New-York tribune., 1903-01-25


the very waters edge. and riding On the surface
Of the waves
SO low. indeed is the level OF the city thar
heavy westerly gales from the gulf as well az
the big floods brought about BY the melting Of the
ice and snow in the spring, are aps to inundats
extensive portions Of the town. In fact so grave
is the danger 70 which St Petersburg is ex-
posed from these inundations that whenever the
river begins to rise guns fired from he
Fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul. H. order to
warn the occupants Of the cellars and Uasem-uts
TO- seek refuge upstairs, while the naval au-
thorities set to work to establish system OF
boat patrols for the rescue of those ia danger
of drowning in the flooded streets. There are
some who declare that 81. Petersburg is des-
tined some day or other to be completely en-
quilted BY the waves. and 70 De swallowed Up y
the waters Of the Gulf Of Finland But al
though the city has been subjected TO i-llrrsra-
ple inundations. some Of an extremely disastrous
character. il has survived all dangers % c-.e-
urate its two-hundredth birthday and may
therefore lock forward with a certain degree oi
confidence TO existence Of at least $50 more
centuries.
OF course the s7yaIilpy character Of its site has
from the very outset rendered St. Petersburg
extremely unheaIthful. especially at certain sea
sons Of the year. In fact there is no capital IN
Europe where the death rate is 50 high Il has
been only BY the most wonderful perseverance
that the material obstacles and difficulties pre-
sented by the marshy nature of the soil have
been overcome. and until recently a law enacted
by Peter the Great still in force, requiring
every vessel arriving at St Petersburg to bring
a quantity of stone commensurate with her ton
mage for use in paving the streets and II form
ing the foundations of buildings, esplanades.
etc. Another law enacted by Peter the Great,
and which. of course has long since become oo-
solete was that exacting Of all proprlrtors ot
more than five hundred serfs in any portion Of
the Russian Empire to build a house a 81
Petersburg, and to spend the winter there
Peter actually went to the length of issuing
ukase prohibiting under the most dreadful
penalties. the construction Of stone houses any
where in his dominions save at ST. Petersburg,
and commanding all provincial authoritIeS 10
dispatch every stone mason on whom they col-d
lay hands to the new -IetrOpOlis. Not content
with this. he caused tens Of thousands OF ms
subjects TO be conveyed without any regard 10
their wishes or interests, from their homes N
even the most remote portions Of his doTnlnIons
10 his city at the mouth of the NeVa, depoPl-
Iating for the purpose whole villages and to"Ls
For a long period forty thousand men were
drafted annually from other provinces TO s.
Petersburg ana eiIlpL'SeNA III NO44o0- ~--N----
new capital Peter experimenting the work II
person. and making his nr, in d small cot
tage which is believed 70 nave been the lrst
building in St Petersburg, and which is still
preserved on its original site and in its pr-~-Iae
condition in the island citadel Of 81. Peter ana
St Paul carefully protected by another s-iuct-
ure built over and around IL
The erection Of this house was followed oy
that of the fortress which received the ltLhe
of Petersburg, and two months later, II june
17O; the Gar laid the foundations OF tne
present Cathedral of St Peter and st. PAU N
which all the sovereigns Of Russia, with 'ne
exception of Peter II. are entombed, the poi-es
being deposited under the floor OF the cathedral
the marble tombs above only marking the SIZE
of the graves No one Will ever know the III
mense number of lives sacrificed in the con-
struction of st. Petersburg during the reign OF
Peter the Great. Untold thousands must nave
pershed For, in spite of the enormous num-
bers whom he had brought to the city, its poPu-
Iatior at his death did not exceed one hundred
thousand IL has grown to-day TO near a mill
ion and a half inhabitants, in spite Of the DIS
advantages of every kind to which it has been
subjected and TO its terrible mortality
Two things have contributed to retain for =
Petersburg it's rank as metropolis Of the EN-
pire The first has been the fact that until me
recent development of the railroad system 81
Petersburg was the great export market for the
Russian Empire, the rivers TO the SOUTHWARK
nc.