The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-03-27
CONSTANT|NOPLE is
W|CKEDEST CITY IN
EAST, SAILORS SAY
Spurious Gaiety Abounds,
American Seamen Say, In
Beer Hall, Cabarets and
Coffee Joints

Constantinople, March 26.--The Ameri-
can sailors on board the vessels of the
United States naval detachment in TURK
ish waters are publishing regularly
newspaper of their own to chronicle their
social and sporting events and to Keep
UP the spirit of comradeship and enliNen
life in and about Constantinopie The
paper is called the Far Seas. Its price is
five piasters, and it is creditably Illus
trated with half-tone cuts and comics
Although the men generally vote Con-
stantinople rather dull place, all things
said, one of the recent numbers OF the
Far Seas shows that the American blue
jackets are able to provide their own en-
tertainment Among the events record
ed is a Neptune party composed or MEM
bers of the company of the Scorpion
which is described as "a regular pirate
band running wild in the Bosphorus-" II
was headed by king Neptune" and in
cluded 'Neptunes wife" and "Neptunes
baby" The party visited number or
other vessels of the detachment and was
entertained by Admiral de Bon on beard
the French flagship Lorraine.
HOSPITAL VISITED
Other activities which the paper de-
scribes were a visit of the sailors to the
near east hospital carrying gifts to the
children, blowout on board the Gil
mer. WndlcDOdI anu ulu6ny ioScSt 'N
ball games, a boxing bout and camou-
flage ball at a Constantinople hotel, the
latter attended by Admiral Bristol, COM
mander of the detachment, and Mrs
Bristol.
Ships listed as composing the detach-
ment were the Scorpion. St Louis, Chat-
tanooga, Barker. Borie, Fox, Giimer'
HUMPHREYS, John d. Edwards, Overflow
Smith Thompson, Tracy, Whipple, SUD
marine chasers So and 1888, Alameda ana
the collier Mars. They were scattered
from Gonstantinople to Smyrna, Baum
Varna, Samsoun, Constanza and Beirut
One of the contributors to the Far
East paid his tribute to the city of Con-
, stantinople by describing 1t as the COST
lest wickedest city in the world. S,iee
the armistice, he wrote, the CITY hao
been filled with the soldiers OF all ma
lions, spies. thieves, murderers' poii.l-
clans, Russian refugees, bolshevik agents
and opium eaters.
LIFE is DULL
| I'm spite of all this, life in Constanti-
nople is dull and there is little in the
way of entertainment, he ADDED. -
| one is dilgent, a few good restaurants
may be discovered, but except TOT .ne
moving picture houses, no tirst-ciass
| theatres can be found. In fact, at
| O. clock in the evening the place is at
quiet as Annapolis on Sunday
However, inside the beer halls. capa-
rets and coffee louses. habitues OIL tnese
places attempt fallacious gaiety. II y
here that the bejeweled, richly adorned
and painted women of the occident ano
orient brazenly stare at the moeies
throng drin'-ing low quality OF reiresn-
ment served them at robbers prices.
"At the one good hotel the spies OF
the whole orient carry on their intrigues'
The whole atmosphere Of the city is one
of feverish and artificial excitement a
real American, unless he takes interest,"
in and feels this atmosphere, finds ny
dull in this, the wckedest, city OF the
| worldn