The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1927-08-06
OF SICILY
OLD MARITIME CITY,
Founded and Made Famous
by PhOenicians.

/ 1dI0TuO, capital Oh Sicily, may De-
come q free port, according to a de-
cree recently approved by the Italian
cabinet, empowering the government
to declare IA ports exempt from tariff
regulations" says a bulletin from the
Washington headquarters of the Ma
tional Geographic society.
palermo is on the northwestern
coast Of Sicily and its 12-mile crescent
shaped harbor is busy with shipping"
continues the bulletin. Inside the
two long breakwaters that protect the
port from the sea huge black italian
transatlantic liners lie at anchor
awaiting their passengers, while hun
dredS of smaller craft, from weather
beaten cargo boats to brightly colored
pleasure craft, lazily float along or
glide about over the smooth water like
so many water beetles.
palermo has been an important city
for more than 5000 years. When the
PhOenicians, one of the Is peoples
that have ruled the island, settled
there they called the city PanOrmos
Cali HarbOr). Then it occupied
small peninsula, shaped much like the
state Of Michigan, with a wide harbor
nearly surrounding it. Later the silt
from the inland mountains filed the
harbor bed which now forms a part
Of the foundation Of modern Palermo.
1.-THE trim. white ships of the steam
ship company that transports passen-
gers from the Italian boot to Sicily
usually reach Palermo shortly after
dawn, but Palermo appears wide
awake. Hundreds Of citizens already
are on the dock shouting greetings to
the newcomers or announcing their
business as representative of this or
that hotel.
Lemons, oranges and sumac form
the major part of Palermo's exports.
A large part Of the lemon crop reaches
United States markets. Only the dark
skinned Sicilians. wearing their stock
ing caps, a distinctive part Of the
peasant dress, keep the visitor from
imagining himself in southern Florida
or southern California, although Pal
ermO is in about the same latitude as
Richmond, va.
I'm the street one sees every kind
Of conveyance from the street clean
ing departments top-heavy cart,
drawn by a tiny sympathy-provOking
donkey, to the smartest trap Of Lon
don type.
"But none draw such attention as
the Sicilian peasant carts that, In
many respects, resemble our ordinary
twO-wheeled dump carts. Almost every
inch of the exterior is painted with
some religious, legendary, or historical
theme. Even the accompanying horse
Is decorated with mirrors and twO-fo0t
plumes resembling large feather dust
ers. These elaborate vehicles are used
both for business and pleasure.
ga poverty-stricken Palermitan
prince, baron or count will go without
food to hire a carriage or feed a steed
he is not able to own, to join the fash
Ionable procession. When a noble
cannot afford a private rig, he joins
with another noble and purchases one.
Since each noble must have his coat
of arms emblazoned on the doors,
these party rig owners solved this
problem by each one providing his
own doors. So when the tired horse
returns to the palace with the prince.
of come his doors and on go those Of
the duke or baron, who sedately rides
off in his private equipage."