The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-12-07
COMMERCIAL
CLUB had
DINNER
Harry Do wlndt, +. R. G. s.,
Gave Graphic Accountof Peril.
Gus Trip Across Siberia.

|
the Commercial club were accorded treats
OF both mental and physical nature at
the well appointed rooms OF the yelling
ton Saturday night. the occasion being
the annual dinner OF that well known
organization. The membership comprises
cessful men I'm the financial and business
life OF the city and state and in addition
10 the epicurean delights provided by the
chef those present looked forward TO the
post prandial session. at which the clubs
guest Harry De Windt Fellow Of the
Royal Geographical society. explorer.
traveller and good fellow generally was
TO tell of his experience in crossing ST.
IBERIA over the Behring strait across Alas
ka last year.
IL was about Z o'clock when the mem
bors began to gather ard A sort OF in
formal reception was held In the room
on the Washington street corner and at
a short business session the following
were reelected for tho ensuing year as
officers; George l.. Shepley. president;
Walter Calender. vice president: Mi
chael r. Dooley. secretary; l.. H. Com
stock treasurer; executive committee j.
Edward Studley. Richard d. Knight and
! Charles Alexander.
! When these prenminaries had taken
/ place, the members were seated at the
| small tables for eight or four I'm groups
or congenial spirits and ~ eacn table
was prettily decorated with bouquets OF
! yellow chrysanthemums and carnations
the effect with the red shaded candles
/ was a. very pretty one.
A GUEST or HONOR.
The bead table large semicircuar
one. was charmingly arranged and
I cluster OF colored electric lights glowed
and added much TO the beauty OF the
! arrangements. Here. President Shep-
/ ley. Mr.. De Wendt. Rev. Il. S. Rous-
l maniere, Walter Calendar, James r.
4 Field and III. a. Stearns were seated The
7 club was called to order by President
Shepley and the members stood while
Rev. Mr.. Rousmanere invoked divine
! blessing on the gathering.
Then for over an hour the excellent
menu ssrved In the WellIngtons best
style was enjoyed.
/ When the cigars and black coffee were
! served and tho tables cleared. President
! Shcpey called the members attention TO
4 the large screen inviting all to take
seats where they could see II TO ad-
| vantage. He then introduced Mr. DE
Windt. referring TO HIS first meeting with
4 that gentleman while crossing the At
/ lantic.
IL Is a far cry from the barren siberian
wastes, when tho mercury descends 20
| depths unheard of here 10 the brilliantly
/ lighted banquet hall with an abundance
/ OF good things. but Mr.. DE Windt showed
himself as much at home I'm one place as
\ he did i'm the other
No orator was MIR De Windt but his
! simply direct story OF his trip impressed
his hearers as no flights OF oratory would
! have done
/ The graphic narration was interspersed
with humorous comments and illustrated
! with splendid stcreoptcon views of peo-
I pie and places i'm the far northand thai {
seemed as strange I'm that place as the
nonchalsnt Briton I'm rreproachabe even
| ing clothes differed from the fur clad ex-
plorer toilng through Arctic SHOWS.
SCHEME IMPRACTICAL
Referring to the projected all rail route
| from New York to Paris Mr.. dc Windt
| said he found obstacles enough In his
| eight months trip to convince him that X
would he far I'm the future before such a.
scene could be carried through. A bridge
that could Withstand the pressure or the
| ice pack at Bohring straits for three
weeks even is an impossibiity he said
and a tunnel Is far too expensive. Then
| once in Siberia 5000 miles of swampland
! impossible for months at a time must be
/ crossed.
| Such road may be built but YOU will
never see 1t nor will your children ride in
! II. said Mr.. De Windt as he advised his
hearers not 10 put their money into such
a scheme
] Mr.. De Windt said he was accompanied
4 by a young Englishman named Hardy
and a Russian police official a Cossack
called Steppan. lie did not think much OF
the latter at first. later found that II Il
had not been for him his bones would
] Y...t~ ~. L., 81,
! the others were disheartened and weak
with their privations one day and were
| inclined TO lie down in the snow and go
! TO sleep. but Steppan kept at them with a
/ vicious Russian whip until he induced
! them To keep moving Mr.. De Windt said
| that he carried the black and blue marks
from that whip upon his back for some
/ thing like three months afterward
DYING OF SMALLPOX.
Soon after this they reached a small
native village whore they found three
cases OF smallpox. but they didn't mind
thing like that I'VE ate seal meat "a
most disgusting dish ordinarily. and a.
though | lay right beside lady w who
had Just died with tho smallpox. 7 passed
a most ENJOYABLE evening" said the ex-
plorer.
Stredni- -KoIymsk. tho most remote no.
/ litical settlement of Russia. Mr DC Windt
said was Veritable hell on earth" All
! the political cSiles banlshed To this point
are Obliged TO walk the entire distance
/ from ST. Petersburg. Journey that takes
| thre years. our party was tho first
| which had visited the settlement I'm more
! than 30 years he said
! Mr. DE Windt said that despite the fact
I that the temperature was IS degrees be-
low nero most OF the time he felt the
/ cold moro last week on Broadway, New
York.
There were many bank officials and
I several former governors present. among
whom were Hon. II. Russell Brown Hon.
Elisha Dyer aud Hon. Charles Dean Kim
hall and "A la rgp number vVere pleaead 10