The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1916-12-07

~ F1HE neutral ports or north
ern Europe one of the most
important and most pic
turesque Is Bergen. Norway.
q third OF which was swept away the
other day by 1865 first great con-
fiagration. In nearly a thousand years
Bergen had never seen such prosper
tty as has come TO IL since the out
break OF the war IL lies in north lati-
tAe go degrees. Just above the tip OF
the British Isles and is the closest OF
all the northern neutral ports to Amer
lea. In addition to this great advan-
tage. q remarkable mountain railway.
completed only six years ago. pours
freight and passengers into the port
from inland Norway. from Sweden.
Russia. Denmark and Germany. writes
Charles Phelps Gushing in the Kansas
City Star.
One result OF this happy combina-
tion of circumstances Is that since the
war this city of eighty thousand or
ninety thousand population has gained
twenty-six new millionaires. IL has
the largest merchant feet in Norway
and stock in some of It's steamship
AAnCo na6 tAitnbt0 R8h W WV
The recent fire. described as the
worst ever recorded In Norway. de-
stroyed the business section. with
many food warehouses. several OF the
largest hotels. the electric plant. some
.barslks and newspaper buildings and a
number OF schools. The loss was esti-
mated as not less than s15.0o0.00o.
Bergen IL losing no time about re-
building. and probably In a few months
will be no worse of for the experience
than some OF our own Ncities-as Chi
cago, San Francisco and baltimore
have been. Only the tourist. will be
the loser In the end-for much ~ the
"old town" was destroyed.
In Picturesque Setting.
There n not much danger. however.
that Bergen will cease to be admired
for picturesqueness. II lies at the
head Of . long ford. on seven little
hills. and back OF these hills loom
snow-capped mountains. II Is like bit
of green Ireland set down In the bot
tom Of q stockade on high Scotch bens.
Bergen itself has the climate Of April.
but on the barren rim Of the cup round
about the season IL winter.
In the streets OF the compact little
town the babble OF tongues 10 some
thing 70 compare with New York's
East side. Russians. Germans. Eng
I11sh. Norwegians. Swedes. Danes and
.occasionally . Dutchman or a French
nan gather here to buy and sell and
loAiD: the walters In the hotels all
speak at least three languages. and in
the rooms the rules are posted in four.
The little harbor Is crowded with ships
- Ill sizes: new ships and new Quays
IRE building and vessels change hands
iovory hour like stocks on the ex-
change. The sun gets It's first peek
into the valley on q winter morning
'at . little past ten. then glides behind
. mountain for q while before Il APP
pears again. At three II II gone for
the day and the carpenters and masons
work ON till supper time under arc
lights.
Bergen looks little like Edinburgh
and has weather Of much the same
!brand-rain one minute. sunshine the
1sxt. succeeded. perhaps. by . short
but fsrocious blizzard. For some nine
hundred years the stock joke Of the
town has been that the horses In
Bergen shy II they see q man without
IN umbrella. At midday dinner every
one takes long recess and the band.
even IN winter. marches down the
street and plays for half an hour In
the city park. The tradition for this IL
oa1d 70 - German. II 90. Bergen comes
~ 4 honestly. for II was once q Ger
0an city, regular member IN good
standing Of the Hanseatic league.
Who're the Old Hacks co.
One Of the advantages of travel Il
that n you keep at II long enough you
occasionally discover some Of the
things We all want to know. Now. I
have not yet journeyed far enough to
- able to say where the old pins 90.
but an In . position to state authori-
tstively that Bergen 10 the paradise of
the old-time hack Do you remember
the hacks that used to stand In front
Of the old Kansas City Union depot?
The hacks that clattered frantically
pnst the junction. with "Wide-Awake"
awsaming after their drivers to set