The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-03-19

IL has "a furtt NltIIfUu IbDdtaF fSfui'-
ward and Many Striking Improve
ment~-Dne-cent Car fares. Ten
cent Telcgrains and Three-crns
Observation-Disclosures Commerce.
Education Among the Arab-Tfa.
Old City of The Dey and How His
soldiers Played Football With the
Head Of Christians.
Aiciers. Algeria.
am i'm the blazing white. many
terraced city of Algiers, the capital %
African France. Ny hotel is the De Ia
Regence. on the Place du Government.
next the mosque Of DIANA el Djedlsl.
within a stones throw of the great
palace which holds the government
offices. and just of the Boulevard de
la Republque, in the very heart Of the
city.
The Bay OF Algicrs.
From my window | can look out
over the Bay of Algiers and the wi'ic
Mediterranean, with. its ships going
out and coming in. The foothills Of
the Atlas Mountains line the oppo-
site side of the harbor, and the queer
African capital rises up from ii, in
terrace above terrace, until ii REACHES
the great white citadel. which formed
the residence and chief for%tiication
Of the piratical days of the past.
Down at the whatves, where the
city begins are mighty breakwaters.
which extend out like arms at each
end, embracing and sailing
vessels from all parts Of the world.
More than four thousand big vessels
and twelve thousand coasters, aggre-
eating over three million tons, pass
in and out of those arms every year.
There are great Atlantic liners, which
call here on their way from New
York to Naples and Genoa, big
steamers from China and Japan, and
also fast ships from Marseilles, which
bring the mails on their five hundred
1nile VOyage across the Mediterranean
in less than tW~enty-four hours. These
boats give Algiers a daily commune
cation with it's mother country, and
they are always loaded with passen-
gers and freight. Their rates are 81
low that the French laborers and
mechanics cross over by hundreds.
A steerage passenger pays only two
dollars and twenty cents, and tho
third-class travellers pay less than
five dollars.
A Rich Country.
Come with me down to the wharves
and see something of the enormous
trade that Algeria does with all parts
of the world. Its is worth
having, for it amounts to more than
one hundred and twenty-five million
dollars a year. Four-fifths of this is
with France. Algeria buys from fifty
to sixty million dollars worth o.
goods from the mother country every
year, and her sales to France are
only about ten million dollars less. SO
far the balance of the trade is with
France, but the of the col
ony are being rapidly developed and
in time Algeria will be in the lead.
Running back from the harbor or
a distance of perhaps five hundred
feet iS a level . SnaPp covered with
warehouses. We reach this by stone
steps, and make our way in and out
through mountains of cargo. EnOr-
nous wagons, drawn by from three to
six horses, are moving about, directed
by divers in turbans and gowns; TIE
railroad engines are ~Shunt1ng cars
this way and that, and an army OF
bare-calved, big trousered Biskris a~e
loading and unloading all kinds OF
goods. Cork Dark. which is one Of the
chief exports, is stacked up like cord
wood hOgsheads of wine numbering
thousands, are piled up one on top
of the other, and there are great
mounds of bags of wheat and other
grain ready for shipment. There are
boxes of dates packed for Paris, II
there are also enormous quantities OF
goods coming in.
Both on the WharveS and out in the
harbor are immense loads of coal. AL
giers is one of the chief coaling sta
tons of the Mediterranean and nearly
all the ships which call here take on
fuel The shipping arrangements are
OF the best. The harbOr has steam
cranes n the trains from the inte-
rior come right down to the sea so
that freight can be taken on board
the ships almost direct from the cars.
A Forty Million Dollar Boulevard.
Now turn your back to the sea. and
take a look at the city as it climbs
he hills all abou you. You mus
throw your head back and rest it we'll
on Your shoulders, or you can't see IT
at ali. The city begins with a wall
about one hundred feet high: it con-
sists Of vaults and warehouses, with
one of he fine streets of the worl'i
over hem. The pavement of the
street forms the roofs Of these build
lngs, and back and above it rises the
rest of the city. The street Is the
Boulevard de In Republique- With
the warehouses below its cost was
more than $40, 00O.U00. 1t Vas con-
Structed on Il longtime concession by
an English company, inc / under
stand that it pays big dividends today. .
1t is a wid avenue facing the busiest
part of the harbor with a stone ball
ustrade running along it. On the 9TH
er side of the boulevard are buildings
which contain some Of the chief
mentS of the city. The stores are on
the ground floor only: above them are
apartments with iron balconies along
the front The buildings are Of vel
low stucco of even height of six sto-
ries, and they are SO constructed tha-
the ground floors open upon an ar.
cade. like that of the Rue de Riyo}i
in Paris.
Foot passengers climb to this boule-
ward from the wharves by stone stems
(which widen their way IN. and at
each end of it are long inclined road-9
WAYS. up and down which a stream
of wagons and carriages steadily
moves.
On the boulevard itself gaily dress
ed europeans, mixed with STATELY
Arabs in turbans and gowns walk to
and fro. Street cars filled with nas-
e are continually passing. ana
Tor n cent a man may ride in then
and nave a magnificent view of N
harbor and shipping.
Modern AIgiers.
Beginning with the Boulevard do !,
hepuolique is the French quarter or
what might be called modern A1giers.
the white c~atacombs containing tha
Moors and Arabs are on the hill b;ah
Il