Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-04
HOMELESS ALEXANDER.
The Gar of Russia Entertained by
COttOn-Spinner.

The Gar of Russia Entertained by a
Cotton-Spinner.
1t is pity that man with two dozen
homes in one province should be home
less. Gar Alexander has, by actual count,
no less than twenty-five Imperial palaces
in and around St. Petersburg, says the St.
Petersburg correspondent of the New
York Tribune. Yet he has not only had
to seek lodging in the house of one of
his subjects, but has had thus also to
quarter his Imperial visitor from Berlin.
Nor was this hospitality received from
some great noble, but from a plebian
commoner, who is engaged in trade. This
is a singular exhibition of democratic
equality, is it not =? The two greatest
Emperors and their families the guests
of a mere cotton-spinner Not only that,
but they were in the very heart of the
industrial village, with workmen's tene-
ments all about them, and with the roar
of spindles and looms constantly sounding
| in their ears.
1t was thus that the Gar, the German
Emperor, the Empress, her daughter, the
Grand Duchess Xenia, the Grand Dukes
| Vladimir, Michael, Alexis, Hesse Darn
stadt, Mecklenburg, Schwerin and others,
| altogether eighteen Imperial and princely
personages, with their suites, and the for
| eign military attaches, had to be lodged at
Narva during the sham military man.
euvers between that place and Krasnoe
Selo. l say sham maneuvers advisedly,
for they were dress parades arranged for
| the entertainment of the young German
Emperor, and very different from the real
| army drill that is soon to be held, and to
which no foreigners will be admitted save
the representative of France. But Will
lam H. doubtless thought it was all real;
Just as though Alexander would show his
military hand to his chief adversary
The gentleman who entertained all
these great personages is Mr.. Polovtsef,
who holds State Secretaryship, but de-
votes his attention chiefly to his manu-
| factories. The works were established by
I Baron Steiglitz, whose adopted daughter
and sole heir is the wife of Mr.. Polovtseff
After the death of Baron Steiglitz, Mr..
Poloytseff greatly enlarged the works, and
made himself a formidable rival of the
Messrs. Coats of Paisley, who had hitherto
enjoyed almost a monopoly of the Russian
market. He imported a number of skilled
|
intendents, and boldly declared his ability
to turn out just as perfect thread as the
great English firm could. The rivalry be-
tween the two concerns is now very keen,
and is watched with interest by the trade
in both Russia and England.
Narva has thus been made an important
industrial center, for there is also, on an
island in the river, the great Krenholm
mill of Baron Knoop, one of the largest
cotton.spinning establishments in the
world. This factory contains 100000
spindles and 1900 looms, employs 5000
men, and produces $4,000 pieces of ex-
cellent print-cloth and 10000 pools Of
yarn per week. Mr.. Polovtseff has two
huge mills for cotton, fax and jute, in
which are employed nearly 5000 men,
This industrial importance of Narva is a
remarkable vindication of the far-seeing
policy of Peter the Great. He planned
that it should be a manufacturing city
because of the splendid water-power there
For long time the place languished, the
rivalry of the German Hanse towns being
too strong for it to stand against. But al
last it has won great prosperity in exactly
the manner suggested by Peter.