The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-11-07
WRITER TELLS OF
SCENES in QUEER
CONSTANTINOPLE
Resident Writer Gives Interest
ing Word Picture Of Life
in Turkish Capital
HISTORIC PLACE NOW
MENACED BY ALLIES
Foreigners Are Never Free OF
Fear of Massacre at Hands
of Fanatics
aY 2. AsAMeAp eARTLErT.

az e. AsHMEAD BARTLETT.
CONSTANTINOPLE, Nov cit is
told you in my last Letter about
some OF the war day scenes In Con
stantinople Today | am going TO de
scribe the common scenes OF peace
days that make Constantinople the
most UNIQUE and interesting big
city in the world
The plain Turk, like the plain peo-
ple everywhere, is not a bad fellow.
He Is clean, honest and courageous,
but he is also fanatical He believes
II he can kill a Christian or so In
massacre Allah may give him an ex'
ira wife in heaven, and as he Is usual
IL too poor TO have but one on earth
this is an inducement.
AS a result of this Mohammedan
homicidal fanaticism foreigners In
Constantinople are never entirely
free OF fear OF sudden massacre. Just
what will happen here IL the Balkan
allies whip the Turkish armies, II Is
hard to tell.
For emergencies the ambassadors
of the great powers have always kept
guardship Just of Constantinople.
Russia, France and England have
third class cruisers, Germany has an
armed yacht. These boats are kept
here purely for the purpose OF taking
the ambassador and principal foreign
residents away from Constantinople
in case OF danger.
The Turk is mighty proud OF his
capital, which he regards as the key
OF the world, and II the foreigner
must get II, we who live here have
always believed that he will try to
leave ii a city OF ruins inhabited by
corpses.
You have heard great deal OF the
Dardanelles, the straits which con-
meet the Mediterranean with all the
waters around Constantinople. In
theory the Turk has made the Oar
danelles impregnable and under the
treaty Of Berlin no power may send
warships through under any pretext.
Only the guardships OF the ambassa-
doris may carry guns to CONSTANT
nopIe.
The Bosphorus, which divides the
city I'm two. Is about % miles long
and as wide as the Hudson river at
New York. The Dardanelles are go
miles long and twice as wide. On
both are formidable looking forts and
at the month of the Dardenelles are
a few Turkish warships. The chan
neis are mined and In theory their
passage by any feet would be impos-
sible.
But 1t is believed that in case Of
great emergency the Russian Black
Sea feet could be at Constantinople
III IL hours and the British Mediter-
ranean feet in from "a to 4S hours.
In Constantinople, when you see
fire engine company coming your way
you make for tall timber. First comes
a runner In shirt and trousers and
without hat or shoes, uttering shrill
yells and carrying q knife on the end
OF long stick, to prod people who
don't move quick enough. Next 10
squad OF six policemen with rifles In
charge-position.
Finally, the engine company itself.
There are about twenty men in shirt
and trousers, eight OF them carrying
the engine" aloft on their shoulders.
This is box about as big as small
desk, with two long arms for pump
ing. II takes a hose. OF the garden
size and is carried on two long poles
Alarms are given from two watch
towers, one on each side OF the city,
where men with spy glasses watch
for smoke day and night.
Most OF the excitement in fire
here comes from the women folk.
They are ordinarily so excluded from
the world that blaze near a Turks
harem with the chance OF hremen
coming in TO rescue the inmates or
put out the flames causes tremend-
GUS uproar.
The first thing the women do Is to
hNvar a. hxatN
This done they feel az II they were
almost ready for anything. A Turk
fish woman feels perfectly modest II
she has her face covered, though she
may have practically nothing on the
rest OF her body.
Constantinople has the worst streets
and the queerest street cleaning de-
partment OF any city In the world.
The sultan instead OF white wings"
OF the New York brand maintains q
hundred thousand or so Pariah dogs.
The streets are paved with stones
OF all shapes and sizes with spaces
between for dirt or little pools OF
water. Riding over them in car
rage gives one about the same SEN
sation as being tossed in a blanket.
Occasionally the wheels drop into
deeper rut than usual and then muddy
water Is squirted over you by way or
variety.
The dogs belong to nobody. in par
/. ticular but are protected by law. They
are great wolfsh stupid looking ami
mails OF no known breed. They look
useless enough until night and then
-yet.- sea-Uhat- important part-the
dogs play
At 10 O'Clock men go around aud
empty all the ash barrels and slop
cans containing all the house refuse
Of the day into the middle OF the
streets Men with rakes then spread
the stun out releasing rightful odors.
Then come the dogs. They rush
into the Iness scattering II In all d.
rections. each striving for the choic-
est morsels. In two minutes the city
IS one vast dog fight which lasts OF
and on until morning The air vi.
.brates with bowls banks and the
shrieks OF the defeated.
At z I'm the morning a few men and
carts appear and sweep up more OF
less of what the dogs have left and
take II away.
The Turk as a rule seems TO take
his pleasures sadly, perhaps FOR the
reason that he never lets his women
- a a n. !. -.