The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-01
F|UME:: UPON WHICH
ALL EYES ARE FIXED

" ash tHE~oDt IL. u, April ~. - ii
Trieste was the Bremen of Austria,
i''iur1e Wis the Hamburg or tt1c Hun
garIan kingdom. a close rival for the
brisk Adriatic trade of the period be-
fore the war" says Il bulletin of the
National Geogra phic society.
The bulletin on Fiume is the third
IN a series of geographic news bulie-
tius dealing With places of the former
dual empire which may fall either to
Italy or to the Jugo Slav nation,
Plume SIS another of those foot
holds on the eastern Adriatic where
Italians ciung last despite the steady
influx of Sluvs in the interior. and.
in this case even into Fiune itself.
Thus the city bears evidence OF early
Italian culture, il figured as a potent
silav factor in the turmoil of Balkan
politics, and it felt strongly the in
Huance Of Hungary upon its thriving
industries and fast growing commerce.
Magyar ger-ymandering caused it
to he annexed to Hungary in 1870,
despite the protts of Croatia to which
il had belonged since the revolution
of IS4S~49. Tender consideration for
lis value as a seaport, rather than for
tts citizens, prompted its establish
rnent as royal free town. making IT
4 geographical slice Of about seven
square miles cut out Of Croatia,
"pespie the Hungarian interest in
the city It's pro-war population was
30 per cent italian and Slav, with
Che Italians sliel tly predominant Only
about half the remaining tenth were
Hungarians The Slavs included
Croats Serbs and Slovenes, AS i'm
portant 70 Hungary as ar" New York
ar Boston to the United States
Fumes total population is not much
greater than FIch suburbs Of those
American ports as East Orange, \. J.,
Of Breef<ton, Afass.
"Fiume is situated on the northeast
shores Of 'ho cur of Quarnero, only
seventy miles. by rail southeast of it's
trade rival. Trieste Across the bay
is the popular summer resort. Ahbazia,
famed for IT'S evergreen laurel and
profusion OF roses, to which tens or
thousands cF sitors formerly throng
od,each summer
The oldc~ town, dlstinctively
Italian, Is built ON the hillside. over
looking the au'f The newer city lies
nearer the waterfront. There are
three harbors The largest, accom-
1oodating so large vessels, is pro-
tcCtcd hy hrpakwater half a mile
long. Tic quay Is nearly two miles
long,
Before the war Fumes manufac-
turing plants included a government
Tobacco factory the Whitehead tor
pedo works, rice shelling factory. a
petroleum refinery. and many smaller
plants, among which were saw mills
and paper mills. It's fisheries CON
stitutcd an imr ortant industry. II ex-
ported sugar grain. -four, horses and
timbc
"Fmmc ha1 governor. who was
"a rnrmhrr ri The upper house Of the
Hungarian parliament. four represent
atives in the lower house, and two rep
resentatives in the diet of the C'roa-
tians and Slovepes.
Originating in Roman times,
Fiume was destroyed by Charlemagne
In 100 The Franks ruled It for q
considerable period. Then II passed
10 feuaai- ,orda until tho Emperor
Frederick III made it part of Aus
tria-
TINS emperor, who was Fredeyick
Y. as archiuke Of Aust>ia was The
son Of Ernes. he man of iron and
Cymbuyga a Polish woman. from
whom the uap~hures are thoAght to
have inherited he protrudine lower
lip which sometimes became dis
figuremenf us long and inconse-
uuential reign ia recalled chiefly be-
cause he pa1ziad photographers by
leaving on his t,c oks, pottery and hav-
ing inscrihe,I On MS tomb, the initials
a. f. T. u. u a promssorv note or
future Austrian greatness VIII oh Fred
erick did little 10 realize The most
generally accepted explanation is that
the Initials stood for the Latin, Aus
triae Est Imperari Orb Universe
meaning. IAN tho earth Is subject to
Austria.
Charles VI proclaimed Fiune
free port. Marie Teresa first united
il with Hungary. Successfully occu-
pied by the French and British 1t re-
yerted to Austria and later was re-
stored ~ Hungary before 1t was ced-
ed to Croatia"