The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-06-29
People Of all Nations Meet ID Little CITY
in Arctic, Only Open Door 10 be
Found Between Europe
and Orient
NOTIFIED GROUPS
FILL RESTAURANTS
Single Table, About Which all Nsipnalil.
les Gather Supplies Food TO Travel
ers Speaking Dozen
Languages
By William PhiIin Sims.

/ ''f-%'NNAf AAA4H 0ilura
Omitted Press Staff Correspondent.
Tornea, Russia May 4,-(By mail -
And Rudyard Kipling was all wrong.
Here, under the Arctic Circle, where
May blossoms are still out Of sight I'D.
der the snow and fishermen must chop
holes through the Ice to fish, eass
meets west and west meets east every
day OF the week.
In the frontier town OF Tornea. the
new gateway TO Russia. there il a rail.
way station eating-room and In that
room daily not only does east meet
west and west meet east. but they cat
out OF the same dish.
Since the closing OF public traffic
across the Baltic ond the Gulf Of Fin
land the only open door between vest
ern Europe and the great empire OF the
east Is Tornea, On the left bank os the
wide and rapid TornioioN. PopuIa-
tion roo.
There is one train daily In each al.
rections east and west--one dipping
down through Petrograd and Moscow
apd on across Siberia to the Far East,
the other down through Sweden the nee
TO the Near and Far Waat.
The Russian customs examinaticn~A
and passport formalities take place
here whether one be coming or Eolifs.
so the arrivals from the east ana the
arrivals from the west are at first kept
apart. But once formalities are com.
piled with west and east mingle IA
the big dining room which. at the same
time, serves as first and second class
waiting rooms.
Usually customs and passport regn-
lations are tedious because the mill
tary take minute care OF each indivld-
nal passengers papers ever on the
watch for spies SO by the time ali
these are attended to one IL usually
pretty hungry One IL tempted 10
Whitney like the family horse when.
the halter off, he is allowed to shake
his head and make for the feed-troush.
In the middle OF the waiting room
stands table laden with steamlng
food Also clean plates, knifes. forks
and spoons. In Baltimore Dairy Lunch
fashion east and west help themselves
out Of the same dishes. then retire to
stand or sit face to face, eating their
fill.
There are all kinds df food, Oriental
and Occidental Caviar sandwiches.
cold roast beef, strange little hashed-
meat balls resembling sausages the
size of tho end Of ones thumb: there
are picked herrings, sardines, head
cheese, goulash; white bread, black
bread, French rolls, Finnish and Swed-
ish rye cakes dry and thin as a soda
cracker and quite paIatable; coffee.
tea, milk, water beer. wine-for wine,
you know can be obtained In Finland
though not IN Russia proper. For de-
sert there are cakes and pastry and
something like our mothers used to
call Floating island" only the cream
turns out TO be smear cheese and
disappointment Tarts. too, can be
had and other sweets. strange and
without name.
When one has eaten All one wishes
he tells the Finnish lady at the desk
by word or sign-what damage he has
done to the center table and pays. His
word is never disputed He is taken
to be an honest man regardless.
When west and eass first accost
each other over the hash balls ii u
perhaps noon. Neither the train for
the east nor the train Tor the west
leaves before around ,. M, and
walking about the town is discouraged
both by snow and officials. So they
sit around. visibly interested in each
other An American missionary aud
his wife are in the throng. returning
from China. and he has two Chinese
women as nurses for his children. lie
plays waiter and serves all With food
and drink-tea; he won't trust the wa
ter and his education is against liquor.