The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-05-06
By WARD MUIR
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Copyright, by Short Stories Co.. Ltd)

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
# Stories Co., Ltd.)
visible in the darkness. Truly, won
derful is the art of navigation. This
absurd trench along which We 20
gaily steam is in itself shallow. We
should scrape our keel If we had .
few hundred tons more cargo on
board. Indeed, when we reach Yeni-
kale we shall be compelled to unload
a great part Of our grain, in order
to tighten ship, and then reload it all
again when we have crossed the bar.
Quaint are the methods of the Sea
Of Azov.
Thus, as I say, though Taganrog is
nominally port, you are hardly
within sight of its gold-domed cathe-
dral-and certainly quite out of ear
shot Of its bells-wAen you anchor in
its wind-scourged roadstead. There
is something ludicrous in finding
yourself one morning At rest lin
port" and discovering that land 10
barely visible. To the crew and the
mates, who cannot 90 ashore, the 90
journ at Taganrog while the grain is
being loaded must be dreary inter-
Jude. Myself l had some taste Of its
wearisomeness, for the customs peo-
pie took three days of persuading be-
fore they would let me leave the ship
and have taste of terra drma. It
seems might be an undesirable: an
anarchist, maybe; socialist; 4
breeder Of disturbance; a person like.
ly to do damage to Russia. Passen-
gers are not recognized on a tramp:
and at length with a hint from q
kind consul ashofe) posed as sick
engineer" and demanded the right
to consult a doctor. Backsheesh
changed hands; al official in top
boots and an astrukhan coat grum-
blingly signed paper and handed It
up to me out of government tug,
and was at liberty to tread the
cars dOminions.
At most ports with watch am &C.
quainted one steps straight from the
ship to the dock-side, CT merely char
! tiers a waterman. Bu2 at Taganrog,
going ashore is something Of IN adj
venture. There are Is miles Of weary
sea to traverse, and you must do 1t
| in q fat-bottomed tug which, IL the
wind be contrary, cares nothing for
horizontally. Eight hours - eight
foodless, shivering hours--did it take
me to travel from my dear old tramp
to the shore. Never have been less
happy. Never has the wandering ma
MIA driven me into less desirable
quarters. Sometimes frots ON deck;
sometimes l froze in smoke-reekine,
verminous cubby.hole below. crammed
with the dirtiest Greeks 1t has been
my lot to encounter. The tugs main
business was to supply the ships In
the roads with provisions and labor
ers, and it must needs add now to
these duties that of towing broken
down grain lighter. Its horsepower
can never have been excessive. With
the lighter straining in its wake, the
pace was microscopic.
Brr.rr.rr.rrh: it's cold! But not %
cold as when went ashore at Tagan'
rog. New found ice cracked under
our bows as we drew near the coast.
and the singular manner In which q
whole sheet would instantaneously
split for 20 or 80 yards in front of US,
making a hospitable liquid lane fol
our reception, was the sole entertain.
ment I knew that weary day. BY the
time I crossed the gangway on to the
pier I was a wreck, mentally and bod
lily. It was now three in the after
noon and l had eaten nothing since
supper the previous evening; for
had had to rise betimes and neglect
breakfast in order to be polite to mes
sieurs the customs men. l had nc
coat; no luggage; for seafaring man
Il was not passenger, oh, no, by nc
means-only sick engineer) seafar
ing men do not wear coats and need
no clean shirts. I had no book OF
magazine to read. Sick engineers dc
not waste time on literature. In q
word, was the unhappiest journalist
who ever sought copy in earth's for
gotten corners.
But, ah, when I reached the sailors
clearinghouse to which had been
recommended-b hot soup with
sour cream in it, behold roast fowl
oh, sweetest bird which ever CLICKED
Ger the teppes!-behold bottled beer
wherewith to wash it down, and q
thimbleful of vodka to warm myself
first of all! Glorious, glorious! Ia
ganrog was the loveliest spot on the
globe; the Azov the friendliest ocean;
Russians the most hospitable Of
friends. Such is the power Of warm
fire and a spread table.
What do l recall clearest Of Tagan
rog? The cold? The abominable
journeys in the tug? The cathedral
with it's ikons and bearded priests!
The droskies rafting over the cobbles
| No,sir; these are but dim memories
But clear-cut on my mental tablet Is
the picture of a white cloth with q
plate of hot soup upon it.; ring Of
jolly English sailor faces welcoming
me to their clearinghouse and ask
ing what was the latest news from
1.-The roads, and their ships, and q
hungry, cold man, suddenly cheered
with food and heat. Did I say dis
liked Taganrog? Nonsense! It Il
charming.
Invention for Weighing Cargo.
Consul Horace Lee Washington re-
| por%c +ho+ tho 1.ivornOOl Journal nj
Commerce publishes an account OF