Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-11-02
B. K. MILLER IN ASIA.
Milwaukee Lawyer Returns from
Turkestan, a Land of Fine
Fruits and Simple
People

People.
r X Miller of the law firm of
Miller. Noyes & Miller, has returned
from a trip into the depths of Russian
Asia, having crossed Caueasia and pene-
trated into Turkestan as far as Tashkent.
One Of the cities visited, Bokhara, is the
most Asiatic OF all Asiatic cities.
Mr. Miller left Milwaukee about three
months ago for st. Petersburg While
waiting two weeks for the Russian gov
eminent to produce his passport into the
TransCaspian country, Mr.. Miller
passed over TO Stockholm, and from
there went to Copenhagen, Berlin and
Paris 1t was there that he received
his official telegram of permission
couched in diplomatic French. 1t read:
Petersburg.-You are authorized to visit
the Russian possessions in Central Asia and
TO use the Trans Caspian railway with the
exception of the Mourgag branch, and on
condition that you do not stop at Khiva
or BOkhara. The local authorities have been
notified. HARTWIG.
Mr.. Hartwig is the Russian minister
Of foreign affairs.
Russian Officials Were Kind.
Mr.. Miller did not need his special pass
port until he reached Krasnovodsk. the
steamship terminus on the eastern shore
of the Caspian. Here the precious tele,
gram was SAOWu lue pEeIecI OF D0ilce.
"Oh, you are the lawyer from Milwaukee
Yes, | have received word from St.
Petersburg 10 pass you. 1t is all right"
Twelve hundred miles into the interior
of Turkestan, at Tashkent. the telegram
was again demanded and produced. The
governor gave the traveller permission to
stop at Bokhara, one of the two towns
prescribed, on his way back to Krasno-
yodsk. In fact, the entire Russian Off
oialdom was very kind.
Mr.. Miller was greatly interested in
the industrial and agricultural conditions
of Turkestan. For a third of the dis
lance from the Caspian to Tashkent, the
country IS desert. The remainder
would be SO were it not for irrigation
which transforms it into a garden. The
grapes are of the proportions of the cele-
brated bunch carried out of Canaan by
the Israeitish spies. Huge lunches of
thin-skinned, exQuisitely favored white
grapes as large as small pumpkins and
with the grapes themselves an inch
across, sell for cents. Melons of all
kinds and of unapproachable flavor are al
50 abundant. The principal crops of
Turkestan are cotton and sorghum cane,
the Gotten being grown from American
seed Millet is also grown extensively
and stock raised to some extent. though
fiocks and herds are not so numerous as
in the Caucasus. There were numbers of
camels. Throughout this region may be
seen the oVergr0Wn remains OF ancient
and huge irrigatng bitches.
ObIivious of Modern Progress.
On the way back from Tashkent the
Turkestan cities of Bokhara, Samar-
kand and Mery were visited. The lower
in these towns, oblivious to whatever
manufacture or modern industry may be
carried on in their midst by the Rus
slams. The bazaars and markets afford
scenes combining every kind of costume
and mixture of blood. At sunset Mo
hammedans spread their carpets and
bowed low toward Mecca.
Caucasia resembles Switzerland. Huts
and grain fields may be seen far up the
mountain sides. Flocks of goats and
sheep are plentiful. They have made the
wool of the country famous. The region
Is rich in oil 1t can be found almost
anywhere if the pipe is sunk deep enough.
The oil is obtained nearest the surface
at Baku, on the west shore of Caspian.
Here are large refneries. The crude oil
is refined and shipped by rail TO the Black
sea whence it is carried by sea to all
parts of the world. All of the by-pro-
ducts of oil are utilized at Baku. At
other producing points they go to waste.
By reason of the heavy oil shipments the
railroad on either side of the Caspian
range has all the business that it can pos
sibly do and engineers are now busy
Communicating DOM lines. lJaflel pass,
which constitutes the principal cut in the
Caspian range is $50 miles long and one
of the most wonderful sights in the
world. This pass was successfully held
against all Corners until the Russians
took it in 1880. Tifis, near it, is the
metropolis of the region.
Travelling Cheap aud Comfortable.
Travelling in Russia and Russian Asia
is both cheap and comfortable. A ticket
can be purchased at St. Petersburg, first
class, 5000 miles, for $40; second class,
three-ffths of that sum; and third class,
two-ffths of it. The cars in the Trans
Caspian country are white ON account of
the summers heat. The countries in Eu-
rope in which the traveller needs a pass
port are Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Rou-
mania and Montenegro. The passport is
secured from some representative of the
country to be traversed before entering
it. In Constantinople the American pass
port must be countersigned by the vice
consul of the United States before ne
can get out of the country. Permission
is necessary to escape from Russia as
we'll
This was Mr.. Miller's second visit to
Russia. There are few Milwaukeeans
who have travelled purely for pleasure
and knowledge to the extent that MIR.
Miller has. There are few remote parts
of the globe he has not yisited.-Evening