The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-22
CITY OF SULTANS
CASTS OFF letters
Ccn>tantinOple Now a Modern
Capital. Even With
Street Cars.
GLAMOUR IS DISAPPEARING
Oriental Picturcsqueness Of
Turkish Capital Gives
Way TO Progress.
special torresDonSsace TO Tur Sos.


Constantinople. The letters of medimval.
lsm that once held II so firmly are being
,oosened. the quairtness OF the old regime
that had 10 strong a fascination for the
visitor and charmed and held the resident
N spite OF the injustice, cruelty and sus-
pcion to which he was subjected ba,
PASSED. Tho ancient customs are diving
out the old usages are things Of the IA ST
The pafidh dogSFre gone and the streets
are being cleaned, the narrow thorough
fares are In many cases being widened
the hamals are giving way to the expires.
carriers and the sedan chairs and the old
horse trans are replaced by electric cars
Modernity with all its gifts is creeping In
and however much the sentimental and
the artistic may deplore the passing Of
the picturesque Constantnople will soon
lose its Asiatic character and become as
European as any other city OF the CONT
nent.
It's pomp and gorgeousness will be
missed most OF all. Those who remember
the selamlik Of five years ago will find
this great pageant buried. almost forgot
ten. Mehmed V. goes to the mosque on
Fridays, as Sultans have done for CEN
turtles. but he drives in a carriage that ~
scarcely noticed even by his own subjects
40 II threads Its way through the streets.
Contrast this simple spectacle with the
marshalling OF troops the clearing OF the
thcroushfares by outriders and heralds
and trembling, guarded by thousands Of
soldiers-contrast these two selainliks and
YOU can have an idea of the change that
few years have brought 10 the city by
the Bosphorus.
Committee Had Hard Task,
II was u great task to widen the streets
IN accordance with the demands OF In
creasing traffic and drastic measures were
employed by the committee that had the
work in charge. In STEAMBOAT conditions
we're worse perhaps than In any other
part Of Constantinople. The ramshackle.
devious streets with now and then IA
srand mosque. a dingy caravanserai a
crumbling palace or desolate garden,
covered the grandeur and luxury OF
psst age. Again and again every district
had been swept by fire and the houses
'hai were put up over the ruins grew NOR.
a1d more miserable after each confiagra-
ION The Turks simply smoothed. the
fNund and rebuilt Benasfh might b.
te haiIs Of a mansion OF the grand age.
isc sed now and then by the subsidence
uf tne earth. II never bothered the man
90. hurface but the caverns that were
hus formed became the refugees OF der
wishes. homeless people and malefactors.
When these squatters were disturbed
ne! rose IN rebellion and for blocks
1orkmen had to fight their way. But
DIEM! pasha. the Mayor. persevered. He
demolished old eyesores. he built new
streets and he laid out attractive public
ndrks. To create the largest and most
beautiful OF these breathing places for
me people he transformed the gardens OF
ne famous Topkapou palace at Seragllo
Point Into park with fountains and
promenades
improvements n Pera.
was easier to make changes In Pera,
EurOnpan ri har ,..trt 10.
noted the greatest Improvement. The new
TaNim boulevard has been made into a
wide tree lined avenue: some of the
SIDE streets have been paved and widened
and many Of the projecting structures torn
down and replaced by fine stone buildings.
several modern Office buildings have been
erected In Galata and down by the ship
ping quarters, once infested with thugs
who preyed upon sailors and shippers.
the narrow dark alleys have been widened
enough to let in the sunlight
To connect Galata with STEAMBOAT
ssv bridge has been built This is the
most important work the municipality has
completed. In It's construction about one
NH Of the loan OF S5.000.000 which the
city raised for public Improvement was
used " is well paved and lighted with
electricity. While II may lack some OF
the picturesque character Of the old bridge.
where the peoples Of all Europe and Asia
PASSED in An unending procession" II has
more stability and is better adapted to
the passage Of steamers to and from
the Golden Horn.
Think OF Il department Of public n.y.
siene and sanitation actually striving
hard 10 keep the streets Of Constanti-
hople clean. Yet that ~ one Of the new
Developments. The house refuse. which
was formerly thrown into the streets to
The packs Of parlah dogs, Is now collected
by city scavengers. The dogs that once
su.h an impOrtaut ma ri of old SIAM
houl would now seem as much out OF
place in Constantinople AZ In any other
European city.
II could hardly be truthfully said that
ne streets are kept clean. Still there In
great Improvement over conditions that ex-
isied and the work will be still better done
when more automatic sprinklers and re-
'olvrg brooms are put into service. Street
pedlers and shopkeepers must keep food
stuffs under cover, and OIL milk and other
liquids are tested to prevent authorizations.
Another sanitary measure soon TO be
carried out is the draining OF the whole
city INTO the swift current OF the Bos-
porus instead OF permitting part Of It
10 flow into the sluggish waters OF the
Golden Horn.
Police FOvce Organised.
One Of tho great improvements that
came N with the constitutional era is
rough and ready watchmen ID retained.
and m addition there Is a we'll organised
and Efficient police force. But the fire
department remains the same primitive
Institution, and In = city where wooden
houses predominate and fires are SO fire.
Qutnt and destructive an efficient fire
department is one Of the most imperative
reforms
Visitors stili md more or less amuse-
men, in the grotesque fOrmalities attending
every fire alarm. First comes a company
o. scantlly clad men running barefooted
through the streets carrying an anti
suated hand pump. then In professional
array the fire brigade proper, followed
oy bugler sounding q weird call. the
eAS.ne drawn by an old broken down horse.
magnificent ofhcial on horseback. and
,falhrs on behind. running ~ fast an
.n,'r legs will carry them. q brigade OF
'ons.ani!nop!e has not realised the full
pS'p'!!t!es OF electricity Smaller ancient
.lies % the Near East have taken more
a,antase Of that agency for lighting.
ram and other purposes than has the
"'''' one reason for this tardiness v