Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-27
CRADLE Of MANKIND
Charjui Is One of the Earth's
Oldest Settlements.
"A RUSSIAN WONDER TALE
Contractor 0verpaid for Bridge Re-
turns Part of Money.
RECEIVED A RICH REWARD
Given Titles, a Residence in st.
Petersburg and Freedom From
Taxation for Life.
A RUSSIAN WONDER TALE
RECEIVED A RICH REWARD
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Herald
CHARJUI, Turkestan, June "a, 1910.
Charjui. another typical Russian town,
about half way between Merry and Box
hara, Is Of Importance because it is the
only station Of the Central Asian railroad
upon the ANU Daria or Oxus river. The
river frrigates vast area of desert for
more than 900 miles, including the oasis
of Khiva. which is one of the most i'm
portant In Turkestan and one of the old
est human settlements on the globe.
The Anu Daria. which Lord Curzon
rhapsodizes about in his book on central
Asia, is navigable for. stern-wheel fiat
boats like those on the Ohio river and
other tributaries of the Mississippi, and
other freight from Khiva to Charjui
during the season of high water, but are
compelled to lay up for large part Of
the year because OF sand bars which
check navigation. At Charjui it finds
a way to market over the railroad.
The ANU Daria is the largest river in
Asia and the most important for these
reasons In Turkestan. In addition to the
irrigating systems which it supplies
large quantity Of water is shipped by
train to desert points along the railway
both east and west, and at the western
end Of a long bridge that carries the rail-
way track is a pumping station, where
the tank cars are filled.
Bridges Strange Story.
1t is the most important bridge in Asia,
about 5000 feet long and built of iron,
and there is a story connected with it
that sounds like miracle to those who
are familiar with Russian official morals
nd A in
NAME unfortunately, l have not been
able to obtain. was awarded contract
for building this bridge for 6OOO, 900 ru-
bles by the ministry of war at st. Peters
burg. At the end of the second year
after the contract was let the work was
for in full, whereupon the contractor re-
turned a check for 100000 rubles to
the minister of war with an explanation
that the bridge had cost less than half
the contract price because of miscalcu-
latiOns. and he therefore could not ac-
cept the money.
You can imagine the sensation that
such an unprecedented act caused but
the government promptly recognized the
honesty of the contractor as fully as
possible. He was decorated with the Or
der of St. George; he was granted a GER
tificate of honor, presented with hand
some residence In the city of ST. Peters
burg. and an imperial edict was issued
cXempC1n& MIN ana the ncaO OIL MS IdIn-
lily from taxation forever.
The offense has never been repeated
and many people believe that the contrac-
tor was insane, but SO far as | know he
lived happily ever afterward and the
Lord prospered him.
Center of Fur Market.
Charjui is the central and the largest
market for that soft. glossy black curly
Persian lambs skin. The skins come
from the fiocks of the Tekke, the krighiz
and other tribes of TurkoneR, which
| range upon the deserts of Khiva, KILL
Kun and Kara-Kum, as far east as the
mountains Of China and as far north as
the Aral sea. The lambs are killed when
bred entirely for the skins which are in
great demand in all parts of the western
world for dress trimmings, ladies' wraps,
muffs and collars and in Persia and GER
cost in the Charjui market from to 20
rubles skin "a ruble being worth 90
cents in our money, and they are sold
in packages of one dozen.
The farmers bring them in and the
commission merchants in the several cities
have agents canvassing the villages and
kibtkas of the Turkomen buying them
for cash. After they are brought in they
are assorted, Cl6SSlneQ put up IN packages
and sold at an exchange very much like
the board Of trade in Chicago or the prod
uce exchange in New York and similar
organizations, the price being regulated
by the demand and the supply, as is the
case with every other commodity. Just
now prices are very high because Persian
lamb Is in fashion throughout the world,
especially in England and America. The
younger the lamb the finer the fur. and
the higher the price, although the vast
age is greater than in Older skins. 1t
takes from twenty to twenty-five lamb
skins to make one of the long cloaks that
ladies wear. An ordinary muf of the
ia shionable size requires three or four
skins and q Persian fez requires an en-
tire skin.
Market in Open Air.
The market is held in a large khan
that is, an open courtyard surrounded by
two-story buildings usually with one en-
trance. The ground floor is occupied as
warehouses for the storage of skins, the
upper floor Is used for the Offices of the
commission men, and during the greater
part OF the day the dealers sit around
cross-lagged at their thresholds with
punches Of skins stacked up around them.
waiting for customers. Trading in lamb
skins is conducted very much like that
in every other sort of produce. The
buyers take advantage of an abundance
Of skins and the sellers Of q scarcity to
manipulate prices.