The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-04-23
Saloniki of To-Day
War Has Enriched Merchants
But Many People Live in
Misery

Saloniki, March IL Correspondence
OF The Associated Press)-The war
has wrought great changes in this an
cient Thessaionian metropolis. Locai
merchants have grown inordlnateiy
rich from sales TO the 500'ooV brl1-
ish, French and Italian soldiers quar-
tered here for four years Every me
az business has undergone extraor-
dinary expansion. Occupation by the
allied troops has brought about great
g civic improvements in the city and
its environs. The Saloniki area,
which heretofore has been one OF the
fairtiest and most unsanitary in Eu-
rome. has been made at least habit
Z able Sanitary methods have been in
troduced by the British and French.
Disease breeding swamps on the out
skirts of the city have been drained
Water systems have been purif1ed
and drainage has been improved.
Miles Of new roads have been built
Numberless stone and wooden build
: ings have been constructed and q
score of modern hospitals establish
ed. Hundreds of miles of telegraph
and telephone lines have been IN
stalled, and acres Of arid soil nave
peen converted into productive gar
dens.
Only for the disastrous fire Of Aug
ust. 1917. which caused S200.000,0Oo
damage, the city and its surroundings
have been revolutionized. No steps
/. have been taken by the Greek govern
mept since the great fire to renuaio
any Of the devastated area. The
question of undertaking It is one
solely Of labor and material. The
funds are available for the work.
Most Of the $4,000 persons made
homeless by the. FIRE are now living
in. tents and hu,s on the hillsides, or
I: in the cellars and ruins OF burned
buildings where they live almost like
! rats. No ray of sunshine enters tnelf
s wretched cellar abodes. They sleep
on, straw and live almost entirely on
black bread and vegetables All are
poor. They Lack proper ciothlns'
shoes and all the ordinary conven-
/. fepces of life. The American Red cross
is helping them.
At one time the center of learning
of the ancient world, Salonikl TO-DAY
has little to show in the way OF
schools, libraries or academies Noth-
I. ing except a few broken columns re-
main of it's ancient stadium. senate,
hippodrome or temples The lew
school buildings and churches are
now filed with refugees The pest
buildings have been converted INTO
hospitals The splendid theatres that
existed in past centuries have been
DISPLACED by cheap moving picture
houses. The only structures Of n1er-
it that have stood the ravages OF
Weather and battle are two triumphai
! arches built by the Romans. These
are on the main street, which forms
cart of the highway to CONSTANT
saople.
The most picturesque features OF
The. Macedonia capital are Its great
Intensive walls. and the numoerless
T,rkish rainarets that rise from al
most every part of the town ihese
xwalls present today q really forn!lo-
i,le. defense TO the city. The NINA
refs. though little used today, are re-
rninders Of time when the aurKl;n
empire embraced the whole OF Mace
donia and forced its religion on all
that came under its authority.
On Saloniki's principal street on the
waterfront the American flag Is al
ways conspicuous. identifying the
home and Office of George norton,
the veteran American Consnl-Generai
who has spent 25 years in the con-
sular service. Mr.. Horton is consid-
cred almost a native of Macedonia,
for he not only speaks the Greek
language fuen,ly but his vile is
Greek woman.