Evening journal., 1914-12-15


Amber was one OF the principal
things which served to keep a sturdy
curiosity alive in the breasts of the
Phoenician. the Greek and the Ro-
man concerning the dreary north
The greatest supply of this product
is found on the coasts of the Baltic,
where coniferous trees Of amber-resin
grew in ages past, and most of it
comes from Samiand. Inferior am
bers are found elsewhere in the
world; some are found in the green
sands Of New Jersey; but genuine am
Der, fragrant when rubbed, comes from
Samland and other places along the
southern Baltic coast. II occurs in
the sands and in shallow waters in
the form of Jumps. or in drops. Very
rarely Jumps have been gathered
weighing twelve pounds or more.
""Insects, leaves and fora Of
long-decayed world are preserved In
many pieces of amber. Pieces contain
ing these insects are very valuable.
one perfect leaf having sold for $3.50.
A museum I'm Konigsberg~ a price
less collection of amber prisoner me-
MORALS, containing more than $4,000
specimens.
"A tangled land OF marsh and
brake, of forests Of pine and fir and
birch, Of canals and sluggish rivers;
sprinkled over all with lakes of every
size and figure, lakes similar TO the
glacier-scooped basins in northern
Ohfp ,rfhorr .,.,,,,n, .r,,,tf,afutr ,.,,
big lakes. little lakes. frog ponds:
this is the Masurenland Lake district
which makes up the southern part of
cast Prussia. and which forms one Of
the most difficult OF military districts
to be found upon the war map. Masur-
onland Is a great natural barrier Of
marsh and water against the Russian
border, and a natural defense of her
eastern frontier II is, however. not
the dismal country of damp and de-
preston which so many have pictured
It TO be.
"On the contrary. Masurenland is Of
such beauty as TO deserve many more
tourist visitors than have ever wan
dered there. In summer. Il is reg
ion Of continuous. unexpected pleas
ures; an intimate land of little lakes
and even country, bathed in an air
spicy with evergreen tang; of delight
full waterside drives, miniature islands
/ in the midst of forest-darkened pools.
of wild. wood-fringed, large waters.
and. altogether, of endlessly interest
/ ing combinations of water. woodland.
sequestered villages and reclaimed
, fields.
East Prussia's lake region is worth
visit. II has nothing of the impress
sive grandeur of the Alps. where one
never does get upon familiar. terms
with surrounding nature, but II is a
: place-and, in this characteristic. IL
stands in sharp distinction 10
/ the rest Of East Prussia-which re-
ceives the stranger upon the easy
terms of old friendship on his first
day out.
There are many bright pleasure
/ resorts in Masurenland, but the bulk
of the visitors come from neighboring
] Silesia. and the cities of East Prus-
sia and Posen. The Berlin vacation
! ist goes to the North sea baths. where
he meets his fellows OF the capital and
where fresh out-of-doors may he en-
/ joyed with a proper stir and clamOI
reminiscent of the city. Masuronland
about the size OF the State of Con
necticut, with some 1000 square miles
of area and its thousand lakes draws
few visitors from east of Danzig oi
south of Posen.
Poles migrated in large numbers tC
this region I'm the fifteenth century
and of its some 100000 population
many are the descendants Of these
early emigrants. These people speak
a Polish language which bears about
the same relationship 10 good Polish
as Pennsylvania Dutch bears to pure
German. The Polish peasants live
scattered through the marsh and lake
lands; the German settlers are found
mostly in the larger cities. Among
these cities are Angerburg, Johannis-
burg. Lensburg, Lpetzen, Lyck Ortels-
burg and Neidenburg
MANY of the lakes are bound to-
gether by canals, and. thus form far
reaching navigable avenues. Lake
Spirding is the largest. I'm fact. the
largest inland water sheet In tho
Prussian Kingdom It IS about Al
square miles in extent and the dept
varies to so feet.
"Masurenland is frozen over now
freezing occurring between Novem
her 16 and December 16. Ice hold
until sometime in March, and normal
ly attains a thickness Of a foot ol
more"