Evening journal., 1897-01-15
MEN In RUSSIA ARE HAPPY
BOSS CARPENTER KNEE HAS
GAINED FIFTEEN POUNDS SINCE
HE LEFT NEW CASTLE.

HE l4l4f 4 NEW 0Afo li4l1.
Samuel Is. Knee, Of New Castle, now
engaged with the Russian American
Manufacturing Company in the nam
moth iron industry at Mariopol, South
Russia, ON the Sea Of Azov. writes an
interesting letter to his friend, James
p, Wallace of Wilmington, in which
he says.
Have sent two communications TO
the Evening Journal, and in them re-
quested a weekly paper to be sent me.
SO far / have had no reply No doubt
you have heard from me through the
Journal. My mail Is now overdue ten
days, as all the men have received mail.
Since the 5th OF the month | have writ
ten twenty-five letters to this date and
received no reply. II is pretty tough
being 5000 miles from home and not
even consoled with a few lines.
"On entering Russia proper we found
plenty of mountainous country and
very heavy grades, the train at times,
almost came to a stop, and when
reaching the summit would go like the
wind for am hour or more then another
heavy grade. SO you may know we were
tired out with four days and nights of
such travel We finally arrived at our
ST. Petersburg Hotel for eighteen days
F'ouad the city very modern in archi-
lecture. Almost all buildings one
STORY and double windows with six
inches OF air space between them
precaution against Jack Frost as he
gets down to business to the tune Of 50
degrees below zero. and the wind has
nothing to prohibit IL from venting its
full force and goes through anything
outside of leather or gum.
"The Russians have overcoats Tined
with fur and oileloth outside, which
the storm cannot penetrate. So far,
we have had very fine weather. One
day II gotdownto2 degrees below zero, In
general il has been American weather.
Our present quarters are good, the
company having erected fifty brick
houses of six rooms each, properly
heated, two cots in a room for two
men, and good heavy blankets. We
have been here at the plant since
November l6 and are very comfortable.
Our restaurant is the second house
| from us, with two dong dining rooms.
Some forty or more men dine there. We
have one room to ourselves, eighteen
of our crew, with an Interpreter. We
have good substantial food, but no deli
cacies. / have gained fifteen pounds
since | left home, SO ] think the change
of climate has been q benefit
'As to the language, ! ann picking Il
up slowly and have almost a book full
of words translated in my pocket all
the time, and when / want anything
look i'm my book for the name of the
article and thus make known my
wants.
I'VE are treated very nicely by the
Russian people. The plant of this
company covers about 900 acres. The
different buildings Of manufacturing
cover $50 acres. being fenced in from
the village outside We have three
quarters Of a mile to so to our work.
If | had a teaspoonful of your ale |
could sleep wen, as | fail to find ii any
where, and do not drink anything.
Beer is no friend of mine. and gin is
non est. | am as ever, your friend in
all its forms, SAMUEL b. KNEE,
"NicopOl MariOpol Mining and Metal
lurgical Company, South Russia.
As has been stated in the Evening
journal, 1t is useless to send second
class matter or newspapers in any form
! to a province Of Russia. All such mail
is thrown off at the border as, under
the provisions of the press censorship
no risks are run of literature that
might contain inhammatory matter
, against the czar or passages prejudicial
to the gCvernment.-Ed.