The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-23


and Electric Lights in the valley
OF the JorGau-A Demand for
Goods of American Manufacture
Yankee Ingenuity and commercial viSor
are doing wonderful things in the Holy
Land Until d few years ago it was said
that if one of the prophets had returned
TO the scenes of his earthly activities he
would have had little difficulty in recog-
Efzing them. except for the change in the
character Of the population The hills
and valleys OF old Judea had otherwise
taken little note Of the flight of the cen
turtles But our consuIs write to the de-
partmeHt Of State that times are chang
ing even in Palestine and Syria The rail-
way from Joppa TO Jerusalem, at first an
experiment. has been put upon q paying
basis and other lines which viii connect
il with points of interest UP and down
the valley of the Jordan have been pro
jected or are actually in course of build
ing In Jerusalem there are now electric
lights. telephones, monographs, sanitary
plumbing. modern stores, houses built
with "a m. /. and. in short, most Of the
comforts Of civilized life. Trolley lines
are talked Of to connect Jerusalem with
/ Bethany, Bethlehem, the Lake of Galilee,
Samaria Jericho. Nazareth. and other
places made familiar through Bible his
tory. with the introduction Of these IN
sigma of modern activity the Palestine
/ of the past viii vanish
It is related that an American travelling
/ salesman recently went to Jerusalem and
/ beirut and in one day sold merchandise
/ of an up-to-date type to the amount OF
! s. SEQ. Commission houses for the haho-
/ ling of American goods have been opened
| in nearly every city and town OF import
! arce in Palestine and Syria and IN many
| i-e.anoes they are conducted by wide
/ awake American business men In a SIN
I gle month this year one Of the houses I'M
J Dorted American leather to the value OF
/ s7oa. Another has established a market
/ for American -four, and predicts that III d
/ few years. the people Of the Holy Laho
| viii be good consumers Of this staple
/ Cyheap American watches are in demand
! and have been sold to scores OF the ma
( tfves. who regard them with increasing
favor
More than 200 photographs were rec
/ emily sent there, one-haIt gong 10 Ia
/ Tnascus and the rest 10 Jerusalem anu
nearby places The best customers IoF
+s1-i7e- machines Il IS said are the Mos
lens Of Beirut. Jerusalem, and Jamas-
Gus. who buy them for their harers- One
commission house at Beirut has bought,
according to G. Bic Ravndal, the Anerl-
can Consul. a $3.50 windmill from an Hi
/ neis firm. and viii erect 1t on the Bakaa
main. This firm IS confident that there IS
. be an important market for TindnlIils
in Palestine and syria. and for irrigation
machinery of all sorts Rich foreigners
( are figuring to secure control Of some OF
the once fertile valleys Of the country.
! and should they succeed there VIII be an
/ ATTEMPT to make them again land flow
ing with milk and honey These foreign
J ers in most instances are Jews, who are
leaders in the Back to Jerusalem move
ment which has been preached so elo-
oUentIy by Israel ZangwiII and others
Speaking once more of windmilIs, a Il
horsepower machine has been Installed IN
! the interior. west of the Jordan, for -four
/ grinding purposes, and another large one,
I bought in Chicago, is just going up at
Yafa. Even American beer has found its
/ way into The country one firm has sold
10 date 5I9 cases Of IS bottles each, and
+ another has recently received 156 cases Iii
( rect from Milwaukee. The municipality
!. OF Beirut has added a $500 steam street
roller to its public equipment, and this is
the Only steam roller now in Turkey in
Asia, although the way is opening for
others.
the articles Of American make which are
now selling IN the Land Of Promise, hut
the latest, according to consular advises,
are cotton fabrics, rope, shoes, clocks, pa
per, carriage leather, bicycles, coal, wire
nails. paints, hardware electrical novel
ties Of all sorts. iron bars steel beams
weII-driIllng machinery. garden tools, a
fine line Of agricultural machinery, can
ned meat. cornmeal. oatmeal, mechanics
tools, etc. Wire nails TO the value Of al
most S5.099 were sold n Syria last year,
/ all coming from this country
| Thus IS ancient Syria giving place 20
modern Syria, and the work is going for
/ ward with q VIII Important commercial
concessions have been secured from the
Sultan who appears to be favrably dis
/ psed 10 the undermining of this part OF
/ his dOninions, and IS watching the ex-
/ pertinent with interest The Turkish au-
! thoTities have themselves been buyers Of
American wares Within the last year
they have arranged for the sinking Of q
large number Of wells along the historic
pilgrimage route to Mecca and are pro-
viGiug them with windmills- IN this way
II Is believed that the haTdships Of the
annual pilgrimage can be lesSeHcd, and
/ the pilgrims kept In reasonably good
! health The sickness of former years. i
Is asserted, has been almost entirely due
/ TO the impure water along the route