Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-15
THE BIGGEST OF FAIRS
Is Held at Mini Novgorod on
the Volga.
A WALK THROUGH IT
SALES OF HALE A BILLION DOL
LARS WORTH YEARLY.
Two Hundred Thousand Merchants and
Some Thousand Establish
ments.
Copyright, 1908, by Frank G.. Carpenter.)

Copyright, 1908, by Frank G. Carpenter)
MUM NOVGOROD.
The great fair of Mini Novgorod is now
at its thickest. 1t is frequented daily by
100000 buyers and sellers from all parts of
Russia and western Asia, and its exchanges
amount to 100000 every twenty-four
hours. They Will aggregate two or three
hundred millions during the time of the
fair, and II our American exporters had
their goods here on sale our trade with
Russia might be increased to an enormous
extent.
Russia's Big Fair Business.
Indeed, the United States should study
the fairs of Russia and lay out trade
route for the American invasion along the
line of their meeting. This country does
business after the style of the middle ages
1t has more than 10000 fairs to which the
people come from all quarters to buy and
sell, and If our American goods could be
placed in them our factories should have to
employ extra hands.
/ have the figures of the exchanges of these
fairs before me. They are furnished by the
treasury department of Russia and may be
considered correct. Central Russia has 1000
fairs every year with exchanges amounting
to $500, OOO, 600, which, If l remember correct
ly, is as great as the foreign trade of all
China a few years ago. Eastern Russia has
0,OOO IalrS, with returns OF ana
Little Russia, 1000 with a sale of more
than 10000 worth of goods. In southern
Russia there are S25 fairs annually, with
$50, 100000 dollars of exchanges; in middle
Russia, 200, with 100000 dollars. and
in the Baltic region 1,5O0 fairs, with a bust
ness of 100000.
Away up along the Arctic ocean there
are 400 fairs, which do a business
Of more than 100000 and in ST.
IBERIA the fairs already number 500, with
animal returns amounting to So ONO 000. n
central Asia the exact number of fairs Is
not known, but their sales amount to $780,
900, 600 year, and in addition to this there
are 1900 fairs in Poland and some In other
parts of the empire Altogether $500, 900 900
worth of business is annually done in the
Russian fairs alone.
Horse Fairs and Fish Fairs.
Many of these fairs have their specialties.
I describe those Of Mini Novgorod the
greatest of all farther on in this letter. The
fair at Irbit in the government of Perm is
held during the month of February. 1t
is largely frequented by people from ST.
IBERIA and China. 1t handles tea, silks,
cancels hair and goats wool from China
and Central Asia and furs. hides, fish,
honey. butter and oil from Siberia as well
as all kinds of wares from Russia in Eu-
rope. It's sales amount to $4,000 900.
There is another fair in the same region
Of about the same character which sells
over 100000 worth of goods, and one
known as the fair Of Karavan. not far
from here. which deals almost exclusively
in metals, especially iron and cast iron. Its
annual exchanges are about a million dol
lars.
There is a big June fair not far from
here which deals chiefly in timber, and
there are fairs in the south devoted to live
stock to which whole droves of horses are
brought in from the plains for sale. There
are a vast number of agricultural fairs,
pub O11r ia ir11n1amontS could "a sold
in great quantities. and the northern fairs
have large sales of fish and furs cod liver
Oil and such things.
The Biggest Fair on Earth.
despair of giving you vivid description
of the fair of Mini Novgorod. 1t is one of
the wonders of the world and is greater
wonder every year.
It was predicted that the Trans Siberian
road would kill 1t, but it is grow
ing and its exchanges are greater
than ever. Think of a city with a popula-
ton of 100000 merchants which does busi-
ness for only about a month every year,
and that business running into the hum
dreds of millions. Think of a city which
has grown up to accommodate this bust
ness and which for one month Is full of
life and trade. but for the rest of the year
is as dead graveyard, and you have
some idea of Mini Novgorod.
The word fair" however. gives you a
Door idea. L makes you tnlnk OF tents ana
booths and ragged buildings with flags fly
ing. You imagine circuses. fake shows and
merry-g o-rounds. Mini Novgorod has all
these, but they are on the outskirts. The
real town is more like a substantial whole
sale business center trading quietly and
without noise. The fair city is located on
a narrow tongue of land where the great
rivers Volga and Okla join. 1t is washed
on each side by water and the rivers for
miles are filled with shipping, loading and
dfscharging goods There are something
like ten miles of wharves covered with
merchandise of all kinds. and carts and
wagons moving to and from them into the
city.
The fair is a real city, not one of boards
and canvas. 1t is city of stone and NOR
tar, of 1900 stores in good business build
ings. 1t has miles of streets paved with
cobblestones and with sidewalks of stone
tagging. 1t has street cars, electric lights,
theatcrs and big hotels. It has great gol-
den domed churches full Of treasure,
presided over by long haired priests in
gowns of gold brocade.- 1t has also city
hall and police to keep 1t in order; 1t has
its stock exchange and Its board OF man.