Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-11-25
SA[ON|k| OFFERS
SPR|GHTLY SCENE
Greek Port Where Allies Are
Landing 0verrun BY Poly
g|ot PopuIace of All
Kinds and Races.

Saloniki, Greece, Nov. l, (by mail).-
The very approach to Saloniki fore
the presence Of var The long
reach Of the Gulf of Saloniki reveals a
continuous procession of ships going
and coming, n from their standards
tran the most unexpected flags-Ru-
manlan. Belgian, Dutch, Russian,
Egyptian-all engaged in some way in
~Vlctuallng the foreign troops concen-
trated on the doorstep of the Balkans.
Huge transatlantic liners, French
and British, laden with soldiers, glide
toward The harbor, whose entrance is
guarded by a common tug, metamor-
phosed into a warship by armor and
q gun or two. The warship at the gate
OF Greece'S second port flies the French.
not the Greek, flag. Each entering yes
sci is hailed and, while not visited, is
requested to give an account Of itself
before it is permitted to pass the gate
way In the steel net, whose presence
across the narrows is marked by a line
Of floats.
Steel Net Guards Harbor.
Within the harbor, whose safety is
secured by this net against subma-
rines, the scene is even more animated.
Not since the last Balkan war have
SO many ships gathered before Salon
Xxi. Out in the roadsteads lie French
oiAo pllli51 NdISIlipS anu Ollt ltllltl
mano'war. To defend the interests of
Greece, a tiny Greek destroyer hugs the
shore, a pigmy among giants of war.
IT the harbor of Saloniki Is a con-
glomeration of strange flags and Of
every class Of ship, it is as nothing in
comparison with the quays. No Port
Said, nor Marseilles, ever knew SO po-
lyglot q babel or saw such a kaleido-
scope of customs. There We're French,
poilue in their sky blue uniforms;
French Alpine ch~asseurs. tam o'shan-
tiers on the side of the head; French
colonial troopS-Turcos and Senegal
lese, in baggy khaki boomers and short
gaiters-French marines, with red
pompoms in their round caps; French
Dragons, with horSetailS in their he'll
NETS; French officers of every descrip-
ton; french sailors, ara-commonest
of all-calm. red trousered french ter
ritorials. Now and then appear coll
umns of Greek artillery. Again, stray
Cling lines of Greek infantry take the
right of way.
British Salute British.
Bands of British Tommies also push
their way down the crowded streets.
British officers, canes in hand, sweep
the sidewalks from side to side, driving
the countless itinerant vendors into the
street. French salute Greeks; Greeks
salute French. But the British salute
Only the British.
Cosmopolitan as are the inhabitants
of Saloniki at any time, they are more
han ever now, increased as the popu-
lation has by refugees from Serbia.
Macedonia and Thrace. Among he
permanent inhabitants to judge from
the streets Turk seem to predomi-
nate.
Besides the Greeks the Jews and the
Turks, the quays of Saloniki are pic
turesque also with bearded Levantines
of nondescript nationality, that might
have stepped from the Arabian
knights.
When night falls the lights at the
mastheads and in the port holes of the
assembled ships spring out. At the
docks a huge French transport unloads
it's cargo Of human beings. The shouts
Of the men and the clank of ranes
coming across the water without ceas-
ing throughout the night.
At midnight the cafes close. The
lights in the harbor go out one by one.
Patrols of soldiers with bayonets set
French, Greek, British-march up and
down the pitch black side streets in
search OF stragglers.