Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-05
THE RIVER NEVA.
What It is to the People of the Rus
sian Capital.

From the London Globe
The river Neva, that flows through the
Russian capital. is to the citizens just what
the weather is to the Engiishman' II FORMS
an admirable subject of converse alton wheh
the ice is forming. and again when IL IS
breaking up. The Russian living on us
hanks holds the river In great reverence.
althoush il IS far from being such a. ma
tional river as is the Volga. Nearly two
hundred years ago Peter the Great buiit
his new capital on the land reclaimed from
the low-lying marshy banks of the short
river. only forty miles long, which empt.es
Lake I.adoga into the Gulf OF FINLAND Inc
city raised at an enormous cost OF human
life has waged a continual warfare Win
the Neya which, with strong WIND dow
ing up the stream from Crons. adt. twenty
miles to the westward. very soon overilowS
its banks and does great deal or DAM
age in the Easements OF the houses occu-
pied by the poorer classes. AS the river
rises big guns fired by the authorities.
and the people begin to move their goods
beyond the reach of the rising water
When toward the middle or end or NO
yembcr the first drift ice from Lake La
doga is borne along the swiftly running
stream the citizens begin to follow with
great interest the approach OF winter. as
shown by the ice in the Neva. The river
soon becomes blocked with floating ice
which often disappears toward the sea sew
eral times before the frozen surface can
withstand the rushing tide. Meanwhlle the
huge wooden bridges built of pontoons or
boats have been unfastened and allowed to
drift with the tide to the side of the quay
where they remain until the ice has come
to stay and few falls of snow nave cast
a dwelling white pail over the rough, Jagged
surface o. the blocks of ice, for then the
Neva has disappeared from view for about
four months. Then channels are cut in the
ice and the huge wooden bridges are pulleu
back into place by long lines OF soldiers.
who haul at ropes. The next scene wit
messed on the river is that of men and
sledges busy at the work OF cutting out
blocks of ice and taking them to the ice
cellars of the houses, for every mouse or
"lOgis'' must have its cold room for use
in the summer. Then planks are laid down
to form footwayS at certain points. ana
thereby the people can take snort cuts 10
Vassili Ostroff and the islands; tracks are
also made for sledges, and smooth tracks
are prepared that along them men or
BOYS can run the fur coated Russians across
the ice in chairs fixed on runners. Probably
opposite the open space adorned by the
splendid equestrian statue of Peter the
Great a family of Samoyedes will pitch
their primitive tents on the ice close to the
granite quay; they have journed from the
far north to Lake Lagoda. and thence along
the frozen Neva, with their re ndeer
sledges. and for a few copecks the inquiSi-
tive can visit them In their huts and be
driven III a sledge round their settlement.
Moored along the English quay there may
be three huge barges, forming a square
with the quay wall; the space thus In
closed will be prepared for skating; still.
skating is not altogether agreeable whfn
the cold is very intense. for the skates Will
not grip the ice, and too often the wind
blowing down from Lake Lagoda is too
cutting to allow the skater to leave off his
fur "shuba," or usual heavy winter coat.
dozen years ago enterpriSing English
man built a swtchback railway across the
ice to Vassil Ostroff. and the venture was
most successful.
Then when the coming of spring is in the
air and the ice bears signs of breaking up.
public interest is turned once more to the
frozen highway: the long granite quay al
ways a favorite promenade on Sunday and
other days of leisure. is visited by crowds
of people. who throng its banks to watch