The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-11-02
PETROGRAD.
The Curious History of the Rechristened
Capital of Russia.


In the center of the Admiralty square
within the shadow of the kazan cathe'
dral, stands the equestrian statue OF
Peter the Great, founder of st. Peters
burg, "the City OF Cars" Perched upon
huge granite rock weighing $4,000 tons
stands the gorgeous monument of Peter
surveying the dream he conceived, and
whose name Car Nicholas has changed
from "Sankt Petersburg" as the Rus
slams call it, to Petrograd, in his effort
to purge the city from its Teutonic APP
| pellation.
| Only century and half ago that lit
! tie peninsula, where now stands one of
the wonder cities OF the world was moth
| ing more than a dreary, marshy waste,
surrounded by thickets and forests and
iinhabitated by few lonely Finnish fish
ermen. On one of the islands encircled
by the pellucid Neva, commanding the
entrance of Lake Lsgoda, the Swedes
maintained a strong fortress. the pos
session of which was unavailingly con-
tested by the Russians. Peter the
Great, realizing the advantages of the
Swedish position, waged a relentless war
Tor the possession of these little islands.
In 1902, after the capture OF Neysschants,
the Swedes were driven from the fort
ress, and, even before peace was cstab
lished. Peter gave orders for the cree
tion OF the city which he named after
his patron saint. st. Peter
The building and maintenance OF st.
~ pY q hi ~ Pm
gle and conquest of nature. The soil is
a marsh so deep and spongy that a solid
foundation in many places can only be
attained by subterranean scaffolding
OF piles. The highest spot of the city is
not more than fifteen feet above the sea
level The weather is severe, and is
marked by bitter frosts in winter and
scourging heat in summer For six
months the Neva is frozen soldly, and |
is as impenetrable as the Chinese wall |
All traffic stops then till nature re- !
leases the port from its frozen grip
An old legend has it that after Peter |
The Great chose the site OF Petrograd he |
noticed a heavy ring above the trunk of
1 tree He turned to one of the Finnish |
fishermen who stood near, asking him to
Explain the meaning of it.
That" remarked the fisherman naive
V, Is the spot TO which the foods of
he Neva reached last spring"
You're mad" shouted Peter you're /
nadl Il can't be! II is impossible!"
ID was not long, though, before he 4
vas convinced Of the truth of the fisher
mans statement. One year after the
work upon the city had begun the west
m winds drove the water from the
;ulf OF Finland down to the Neva, max
ng a funnel of il, flooding the nucleus
# his dream. Although a century and
half has passed nature has not
hanged her course.
In l7l2 the foods were so severe that
'eter the Great nearly lost his life
thousands OF people died in the course
1 il and the whole city was nearly de-
troyed. Peter. however. was undis.
layed BY the misfortune. and in l7l4
q gave strict orders TO proceed with the
ork. notwithstanding the complaints Of
he inhabitants. Every building had to
r. constructed in a particular manner
rited 20 the dignity Of a capital city,
nd St Petersburg was proclaimed the
ipital Of Russia. Historians claim that i
ne hundred Thousand people died in the 4
rst six months after the work had be- /
an.
Peter the Great. with whose reign the i
,irit Of western Europe was introduced
Russia. had a definite object in the
OF ST. Petersburg Ills
aYcls and studies abroad revealed b.
m the lack Of culture IN bis own coun
q. Russia was still under the in
lence Of the barbaric Mongols II had
D navy II had no public newspapers.
fact il lacked everything pertaining
culture Not only the peasants but
.cu the uobiemen were nothing more
an barharians To Peter the Crest tie
distraction 81 the city meant win
~ h Eurors through which the rays
the Geruauic culture might penetrate
i uuriglizad Russia
Buf be- was not satisfied uith = mere
.nfua A. s0on ~ the citV assumed
fnitr proportions ~ hsran q institute
1uv reforms In thc lives 81 the people