New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1919-05-02
OLD CITY OF.OMSk
HARDLY RECOGNIZED
"City Of Death" Has Changed to
Russian Municipality

Onlsk Siberia, May > -(Corresp pond
ence of the Associated Press. )-Amer-
lean readers of the great Russian nov
ellst, DostoieVsky, who, eXiled for
poltticat crime, spent four years at
hard labor in the fortress prison OF
Omsk, would hardly recognize III the
Or1sk of today the terrible conditions
which he depicted in his book, 'Recol-
lections of the House of the Dead.
It was in 1649 that Dostoievsky began
his term Of exile and passed through
the experiences which he SO powerful
~ pictured later The "housel of the
dead" no longer exists at Cnlsk 1t
has passed to give room for the build
ing of a, more modern and more hope
full city.
1t is difficult to realize how the
present half million population of
Omsk lives. The normal population
is 100000, but the constant influx of
refugees from the centers of Bolshe-
vism has sWelled the number of m
habitants. To find e, house or apart
ment is not to be thought of in the
present-day Or1lsk, chosen az the cap
ital of the provisional all Russian
government, The most humble room
IS not to be obtained without the in
tervention of friends or the help Of
the authorities who do not hesitate to
requisition rooms in case of urgent
need. The city is without electricity,
except in a few SECTIONS and the
streets at night are in obscurity. For
that reason few persons go out after
S or o'clock because of the possible
danger of robbery or worse. Public
safety has, however, greatly improved
in the past two onths.
Onsk in it's main thoroughfare has
many finely appointed Office buildings
and some modern apartment houses
The residential section consists of low
built houses of wood or mortar. There
are several fine views due to the pres
ence of many domed churches and
the long expenses of space afforded
by the rivers Irtiah and Om which
meet in the very heart Of the city. At
40 below zero few women are seen in
the streets, but the advent of a day
when the mercury rises nearer zero
brings out a large number OF ladies
who look vexy attra ctive in their
great-coats of varied colored furs and
their overshocs always prettily Dor
dered with mink or hare The ST.
oerian hare's fur is utilized in the
fashlon1ng of warm and attractive
hats with long stream ers covering the
ears and tying under the chin. Hare
are SO plentiful that these hats are
within the financial reach of almost
everybody.
1t is the orthodox cathedral, dedi-
Gated by the late Emperor Nicholas in
1891, which looms up, vast and i'm
posing, as the dominating structure Of
the capital, On one side is the form Ter
residence of the civil governor of
Omsk, now used by the foreign Office.
and on the opposite side of the square
is the imposing ministry of Justice as
yet unCom pleted. The cathedral,
which is called the Church of the AS
cension of the Savior, is q vast edifice
capable of holding 1900 persons. Dur
ing the Saturday night and Sunday
morning services the brilliant and
glittering auditorium is crowded with
people, all standing in accordance
with Russian custom. The cathedral
has a. great dome surrounded by sew
eral turrets and has ON one side a
high tower of finely sculptured stone
5urm ounted by a spire.
In 1714 Peter the First sent a com
mission to the Onsk region to erect q
small fortress on the bank of the
river ON, from which the city later
took its name. In 1855 began the con-
6tructton of a new and more solid
fortress. 1t was in the form of a
polygon with five bastions Beside il
was erected later the wooden prison
surrounded by high paIisade, which
served to imprison Russian political
axiles, and in which Dostoievsky spent
his four years for having been in the
Pougatchof riots. This was the dead
house" which he later described tc
ahe world in protest of the horrors OF
Siberian Punishment