs-for they are not streets
elbowing his way through the ragged, dirty
Arabian populace and keeping sharp look
out that he don't collide with pack-laden
camel or donkey. In amazement 1 asked
why the streets were not kept clean. His
answer "How can they be without water"
prompted an inquiry as to what the water
supply was, and ELECTED the unique reply,
only water from Cod" meaning rain
water. He explained that for year they
had had only two rainialls of about one-half
hour each, the water being collected in cis-