The Bolivar County Democrat., 1916-03-18


turesque Is Bergen, Norway,
a third of which was swept away the
other day by 1865 first great con
Migration. In nearly thousand years
Bergen had never seen such prosper
sity as has come to it since the out
break of the war. 1t lies in north lati-
tude so 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, 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 Cushing 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. 1t has
the largest merchant fleet in Norway
and stock in some of it's steamship
lines has climbed from par to 500
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
banks and newspaper buildings and a
number of schools. The loss was esti-
mated as not less than $4,000, 900
Bergen Is losing no time about re-
building. and probably In few months
will be no worse off for the experience
than some of our own cities-as Chi
'cago, San Francisco and Baltimore
have been. Only the tourist will be
the Loser in the end-for much of the
old town" was destroyed
In Picturesque Setting.
There is not much danger, however,
that Bergen will cease to be admired
for 2icturesqueness. 1t lies at the
head Of long ford, on seven little
hills, and back of these hills loom
snow-capped mountains. 1t is like bit
of green Ireland set down in the bot
tom of a stockade on high Scotch bens.
Bergen itself has the climate of April,
but on the barren rim Of the cup round
about the season is winter.
In the streets of the compact little
town the babble of tongues is some
thing to compare with New York's
East side. Russians, Germans, Eng
aish, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and
occasionally Dutchman or French
man gather here to buy and sell and
ship; the walters in the hotels all
speak at least three languages, anG il
the rooms the rules are posted in fou7
The little harbor is crowded with ships
of all sizes; new ships and new quays
are building and vessels change hands
every hour like stocks on the ex-
change. The sun gets its first peek
into the valley on a winter morning
at little past ten, then glides behind
a mountain for a while before it ap-
pears again. At three it is 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
next, succeeded. perhaps. by a short
but ferocious blizzard. For some nine
hundred years the stock joke of the
town has been that the horses in
Bergen shy if they see man without
an 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 is
said to be German. If so, Bergen comes
by it honestly, for it was once a Ger.
man city-a regular member in good
standing of the Hanseatic league.