Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-07-08
FINNISH CITY IS
SCENE Of TROUBLE
WITH ANARC HlSTS

jcct of the following informative war
geographic bulletin issued today by the
National Geographic Society from Its
Washington headquarters;
The third city of Finland, and the
capital of the province of the same
name, Viborg is one of the most inter
esting and picturesque centers of pop
ulation in northwestern Russia. 1t is
situated at the head of the Gully OF
Viborg, on the important Sauna Canal,
a waterway 81 miles long connecting
Lake Sauna Cthe lake of a thousand
islesD with the sea. 1t is eighty miles
northwest of PetrOgrad, on the Hell
singfOrs- Petrograd Railway, express
trains making the trip from the Fin
nish capital to Viborg in seven hours,
and from Petrograd to Viborg in three
hours
The city has a population OF $4,000,
and the principal commercial activity
is the export of lumber. There are al
So important foundries, machine works
and saw mills here.
From a historical standpoint Viborg
is one Of the most interesting COM
munities in Finland. 1t owes its foun-
dation to Marshal Torkel Knutson, the
Swedish general who in 1898 built a
castle here on granite isIet in the
natural harbor. Around this castle
grew the city, and the ruins Of the
old stronghold are still preserved, al
though its tower, from which the
former governors were accustomed to
watch for the sails of the enemy Rus
slams. has begun to crumble, This
was the first center for the spread Of
Christianity throughout the medievel
province of Karelia, of which Viborg
was for many years the capital.
Many are the legends which have
grown up around this old castle, and
o. these none is Of more fascinating
interest than the story of Knut Posse
and his heroic defense of the town
againt the assaults of a Russian army
reputed to have numbered $4,000 men
under Ivan Wasiljevitsch. According
to sound chroniclers the garrison num-
bered only 20 men, but it must be re
called that Posse, according to the
legend, could always increase lbs
forces by going to the top of his tower,
and opening a bag of feathers to the
wind, wrereupon each feather became
fuIly-armed soldier,
when the garrison was about to
yield Posse determined upon a des-
perate course. He undermined one of
the towers of the castle and placed a
great store of explosives beneath it
connected says legend, in a great
saucepan, the ingredients closely re-
sembling the noXious brew of Hecate
in 'Macbeth'-frogs, serpents, quick
silver. and CHALK. When all was
ready the little garrison sought safety
in the lowest dungeon of the castle,
leaving on old man. who had volun-
tecred to give his life, to set off the
blast. Sixteen thousand Russians are
supposed to have persisted when the
'Viborg Thunder was discharged, and
the remainder of the besieging army
fled as one man. All this is supposed
TO have happened just three years at
ter Columbus discovered America. And
to prove the truth of the account the
custodian of the old castle will show
you the gigantic saucepan in which,
by black magic, Posse mixed the eX-
plosive.
In this period of Viborg's history
the governors of the castle possessed
almost kingly powers, being permitted
to ennoble their subjects, and perform
ing other royal functions. 1t is said
that when Governor Karl Knutson
Bonde sailed for Stockholm in 1449 to
nay homage to his sovereign he was
accompanied by eight hundred knights.
"Viborg was captured by Peter the
Great in 171O and was formally ceded
to Russia by the Treaty of Nystaid
eleven years later. At the close of that
century it was blockaded by the feet
of Gustavus III, but the Swedish king
was in turn bockaded in the Gulf Of
Viborg and it was with difficulty that
he ran the gauntlet of Russian ships
end saved his forces. In 1912 the
province and city were reunited to the
grand-duchy of Finland.
THE Sauna Canal, which was built
in 1S45-56, is one of the most pictur-
esdue artificial waterways in the
world Lake Sauna, the largest in
Finland, with an area of 500 square
miles, is $50 feet above sea level, so
that % locks are required to lift ships