Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-14
WILMA AN ANCIENT CITY
Of STRATEGIC VALUE
Manufacturing Place of 10000 In
habitants an Industrial and
Commercial Depot.
Once Center of Lithuanian Power.
Few Native Russians In
habit the Town.

Wilma is one of the most important
immediate detectives of the Teutonic
drives in Russia, for its capture and
retention by the Germans would not
only threaten the communication of
the cars armies, but would also Grip
pie the second line Of Russian defense
along the Bug or the Brest LiLtovsk
line. The holding Of Wilma would prac-
tically cut the northern communica-
tions of the powerful fortress and
military entrepot upon the Bug, and
bring with 1t a more startling change
in the eastern campaign than even the
capture of Warsaw. A description of
this important railway. trading and
manufacturing city is given in a state
ment on war geography issued today
by the National Geographical Society.
1t reads:
trial and trade center situated in the
midst of a region Of tangled forests,
almost impossible marshes and low
lying lakes at the intersection of the
railways from Warsaw to Petrograd
and from Libau. the Baltic port, to
Rostof, at the mouth of the Don. 1t
lies nearly midway between the cities
points upon the Warsaw Petrograd
railway threatened by the German in
vaders. Petrograd lies 436 miles away
to the orth-northwest of Wilma, and
the country in between is a labyrinth
of lake. morass. woodland and wet
meadowland. 1t is more than ITO
miles from the German frontier, to-
ward which it is guarded by the fort
ress of Kovno in the northwest.
City an Ancient One.
THE city is an ancient one, of which
fact its appearance bears every testi-
mony, for it's irregular ground plan
struggles among. around and over the
knot Of low hills upon which the city
is built in accordance with the tradi-
tional aimlessness of the middle ages
Its streets are narrow. and not espe-
cially we'll kept 1t wears. however. a
general air of comfortable prosperity;
for Wilma sends large quantities Of
goods to the Black sea and to the Bal
tic. 1t handles a very extensive busi-
ness in grains and timber, articles
which it exported before the present
war in great quantities to Germany, to
Holland and to England. 1t also has
important textile and leather indus
tries. wilma manufactures consider
able tobacco, knit goods, clothing, arti-
fetal flowers and gloves.
THE old town is rich in memories. A
mass of ruins that were once a bril-
liant castle of the Jagellons is here.
Wilma was probably founded in the
early part Of the tenth century, but Is
first mentioned as the chief fortified
town of the Lithuanians in 1928. 1t was
the nucleus about which the great
Lithuanian power grew, and capital
in which the ancient religious service
was continued until the end of the
housed here in a splendid temple and
protected his people in their swamp
and woodland until destroyed ruth
lessly in 1887 by Prince Jagiello, after
his conversion and baptism.
Once Nearly Ruined.
Wars, plaques and destructive fires
have played havoc with the city's pros
perity and growth. 1t was nearly ruined
altogether in the seventeenth century.
during the struggle between Russia
and Poland. Russia finally took pos
session of the city in 1895, after Po-
lands partition. The Poles of Wilma
aided the uprisings against their Rus
sian overlords in 1881 and in 1868, and
bitter punishment was administered for
this by the tsar's government. The ma
tive Russian element in the city is
small. 1t is estimated that more than
so per cent of the population Is Jew
ish. while the Lithuanians and Poles
make up the greatest part of the re-
mainder.'