Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-04-15
ST. PETERSBURG OF TODAY.
Scenes at the Capital of Russia In War
Time.

] ln1os
Above the snow-whitened Place OF
st. Isaac the great cathedral rears Its
enormous bulk of gray and green gran
lite and marble, with the gilded dome
blazing in the sunlight. Its outlines
are picked out wherever snow can lie.
in white. Snow marks the straight
lines of the base, the marble cornice
and frieze and the circle Of marble COL
umns which ascend to carry the great
golden dome.
Down below, over the smooth SNOW.
the sleighs glide swiftly, noiselessly
by. At the end Of one perspective OF
painted houses the slender golden pin
nacle Of Peter the Greats Admiralty
shoots tongue Of flame aloft. At the
end Of another perspective the curious
cupolas Of a great church, float like
balloons in the sky. The Bolshoia
Morskaia, the Bond street Of st. Pc
tersburg, is full Of life and movement.
Pavements are thronged with men In
astrakhan coats and caps, ladies In
sable and fox. In the roadway Is
double stream of sleighs, driven by
shaggy haired izvostchiks In caps like
ladies' muffs and huge padded coats
wrapped round and round them and
secured by embroidered waist belts.
Down the middle Of the street, with
great shouting to clear the way. comes
at the furious pace Of a fire engine
the private sleigh, drawn by two mag
nificent horses, Of some nobleman. The
driver, with beard and hair curled and
oiled. and a three cornered hat OF fur,
Is leaning forward with outstretched
arms like a Roman charioteer, grip
ping the blue silk covered reins taut
in both hands. Over the horses quar-
ters a blue silk netting Is spread to
screen the lady in richest sables who
occupies the sleigh from the flying
snow flung up by the horses hoofs.
Through the archway which leads
from the Morskaia into the Great
Place before the Winter Palace comes
the sound of an approaching cheer.
Instantly police officers in long gray
coats appear from nowhere, the traffic
in the roadway draws to one side, the
people on the pavement stop and face
toward the road, a sleigh conveying a
distinguished looking officer who keen
Iy looks about, and whom all the sud-
denly materialized police salute, dashes
by; then, after an interval, a sleigh
magnifcently horsed, with the driver
in bright scarlet and gold lace livery
Of the court.
Officers salute, the people raise their
hats and the empress bows and smiles.
Another sleighs follows, the little pro-
cession turns into the. Nevsky Pros
pekt, and, taking the centre Of the
broad avenue, Is gone like a flash on
its way to the Anitchkoff Palace, where
Is gathering of great ladies interest
ed in the Red Cross organization. The
swarms of police disappear as quick
ly as they appeared; the unobtrusive-
ly dressed men who when the royal
carriage was passing showed indica-
tions of official responsibilities mingle
once more with the crowd.
| Down on the broad quay alongside
the Neva, where the palace fronts and
many of the great houses are, the
heavy carriages Of ambassadors race
along at what seems more than motor
car speed. A detachment Of soldiers
in queer, tall brass helmets that look
more ecclesiastical than military,
mraches by; people are out taking their
afternoon constitutional-in furs and
goloshes Of course, and the men most
ly in uniform, for nearly every one
wears uniform of some sort. Not only
soldiers, but students, officials, all
sorts Of people. wear uniforms. Even
a ladies school, out walking two by
two along the quay, has its distinctive
uniform. The river is broad white
snow plain, upon which dark groups Of
men with horses and sleighs are en-
gagged in digging out huge blocks Of
ice. The Neva Is frozen nearly two
feet deep, and heavy wagons are
crossing it by the tracks Which sup
plement the longspanned bridges.
On the other side the semi Oriental
spires and minarets Of the fortress Of
Peter Paul give a curious sensation Of
strangeness and novelty to the scene.
But you look a mile up the river,
and instead Of gilt minarets and cup
olas you see a little forest Of tall,
straight, ugly factory chimney stacks
belching dense black smoke. This jux-
Imposition and contrast Of the Orient
and the Occident confronts you which
ever way you turn. Along the Nevsky
you come upon a row Of handsome
steel frame, stone faced shops, so
light and so lofty that you almost fan
cy you are in New York. And ten
yards further there is shop built of
wood, the entrance to which Is down
short flight Of awkward steps, and
you almost wonder whether you are
not back in the eighteenth century.
The front of one shop is nearly all
plate glass; the front Of the next is
covered with colored paintings Of the
goods on sale for the information Of
the large proportion Of people who are
unable to read. Here you see a tea
and bread-and-butter shop, all marble
and gilt and electric light, and across
the way is a dim bazaar, where price
less goods and the tawdriest rubbish
are to be found in little recesses that
serve as stores, where the proprietors
stand at their shop doors to tout for