Morning journal and courier., 1892-04-30
wAKEMAN,S wANDERINGS.

WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS. In Galicia-The Petroleum Fields of Galicia-Homes and Servants of the
 Polish Nobility-Estate Laborers No
 Better Than Serfs-LowIy Folk of
 Austrian Poland.
 LENBERG, Galicia, April 2. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 My original purpose in visiting Austrian Poland was to inspect, at the invitation of a friend, the new petroleum fields of north eastern Austria, and incidentally to study the Galician lowly.
 On first reaching Cracow nasty trip by rail to Kolomea, in the southeastern cor ner of Galicia, half days walk from the frontier of barbaric Bessarabia, demon strated that there was nothing of very great interest to write of these industrial developments.
 An oil belt three hundred miles in length and about twenty-five miles wide extends southeast from near Sanok, in Ga licia, along the Carpathian range of noun tains. It then passes between Bukovina and Hungary, and thence breaks away into the Roumanian oil fields in detached spurs of the Csrpathians. It is perhaps one thousand miles in length, and altogether forms what is known in the geography of petroleum as the "Galician deposits" and territory of the "Austro- -Roumanian refn- cries"
 Until 1881 the operations were of the most primitive character, consisting all most exclusively of ''hand digging" and the "free fall' systems of sinking wells. At the date named the Canadian system of ''pole tool drilling" was introduced, and rapid development, backed by English capital and operated by Galician Polish companies, resulted. All the steam power machinery is imported from England. Engineers and superintsndents have been brought from the Canadian oil fields, and the tools, formerly supplied from Hano- yer, are now made in Galicia.
 The flow of oil Is not to be compared with that of the average Pennsylvania dis tricts. It becomes most insignificant taken into account, yet it is a fairly prof. table source of supply; has given employ ment to thousands of Polish and Ratheni- an peasants, whose wages are ninety kreut- gers, or about thirty-six cents per day, with daily allowance of two sticks of cordwood for fuel; and I find the entire annual production of the Galician petro- leum fields equals two-thirds of the total consumption by all Austria.
 In so far ss these peasant employees, who were too recently 'agriculturists, woods men and mountaineers to have lost any of their hereditary customs and characteris- tics, gave opportunity of study of the Ga licisn psasantry, the large groupings of such lowly had interest. But my research es among the peasant class were chiefly carried on upon the large estates and in the purely peasant villages.
 The acceptance of three invitations as guest at the homes of two noblemen and one rich gentleman farmer furnished op- portunity to know slightly the aristocratic country landlords and to really see their minds or laborers and house servants as they are. The latter differ in no impor tant respect from the lsboring peassntry of the villages, save that to me they seem even more soddenly stupid and servile. At this time of the year tho outdoor labor CT still retains his winter clothing. He is a curious looking fellow. His hair is cut either straight across his forehead or to a spear-like point upon it, and grows like lions mane about his shoulders and neck.
 His head covering is a mangy fur hood, often of squirrel skin with the tail dan gling loosely upon his shoulders, or of sheep or goat skin with the fleece side next his head. A sort of greatcoat or robe hangs loosely from his shoulders to below his knees. This is of the skin of some animal, with the fur or hair next the body. The reversed exposed side is covered with ancient layers of greese for protection against the snow and rain. If he possess es undergarments of any sort they are shreds of rags stuffed with chaff and straw.
 He usually wears stockings of the hesv fest and coarscst material, and high legged, pointed shoes of huge proportions. For not only are the precious hose protected by ropes of straw wound from above the knee to the ankle, but enough chaff and wisps of straw participate in occupancy of his cavernous shoes to provide sufficient warmth. Aside from this unique garb his ! beard stands out from his face 8 massy, wiry chevaux-de-frise, in which enough straw and chaff have lodged to provide an l adequate comforter" for his face and | neck.
 From dozen to a score of these peas | ant animals seem to be attached to every large estate. If they have quarters-ex- cept those who are married, who are pro vided with low, matched wooden huts, squslid and filthy beyond description-I was not able to find tlem. They are "messed" like hogs from the great house kitchen in corners of the stables, and lie down at night among the other animals, l with their straw ropes and hide coats for bedding, wherever they are able to find | most congenial and comfortable stabling.
 Serfdon is not supposed to exist in this land, but have we'll founded suspicion that something very like it is in vogue. The wages of such laborers do not exceed | an average of thirty kreutzers per day, | perhaps twelve cents, although they are glad enough to get this. Each estate is provided with steward or overseer, who, like the Irish agent, adjusts matters SC that human effort is not permitted to pro duce more than this kind of human life is supposed to require. He has a storehouss filled with the rude requirements of these estate laborers-coats, shoes, hose, belts
 something that is called tobacco and snuff caviare and vile brandy. These are issued
 after the manner of our own exquisitely devilish "truck" system with miners. witt such discretion that the estate laborer is in lifelong debt, and is subject to the
 prison and lash If he attempts to escape
 his master and his obligation.
 And yet the households sustained by
 this lovely adjustment of human equitie.
 and ethics are as serene and sweet as
 have ever found. Wherever my host and
 I moved about the estates these white | slaves first bent and kissed the hems o
 our greatcosts and then stood with barec
 heads in silence until We had passed. N,
 doubt this sort of thing gives the master
 grand czar-like feeling, and it is lording i
 chesply besides.
 So, too, within the mansions where th,
 servants are few in comparison with simi
 lar establishments in other European
 countries, when the somewhat better con
 ditioned white slaves, because bette
 housed and fed only, are not eternall, grabbing at one's sleeve or coat skirts t' perform this osculstory reverence, the,
 are continually, when entering or leavinl ] any apartment, or receiving an order O serving you, circulating, with duckeS heads, "Ich kust die handl"
 . There are no schools or colleges for tn l better class of girls, and at nearly all thes , Polish sristocratio homes I found 6 bonne an English governess, or both, and , French tutor. They receive excellent sal ! aries. live on something like terms O 7 equality with their employers, are usuall 3 broken down gentlemen or gentlewome