El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-11
KG
EPHE SUS IN 1911
FRANK G. CARPENTERS LETTER.


drapery. the remains of a goddess;
there the broken up limb of an athlete,
and farther on an exquisite bit from
the front OF the temple
Among the ruins are the remains or
stores, houses and markets. / climbed
over marble blocks along the street
which led to the ship canal, and stood
among shattered columns In what was
once the stock exchange and wool mar
ket. In one place is an artificial ter
race on which stood the great gym
nasium. and in another a market place
200 feet long, surrounded by a portico,
back Of which the marketmen stood. In
the mosaic floors of these halls Is diff
ferent kinds of marbles were used, and
marbles Of various colors were en-
ployed in the structure.
Farming the Ruins.
Today the peasants are working all
over these ruins. Here they are plant
ing grain. and there cleaning the fields.
a gang Of a dozen girls working under
a turbaned man in full. baggy trousers.
Here women are digging and farther on
a man drives a camel harnessed to a
one handled pillow.
The only town near Ephesus is
Ayasalouk, which has a few hundred
inhabitants. 1t has, perhaps. a dozen
small stores, a railroad station, and a
hotel While at the station I saw a
white, flat tailed lamb awaiting ship
ment. Tt was tied to the platform, and
a card fastened to one horn bore the
name of the commission merchant in
Smyrna to whom it was consigned
Running past the hotel are seven
high columns which once supported the
aqueduct which supplied Ephesus with
water. Each Of these has now stork's
nest on its top, and the great birds
may be seen any day standing there.
Each stork supports itself on one leg.
/ am told that they come here only for
the winter, and that they leave every
spring for Holland, or, perhaps, for
some other far-away part Of the world,
each transporting a baby.
In Smyrna.
spent day in Smyrna before COM
ing to Ephesus, and I shall return there
to go on to Constantinople and Greece
Smyrna Is the largest city in Asia
Minor, and it has about the same posi-
ton here now that Ephesus held. 1t is
the chief port Of this part of the Lee
want, and does big business in ship
ping wool, wine, grapes, olives and figs
It has q foreign trade of about 5O,OOO,-
coo year, and steamers from all parts
Of the Mediterranean come TO its docks
The city lies at one end of the great
Gulf of Smyrna, which is "a miles long
and surrounded by silver-gray noun
tains. some of which are mile high.
Its harbor is excellent The town be-
gins on the shore, with the slopes of
Pagus in the rear. 1t is largely COM
posed of modern buildings, and among
its people there are more Greeks than
Turks. They are shrewd traders and
just now are alive 20 the possibilities
of doing business under the new Turk
ish government, which promises to be
far more liberal in matters of trade
than that Of the past.
Smyrna is much interested in the
railroad projects for the development
of Turkey, and thu Germans are alive
to the securing of mineral and other
concessions. The various roads planned |
to reach Persia will open up Asia Minor, !
and there will be considerable demand |
for American gods. The same condi- |
lions prevail in Syria, and the United |
States should wake up to the posi- |
bilities which may come with the re-
organization Of this empire. great |
oped.~ and If an honest government is |
to take the place of the corrupt rule of
the past the population will rapidly in
crease in numbers and wealth, and |
there will be a demand for foreign |
goods Of all kinds.
American Opportunities in Syria.
While travelling in Syria l saw many !
openings for American GOODS. The
farming there is after the methods of
centuries ago, and our plows, reapers
and other agricultural machines might
be sold understand that the more
of the native landlords are
ready to buy. One man who owns
more than a thousand acres of rich
grain land on the high plateau between
the two ranges of the Lebanon noun
tains, has offered to lease it to any |
American company who viii cultivate
It for two or three years at rs percent
Of the profits, and will bring in Amer |
can machinery for the purpose. The |
landlord also agrees to pay for the
machinery at the regular price upon |
the termination OF the contract
Some of the Syrian farmers are now
using American threshers and reapers,
and some are bringing in American