The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-05-10
The City of Fiume
Adriatic Seaport for Which
Italians and Jugo-Slavs
Are Contending

Washington. May 6.-.'If Trieste
was the Bremen Of Austria, Fiume
was the Hamburg Of the Hungarian
Kingdom, a close rival Tor the Drisk
Adriatic trade Of lhe period before tEe
var says u bulletin Of The National
Gro.ra pilical Society
The bulletin on l'iumc is the third
in a series OF geographic news bulle-
Tins dealing with places Of the former
dual empire which may fall either to
Italy or TO the .Juso-Slav nation.
''Fiume is another Of those foot
holds on the eastern .Adriatic where
Italians cling fast despite the steady
influx Of Slavs in the interior. and,
in this case even into Filmc iIsel;
Thus the city bears evidence OF early
Italian culture. it figured as 4 potent
Slav factor in the turmoil Of Balkan
politics, and it felt strongly the in
Ifiuence Of Hungary upon its thriving
industries and fast growing commerce.
Magyar gerrEmandcr:n$ caused II
10 he annexed to Hungary in 1870 de-
lspite the protest OF Croatia to which
it had belonged since, the revolution
Of 1S4s-49. Tender consideration for
it's value as seaport. rather than Tor
it's citizens. prompted its establishment
as n royal free town, making 1t
geographical slice Of about seven
square miles cut out Of Croatia.
Despite the Hungarian interest n
the city its pre-war population was 30
per cent italian and Slav, with the
Italians slightly predominant. Only
about half the remaining tenth We're
HunearianS. The SlavS included
Croats. Serbs and Slovenes. AS in1>
portant TO Hungary Us are Now ofA
or Boston TO the United States.
Fumes total population is not much
greater than such suburbs OF those
American ports as East Orange, n.
j.. or Rrock1on. Mass.
''Fiume is situated on the north
cast shores Of the Gulf Of Quarnero,
only seventy miles. by rail. southeast
Of its trade rival, Trieste. :. TOSS the
bay is the popular summer resort,
Abbazia, famed for its evergreen
laurel and profusion Of roses. to which
tens Of thousands Of visitors formerly
thronged each summer.
THE older town, distinctively Ital-
ian, is built on the hillside, overlook
ing the gulf. The newer city lies
nearer the waterfront. There are
three harbors The largest, accom-
modating $50 large vessels. is pro-
tected by a breakwater half mile
long. The 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. Its fisheries con-
stituted an important industry. 1t eX
ported sugar, grain, flour, horses ard
timber.
,Fiume had a governor, who was
member Of the upper house of the
Hungarian parliament, four represen-
tatives in the lower house. and two
Representatives in the diet Of the
Croatians and S.ovenes.
"Originating in Roman times,
Fiume was destroyed by Charlemagnc
in 799 The Franks ruled it for q
considerable period. Then it passed
to feudal lords until the Emperor
Frederick III made it a part Of Aus
ti'ia.
This emperor, who was Frederick =,
as achhduke of Austria, was the
son of Ernest, the man Of iron and
Cymburga, Polish woman, from
whom the Hapsburgs are thought to
have inherited the prorudinS lower
lip which sometimes became a dis
figurement. His long and inconse-
quential reign is recalled chiefly be-
cause he puzzled photographers by
feaving on his books, pottery, and
having inscribed on his tomb, the ini- |
tials "A. f. I. O. T.. promissory note
Of future Austrian greatness which /
Frederick did little to realize. The (;
most generally accepted explanation Is
that the initials stood for the Latin.
'Austriae Est Imperari Orbi Universe.
meaning, All the earth is subject 10
Austria
Charles VI proclaimed Fiume a !
free port Maria Theresa first united |
it with Hungary Successfully occu
pied by the French and British it re-
verted TO Austria and later was rcstor-
ed TO Hungary before it was ceded TO
Croatia