Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-05-21
POPULATION OF 0MsK
ss 4! NOW HALF MILLION
lR5fdgees From Bolshcvism Greatly
AfssAugment Normal City OF
49, 100000.
HAss. MANY FINE BUILDINGS
Capital Of the All-RuSsian Govern.
sanent Hard Place to Find Apart
Hlents-Authoritics Must Intervene
to. Make LODGINGS Available.

oMSK. SIBERIA. May. 20 (speciaD;--
A z,n readers OF the Er To oi MnSi
at Hard labor IN the fortress prison
Of 9msk. would hardly reHo %, .a, ! IN
t,ops; which he depicted in his book,
.Reeol!ections of the House of the
Dead" l, was in 1892 that Dostoie33
H6w.erfully pictured later, The house
oG the dead" no Longer EXISTS at OmSk,
building of mode modern and more
hopeful city.
1T is difficult TO realize how the pres
entN 400, 900 population OF omsk lives.
Ting normal population is 10000. but
the constant influx OF refugees from the
ce1tsrs OF Bolshevism has swcllcd the
number OF Inhabitants TO find a house
orSAAartment is not TO be thought OF
inSrhe present-day Omsk. chosen as the
saHtni Of the r Proyis9na
is.,pot 10 be obtained without the in
PREVENTION of friends or the help of the
aHthnrities' who do not hesitate to
need The city is without. electricity,
except in few sections. and IL. streets
at night are in obscurity. For that
Oh 8 o'clock because OF the possiois
DANGER of robbery or worse. ru5.ic
safety has, however. greatly improved
ilf The past two months.
Omsk in its main ihoroughtare has
nn7hAi finely appointed Office buildings
and some modern apartment houses
Ths ire siden,!al section consists OF low
built houses OF wood and mortar. There
are several fine views, due 20 tho pres
long, lexpanses OF space afforded by
the kAivers Irish and ON. which meet
In, hlle very heart OF the city. ~ fortT
thSbetreets, but the aGven. Of a day
wnen III" mercury rises nearer zero
brsfhSs out large numbec of ladies'
-t,o Nly Ia. H.,
coats OF varied colored furS and their
SYesshGef aiIsys Prs'ihy n9Taere9
fur is utilized in the, fashioning OF
wSfh and attractive hats with long
st6eamers covering the ears and tying
uhdef the chin. Hcres are so plentiful
reaeh of almost everybody.
atsis the orthodox cathedral, dcdi-
Gated by the late Emperor Nicholas
loSmg. as the dominating Structure OF
this capital on one -,le is the former
p residen Gew of sl SGe eiy Eoyetmor Of
and ON the opposite side Of the square
is THE imposing Ministr yof Justice
" fiisfi is called tho Church OF the, As
cension OF the Savior. is a vast cdifce
capable of holding l.60o persons. Dur
ing, the Saturday night and Sunday
tering auditorium is crowded with
people, all standing in accordance with
custom nc CalneuTal mas u
grea L dome surrounded by several tur-
refs and has on one side high tower
ofhnely sculptured stone surmounted
bNs tspire.
IN MIA. Peter the First sent COM
mfstipn TO the Omsk region 20 erect
small fortress on the banlo of the
RRdf ON. from which the city later
topk Its name. In 1865 began the con-
struetion of new and more solid
fo5tpess II was in the form OF
polyEon with five bastions. Beside IL
wAS1erected later the wooden prison.
SURROUNDED by high palisade. which
served to imprison Russian political
eSiRsS. and in which Dostoiovckv spent
his four years for having been in the
Pougatchof riots. This was the dead
houss which he later described to the
WORLD in protest OF the horrors OF
Siberian Punishment;