The Cairo bulletin., 1913-02-09
WAS ONCE ROMAN CITY
puRAzzo HAS HISTORY EXTEND
ING FAR INTO PAST.
Ancient Name for Town, at That Time
a Port Of Considerable Promi.
enee, Was Epidamus, but
Later IVES Changed.

Ddrazzo. the Albanian port which
has attracted international attention
on account of its occupation by the
Servians in opposition to the wishes
of the Austrians, is just such an out
let to the sea as the Servians have
long coveted, says the New New
York As Turkish port it has been
badly run down in the last quarter OF
q century. for the railway from Sal
onica TO Metrovft.a had diverted
much of the. trade i;:at Il once con.
trolled in the interior Of the country
southwark TO the Aegean. The barber
is filed With bis rne,s--if You were
TO trust tho stories Il some of the AZ
bsnian patriots Turks dumped
them there purpos ~ to ruin the har-
h0r--and 1t has hecome slted UP.
Steamers OF the austrian LLOYD stop
there twice a week and carry away
olive oil, cotton aad fruits. which are
ahlndantly produced on the rich
lands of the neighborhood
Durazzo was port more than six
centuries before the Christian era
and became popu,ous and importan.
city. When the Romans came they
didn't like the sound of it's ancient
name, Epidamus-it was too much
like their word damnum--and they
changed it to, Dyrrachium. which
time and later occupants corrupted to
its present name. 1t was the begin
ming of a Roman road southwark along
the coast and Of the great military
road, Via Egnatia. running through to
Salonica and the Hellespont. 1t has
been the scene of much strife. and
Slavs, Normans and Venetians had
been masters of its port before the
Turks took it IN 1901, An earth.
quake destroyed Durazzo in 1878. and
the only traces OF its ancient build.
ings are in broken columns and mar.
bles where the city once. stood
The city. which was formerly an
island, Is Joined to the mainland by
a huge marsh, over which is built
bridge $50 feet long. The marsh is
partly salt where the government salt
works are. situated and partly fresh
and haunted by 'storks, frogs and
fevers." Durazzo lis scarcely more
than shadow of its former self. The
old walls are dlapidated, plane trees
grow on the ruins of the ancient BY.
zantine citadel aud many OF the Rom
an remains, funeral slabs. columns and
have been smashed up by|
the Turkish government to build al
road around the point projecting out
into the bay.
The port Is fifty miles south OF Sou
tart and is 400 miles nearer the Medit.
erranean than Trieste, The popula-
ton, Of the place is about 5000. The
Roman Catholic religion through the
hard work of priests trained in Aus.
tria has made considerable hcadwav.
The German or Slav languages are
spoken by as many persons as is the
Italian
Dnraz2o has dreamed for years Of a
railroad that might help 1t back to its
lost glory The people. though, hadI
expected that 1t would be built from
Monastir. They had not contemplated
that the port might fall into the hands
Of Albania's hereditary enemies and
that they would carry out the pet pro
ject. Should the Servians manage ted
retain this, port they would be forced
TO make railway communication andl
do a, great deal Of hard work upon1
the harbor, consuming in all two OIL
three years, before they coula send
their products to d foreign market bsI
this route.