Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-26
FLOODS IN INDIA
STRIKE FLAT CITY
Madras So Level Approach.
ing Ships Sight Only First
Row Buildings.

From Madras, India, where winds
have so often wreaked havoc, comes
word of the floods brought on by the
monsoon rains in Southern India.
Madras with its highest point but
% feet above the sea, is one Of the
worlds --LATEST cities" says q bulletin
from the National Geographic Society.
ut lies on the Bay Of Bengal on the
southeast coast Of India. The site of
the city and the surrounding country
side are so fiat that ships entering the
harbor cannot see farther than the first
row Of the city's buildings.
THE harbor Of Madras is too shallow
for seagoing vessels to get near shore.
Passengers and cargo are transported
ashore in nasula boats, made of long
planks bound together by coconut fiber.
fall of the tide of this part of the coast
Is only between three and four feet
daily.
Gardens, Compounds and Parks.
"The city lies sprawled out along
the coast, being spaced at intervals by
estuaries and two sluggish rivers, the
Cooum and the Adyar. It's wide avenues
are shaded by tall palms and banyan
arch across the streets. It is these trees
which make the Marina, Madras IA
nous sea front promenade, agreeable for
walking on the hottest DAYS.
THE houses of the more prosperous
citizens are set In compounds, which
look like parks. Sometimes rice fields
divide these compounds and give the
landscape the aspect Of a country vii
lage, spread out over large area. Can
mas and other flowers bloom riotously in
the gardens, making vivid spots of color
against the tropical greenness. Many
OF the principal shops are fronted with
gardens Everything in Madras is on a
wide scale. Even In the native quarter
OF Triplicane and George Town, the
houses are not built so closely as in
other Indian cities.
Numerous parks intensity the i'm
preston OF space in the city. In the 116
acres, which form the Peoples Park are
IL artificial lakes, an athletic ground, a
large zoo, numerous excellent tennis
courts and a bandstand. Rare trees,
shrubs and plants beautify the az acres
OF the horticultural gardens.
A City Of Colleges.
"A visitor to Madras gets the impress
sion that the Madrasi, both native and
Anglo-Indian, are ardent opponents of
higher education. There is a state uni
versity, many professional and art COL
leges, and the Madras Christian Col
lege, with its numerous buildings,
is one of the largest colleges in
India. Pacheappa College was found
ed about hundred years ago,
when higher education was unknown
in Madras. Its founder was a far-see-
ing and benevolent Hindu. Madras has
Y. M. c. A. housed in a large red
sandstone building, presented to the
city by famous American philanthro-
pist.
About a tenth Of Madras 100000
population Is Christian. Hindus form
the largest part with Mohammedans
/, second, but the Christian aggregation
Is almost as large as the Mohammedan.
The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St.
Thomas was founded by the Portuguese
in 1904. The earthly remains of St.
Thomas are supposed to lie beneath its
floors.
Madras Is an old city in Anglo
Indian history. It was the first large
settlement made by the old East india
Co., which was given a charter by
Queen Elizabeth. The cloth which the
merchants Of the company obtained
from the natives was called madras
They also traded for percalla, which we
know as percale. Elihu Yale of Boston,
for whom Yale University in the United
States was named, was one Of the early