Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-08-01
Rumanlan Girl Coming From Market.

cent Of the women are literate. The
pioneer influence is further shown In
Bucharest, capital of Rumania, where
nearly every house has land around
1t, unlike the wall-to-wall style of many
European capitals.
How DobrudJa Was Acquired.
A striking contrast Is semi-arid Do
brUdja, a consolation prize" to Ru-
mania-at Bulgaria's expense-on one
occasion when Russia took a slice of
Bessarabia. After Rumania gained a
sort of independence from Turkey it
was wholly cut off from the Black sea
by the region known as the Dobrudja.
The only outlet was through one of the
badly silted mouths of the Danube.
The same Turko-Russian war that Gre
ated Bulgaria and Serbia resulted in
Dobrudja's addition to Rumania. The
latter looked upon the Dobrudja, even
with its sugar-coating of a port, as a
bitter pill at first because of the loss
of a slice of Bessarabia. The Do
brudja was largely region of bare
foothills, steppes, sand dunes and
lagoons, peopled with Tatars, Turks,
Bulgarians and other non-Rumanians.
Its one saving grace was its port. Con-
stantza.
A railroad had been built under the
Turks from Constantine to the DAN
ube which marked the old Rumanian
boundary. There, however, the river
and its broad bordering marshes
seemed an impossible barrier. Not
until 1895 was the great Cerno voda
bridge over the Danube opened. This
huge structure, one of the greatest
bridges in the world, with its several
viaducts and approaches, is about IL
miles long. Its completion made Con-
stantza really accessible for the first
time and gave Rumania a disable salt
water port. In the meantime many
of the non Rumanians had moved out
Of tfe Dobrudja, the district had De.
come somewhat Rumanized, and is
now recognized as a real asset with
which Rumania would not think Of
parting.
Even Immediately after the exit of
the Turks from Kustenje, as they
called Constantza, the city was large
ly rebuilt, wide streets were provided
and cleanliness and order replaced dirt
and slovenliness.
Constantine Great Port.
With its coming into its own as
Rumania's chief seaport, Constantza
has been built up along western lines.
Large grain elevators we're constructed
to handle the eountry's wheat ex-
ports. A pipe line was run from the
oil fields across the Cerno Voda bridge.
huge petroleum tanks were built In
| Constantza, and the port became a
sort of rival of Batum, oil export city
| Of old Russia at the opposite end OF
the Black sea. Breakwaters and 9TH
err harbor works were constructed and
the port was made headquarters for
a Rumanian naval fiotilla. Little more
than hamlet in Turkish days, the
city now has a population of between
10000 and $4,000.
There has been a town on the site
Of Constantine for many centuries. At
the beginning of the Christian era
the town was Toni; and there the
Roman poet Ovid, baoished by Au-
gustus, died in exile 10 IT A. D.
Bulgaria's desire to get back her old
Dobrudja possession was used during
the World war when German troops
led Bulgarian forces into their old
province. Through this move the Gen.
trail powers cut Rumaaia on from tina
sea and brought about the destruction
of the great Cerna Voda bridge. In
case of German victory Dobrudja
undoubtedly would have been restored
permanently to Bulgaria. But when
Germany was defeated the Bulgarians
saw the coveted region again slip out
of their grasp and back into the arms
of Rumania. Since the World war the
huge bridge and the petroleum pipe
lines it carried have been restored.
the damage that allen fleets and armies
did to Constantine has been repaired,
and the port is again functioning az
Rumania's chief Black sea outlet.