Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-26
RICH RESOURCES OF ASIA MINOR
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS
,ndence of The Star the Chica 20 Record Herald

their imperfect cultivation. and, second,
because there are no transportation ia
cihties by which they can send their
produce to market. There are two short
railways running into the interior from
the Mediterranean coast. furnishing
communication for about 10 per cent
OF the population. Throughout 40 per
cent of Asia Minor the only way of
travelling Is on the back Of a horse or
moving freight II by caravans of cam
els. which is slow and very expensive.
For these reasons the Inhabitants de-
pend to great extent upon their own
resources. They make everything they
wear except cotton fabrics. and have
very little to ship away.
Mr.. W. ". Masterson. American consul
at Harput, who has served in this part
of the world for many years
Railway and knows Turkey thorough
pA ly, made horseback jour-
"V0'SS' ney of 800 miles last sum-
mer over the proposed routes for rail-
ways. and reported to the Secretary Of
State that he found no serious difficulties
for construction. The chief line pro-
posed. he says, would follow the Eu-
pirates river almost its entire length
without a heavier grade than one foot to
the mile. and there are no greater engi
neering difficulties on the other lines.
The valleys of the Euphrates and the
Tigris and the coves bordering on Lake
Van, are. cultivated to degree" Mr..
Masterson says. and enough is raised
with their primitive farming implements
to feed the people within that region.
but little IL exported because of the Diff
hculties and cost OF transportation. With
an outlet to market. proper methods of
cultivation and modern farming imple-
ments the land 10 capable Of producing
For example. take the Mush plain,
through which the Buphrates winds its
sluggish course. The plain is wonderfully
productive and we'll fitted In soil and eli
mate for raising crops Of all kinds. Every
acre is fit for cultivation, yet not more
than one-third is cultivated. The land
is SO abundant that field is cultivated
one year, and the next year. possibly
for several years. it is left faliow. The
method used for breaking up new ground
1s slow, laborious and unsatfsfa Glory. A
wooden plow on wheels fs used, to which
often eight or ten yoke of oxen or buff
falo are hitched. with man sitting on
the yoke Of each team and a man behind
to guide the plow. Each furrow is turned
so slowly that the amount plowed each
day would not equal few hours work
with an up-to-date plow and a strong
team Of horses. while the burrows are
never over six inches deep
Il
I'm the neighborhood Of many Of the
villages around the shores Of Lake Van
is considerable quantity of
Walnut Circassian walnut timber.
r:-l some of the trunks being of
enormous size, upon which
are knotty growths that would make
them Of great value II they could be
shipped to market. Some little business
Is done in this line with Marseille, but
in the most unsatisfactory and wasteful
manner. SO that the returns are small.
Lake Van is an unusually beautiful
body Of water" continued Mr. Master
son. about sixty miles long and thirty
miles wide. The water is impregnated
with a potash OF some kind and has a
soft. soapy feeling. The natives use 1t
for washing their clothing without soap
Around the lake is much titled land Of
dition to the thriving city Of Van. are
located upon its shores. There are a
number of sailing boats. but they are SO
unwfeldy that they can only go before
to wait a week or ten days for favorable
weather. A boat run by steam power
would be paying investment, and some
years ago the local government ordered
a iorty-norsepower motorboat from the
United States through an American mis-
stonary. but 1t was delayed in the Gus
tom house at Trehizond for more than a
year and half, and only reached Van
last fall.
1T is the mineral wealth of the coun-
try, however continued Mr.. Masterson.
that Is destined to make it
Mineral prosperous. While 1 could
m..,4h not investigate for myself.
"A'"' / was told by thoroughly
reliable persons Of rich deposits of coal,
iron and copper, which have been work.
ed more or less at long intervals for
many centuries, but only for local sup
ply. An Armenian bishop told me Of a
vein of coal eight feet in thickness
which juts out of a mountain: German
told me that he knew of bed Of iron
ore of such richness and purity that the
blacksmiths of the villages in that neigh
borhood have been using 1t for years in
their work without having 1t smelted.
There are beds of coal Of excellent quail
ity near the city OF Van and every indi-
cation Of petroleum. During the insur-
rection two years ago the revolutionists
secured all their bullets from some won
derfully rich lead deposits in the neigh
bOrhood of Van. While l was at Bitlas
fine specimens that looked like American
anthracite. and he told me of a sulphur
mine near that city. Two days out from
Bitlas ! came across immense deposits
of marble jutting out Of the mountain,
not only white. but dark red. green and
black.
There is an extensive deposit OF cop
per half way between Diarbekir and Har-
put. that is being worked to some extent
in three places, one by private individuals
and two by the government. smelter
near the mine is operated with wood
fuel which is very scarce and expen-
sve commodity in this country. although
the western branch of the Tigris river. q
mountain torrent with a tremendous fail,
passes only q few feet from the slnelter
and might easily develop enough cleo
trical energy for all that country.
THE copper ore is very rich. There is
a spring of water at the OutcrOpping
which Is so strongly impregnAted that a
French prospector offered the govern.
ment $4,000 q year for the privilege of
converting the solution into solid copper.
but the offer was refused, and the over
flow Of that spring is still carrying its
load of mineral into the Tisris river