Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-10
~. I
VIEWS OF EUROPE.
Days in Russia.
Special Correspondence Times epub-
Days IN Russia.
- r.

|
s..s-s
Especial Correspondence Times Repub-
lican.1
My first night in Russia was my
worst. / came into st. Petersburg at 10
O'Clock on a railway train. without a
map Of the city, guide book or the.
knowledge of a word of Russian. The
chief porter, whose business it is to
ascertain the desired destinat ton OF
strangers and summon cab for them,
was surrounded by throng of people
and not waiting for his direction left
the station to find a hotel. This had
a theory would be possible in any city
of Europe. did not then have my
city. / spent two hours upon the
streets, making some interesting OBJ
servations meanwhile, but finding no
place to stop. Why? First. because the
streets We're dark, lighted only at COR
ners with a Pickering gas flame. Be
cause signs We're all in Russian. which
could not read, and again because
there was no man to give me direction.
Store keepers, porters at the gates of
houses, policemen, cabmen, all We're
and the fact that wanted to reach
one. There are 5000 Germans in ST.
Petersburg and on any other day that
language would carry me where i
would CO. My imping French saved
me on other days, for French Is the
fashionable speech and is spoken by
the educated class. This night every
man / approached was one of the 80 per
cent who can neither read, write nor
understand. On the stroke of Il. the
hour when all street doors must be
closed and locked, entered bar room
closed and locked, / entered a restau-
rant and bar-room as the two score OF
drunken loungers were being driven
out, and more by signs than by words
made the red faced proprietor under
stand that | would be patron of his
hotel department. After giving him
possession of my passport was shown
to a room and locked myself in. / am
ready to take an oath that some Rus
SLAMS sleep dressed and in their boots.
1t may be a custom, for the bed in this
room had not enough covering to keep
an Esquimo warm. The night was
piercing cold and my blood is thin.
| The room, moreover was dirty and the
company not desirable. / stayed until
! daylight, because could not get away.
! But there are good hotels in ST. Peters
| burg and on the second night had
nothing TO wish for
When Peter the Great founded the
4 city which bears his name he said he
would have "a window looking out into
] Europe" 1t is built on the two banks
of the river Neva and on low ground.
Great stone buildings have their foun-
idations resting on piles twenty feet be-
How the surface. When the wind blows
in from the Baltic the Neva rises until
1 within a few hours it is at the level OF
/ the streets and should n strong wind
continue for more than day the senti-
4 nels, ever on the watch, would fire the
cannon which warns the people that the
lefty is in danger. Petersburgers take
i pride in saying that the Russian capt.
tai IS however. European city. There
are. however, many points of difference
from other cities of Europe. The domes
tgilded with gold. of the Greek Catholic
churches, the worshippers bowling anG
tcrossing themselves in the Streets the
llaborers with long red shirts Worn in
stead of coats, women with no head
dress save shawl street vendors bal
ancing their trays upon their heads
4. the great proportion of heavy bearded
men, these all seen In st. Petersburg
are peculiar to it alone Of European
81 cities.
The center of the city is marked by 8
group of buildings on the banks of the
Nsva which includes The buildings Of
state, the Winter Palace, the Herm-
itage. the University, the Synod and
various museums. Radiating from this
center are three principal streets ant
the busiest Of these is the Newsk,
Prospect.
The streets are of unusual width ant
/ for this reason seem to lack the crowd:
of a LARGE city. Not so with the Newskl
for it is ever tilronged. 1t has the bust
mess OF State street, the wealthy SHOW
rlof Michigan avenue and the povert,
/ of the Whitechapel, London. \ singl
i track horse-car line runs along tn
Newsky, the large remainder of tn
q street travel is by cars. These numbe
/ thousands, driven by bearded men o
+ large circumference, who go fast 70
a low fee.
/ Russia extends from the Baltic Sc
. TO the Pacific ocean, from the unex
plored. ever frozen north to the semi
Il tropical regions of the southern eau
! casus and has within its borders
s great variety in land and many peoples
i In general the country which hay
n passed through has been low, wit
much swamp land. is partly cultivated
lin part overgrown with dwarfed pin
and white birch. The houses of III
peasants are grouped together in snla
y, villages. the one-roomed houses are {
rough, Imprinted lumber or logs tul
g roof, many Of them miserable nuts al
fording not & shelter for a horse
COW.
The boxes, wicker trunks, sacks ar
bags, carried by the Russian travelle
are q great number. The length of II
journey bears no relation to numbe
The wonder is the poorer the trayelle
the more the luggage. The first ella
traveller knows how to go unburdent
but thu fourth class traveller is load'
land tied down with wonderful arr
. of baggage. My private opinion is tn
he takes his little world OF possession
with him on the shortest journey WI
1.-THE certain knowledge that ii he do
not do so he Will be without proper
on his return. This is not without
basis. new copy of Murray +
which had paid ten rubles three da
hsfara nd - pnpltava of writing m