The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-08-04
IN .RQuMANlA.

IN RouMAi,lA.
A. the Head Of Navigation on the Danube
River.
We had padded along fortYa NILS
agalnsta heavy wind, and sea, md pr.
9erHng thlquiet Of camp Is ths con-
nsabn uf tie busy town. landed on "a
unoccupied meadow in full view Of
Braila, extending far along the bluff
and looking down upon the forest Of
mast upon the river, and with the
spirlgan domes of Galatz distinctly
visible on a high point of land few
miles below us.
Braila is at the head of naviQstion
for sea-2Qing vessels, and as it i3Aon1H
about de hundred and Stwentysfiyo
Inae frSm av6e .mouth Of yhesriyer. S.
practically port on the Black sea. A
few years ago it was of secondary COM
meHciar impor lance to Galatz, a larger
town SIM larly placed on bluff fifteen
niles further down stream. Since the
q urkishwar, however, the grain trade
has been gradually transferred to the
former city, until it has now absorbed
the whole of this commerce, and has
consequently become the chief shipping
port ,forrall the produce of grazing row.
ing regions of Roumania and northern
Bulgaria.
The army of the Gear made the first
crossing of the Danube in 1877 from
3alatz, across the marsln tor spur ofs
the bold hills near the svillsge. 81
Matchin, and it was,in one Of tie mar 1
low, arms of tie river here that the
rurki$h monitorsSweres entrapped and
destroyed. Galatz covers much more
territory than its neighbor above,
spreading far out over level plateau,
along highways which are deserts of
lust in summer and sloughs of mire
in winter. Part of the town is laid OFT
with some regularity, and there are
few streets we'll cared for and withsnew
buildings; but the thoroughfares on the
slope of the plateau near the river are
narrow, crooked and steep, and most
ot the pavements are simply atrocious
There is no gas manufactured, but an
abundance of water is brought into the
own, and fountainis in constant OPP
ration inthe tiny plrk, W here mills
sary band playslig hit French.ai every
evening to motley crowd of many
lationalities. The better class of Rou-
nanians admire everything French, and
in all the cities there are curious and
oftsn ludicrous attempts to initiate
Partisan architecture and to follow the
customs of that capital. This is the re-
suit, of course, of the French education
If the youth of the leading families for
generations past.
y ssssEeahosfurget. pattso6 the town consists
If houses only one story in height, with
stucco facades ana tiled roofs. In GER
'ain quarters the population is very
tense, and the streets and dwellings
Ire there in a state of indescribable
18th. The crowdel market places are,
n the morning, perfect museums of
types and costumes. Albanians in fus-
;inellas like ballot.dancers' skirts jostle
Slovac raftsmen in their skin-tight
WOODEN trousers; smart marines from the
naval sta ton at the upper part of the
;own hagylc with peadlers of Turkish
sobacco; and forid- faced cooks of En-
ylish steamers shoulder their way to
'he meat shops, regardless of Rouman-
an, Bulgari an, Russian, Greek, or Jew.
In the outs kirts of the town several
large bands of gypsies camp on the hill
sides; for h ere, as in most other places
in Roum Ania and hungary, they are not
allowed to occupy houses. OF all the
specimens of this remarkable race we
saw in our trip, those at Galatz were by
far the most savage and repulsive in ap-
7earance. AS we approached their
squalid cam p on the bare slope of
great hill, exposed to wind and sun,
hundreds of half-clothed maniacs
swooped down upon us, wildly
yesticulating and shrieling for aims,
tearing open their garments to
show their emaciated bodies, and hold
ing aloft naked children shiveriny in
the cold breeze Raven black hair fall
ing over their faces in tangled masses
half hid their small cunning eyes, and
sun and dirt had given their skins the
color and texture of long-tanned leather.
Everything about them-clothes, blan-
kets and tents-was of the same sug-
rgestive- brown hue, and this monotone
was only relieved by gaudy trinkets in
the matted tresses Of the women, and
tysan occasional ornamentalg knifeshan-
ale in the girdle of the men. Weswere
unable to endure for any length of time
the filth of the camp and the proximity
Of the evil-looking, ill-smelling crowd,
which at every moment became more
and more difficult to avoid, and we soon
retreated, followed for a long distance
by a number of urchins, all limbs and
ssa ysed or @o On e5e dTzs
did not feel purified from the contact
With thesesgypsies:until we were seated
lpgSinlnt ca1pes and facing the brisk
east wind on the broad reach below
Galatz.-F. ID. Millet, in Harpers Maya
zine,