Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-11

Y ONE OF THE RUINED FORTS.
dence section, a dozen or s. of such buildings. with the scaroldins
about them, are still to be seen. Some arr finished to the roofs and
others to the first floors only. They have not been toucheo nee
the war and are going to ruin.
Such residences a were completed can now be rented for a few
dollars a month. Just opposite my hotel stands a brick house OF
three stories which contains fifty rooms. 1t probably cost $4,000
to build, and it could be rented today for $50 a month. Adjoining
it is another residence which is still larger. II tt occupied at a rem
tai of $S5. On the hill behind me are the foundations of a Russian
cathedral which, If completed, would be a IS large a s any church
building in the United States. 1t was about ready o m vans
when the war occurred and it was stopped forever. A new MOTEL
which had been erected in the old city was turned into a hospital
during the siege. 1t is now the property OF the japanese Heo Gross
society and is used a a hospital. for the Japanese.
The japanese officials occupy many Of the Russian public build
ings. The civil Offices of the Manchurian government are in a gray
structure in the new town; the military department is in a white
building farther back and the Russian naval Offices. which covered
an acre or so, are to be turned into a Japanese military academy
The hotel in which I write this letter is the once famous restaurant
known a s sarators. where the Russian officers gambled away thou
sands of rubles and drank their vodka. 1t has the same bar room
and the same Odessa billiard table, but the vodka has disappeared
and a Japanese bartender dispenses -saki instead. Japanese girls
wait upon you in the dining room and Japanese boys act a s your
cnambermaids. The hotel belongs to the South Manchurian railway.
which is now a Japanese corporation, and it has become a most Dr.
derby place.
Russians in a Panic
l had a talk this evening with an official who was here when
Port Arthur fell. He tells me that the Russians were crazy to get
away and that furniture Of every kind went for a song. Said he:
sofas. tables and chairs could be had for the asking and grand
pianos brought $25 apiece. Costly hangings were thrown out into
the streets, and some OF the houses we're set fire to by their owners.
AFTER we took possession l found our soldiers tearing up valuable
books and using them for fuel IT throwing them out into the snow.
and l besought the general in charge to allow me to go through the
Town m say h ibrarte He did &. and al he saw how many
books there were gave me a detail Of soldiers to bring them in. We
collected altogether about 10000 volumes The most of them were
in Russian, but there were a thousand or Sc in French and English.
Several hundred were in Italian and some Chinese and japanese.
There were nine sets of encyclopedias. all Russian o IF German and
a great many musical books
l tried to catalogue them. classifying them first by languages and
later by subjects The most of the volumes were fiction. but there
were many scientific works. There were Russian TRANSACTIONS OF
Shakespeare and Dickens. and also of Mark Twans "Innocents
Abroad" The Russians had every luxury here. They lived well
and at the close even better than we Japanese; for by the terms Of
our capitulation W e gave them fresh meat, although W were living
on canned stuns ourselves. Nevertheless we could not satisfy
them"
The Port Arthur of Russia was far different from that Of Japan.
In the old days there were soldiers everywhere. Military officers,
dressed in big caps and long coats, staggered through the streets
There was a large garrison, everything WAS booming and money and
drink flowed like water. A circus building was erected in which all
sorts of shows were held. and there were famous cafes and restau-
rants. Today the circus has been turned into a bazaar and about
two score Japanese women sell all sorts of goods at the booths
within 1t. The soldiers have disappeared. The Japanese have only
one regiment here, and nothing like a S many troops re to be seen
as in the towns of Korea or even Japan.