Evening star., 1941-07-08
Sverdlovsk

Sverdlovsk
The chief town of the UralSk area
is an obvious choice as a temporary
capital of the Soviet Union. 1t is
strategically situated in the eastern
the more diStant-foothills of the
Ural Mountains. Around it are scat
tered a number of the richest gold,
platinum, copper and coal mines in
the world. The by-products of those
| excavations include emeralds which
are legendary among connoiSSeurS of
precious gems. In the city proper
there are jewel-cutting and polish
| ing establishments as we'll as plants
for the smelling of valuable metals,
the manufacture of machinery, tex
tiles, fabricated articles of many
different sorts. An electric power sta
ton was opened in 1926. supplying
motive energy to most of the local
Industries. Important government
| institutions are mint, a chemical
laboratory and assay office, a metal
lurgical school, magnetic and me-
neurological observatory, an engi-
neering works and a factory for
finishing malachite, jasper, marble,
porphyry and other ornamental
stones
SverdlovSk owes much to Peter the
Great, who was its patron as early
as 1921. He gave the settlement the
name Ekaterinburg in honor of his
wife, the Empress Catherine l. Con-
siderable impetus was applied to the
growth of the town when the Siber-
ian highway was diverted from Verk-
hoturye in 1853 Two annual trading
fairs, founded long before that date,
gradually developed a vast COM
merce in cattle, cereals, silk and
furs. Directly traceable to the ba-
zaar is the evolution of a compre-
hensive railroad center for the serv-
ice of the neighborhood.
But Sverdlovsk has not been
invariably fortunate or happy
community. Its wealth perhaps is a
liability in the sense that it attracts
political and social strife. The city
was vortex of the civil wars which
accrued from the revolution Of 1917.
Within its boundaries occurred one
Of the most poignantly tragic crimes
of modern history. In July, 1918,
mysterious group of prisoners was
brought to a house which formerly
had belonged to a merchant named
1patiev. Subsequently it became
known that the captives were the
depoSed Car, Nicholas II, last of
the Romanoffs7; his wife, their four
daughters and their son. No COM
plant was registered against these
unhappy persons save that they be-
longed to dynasty which had
fallen.
The fate of the imperial family,
however, was sealed. With rumors of
the approach of a Czecho-S -Slovak
army as their excuse, the Commu-
niStS of Sverdlovsk held a secret meet
ing to authorize the commiSSar
Yourovsky to 'liquidate" his host
ages. Sixteen members of the junta
signed their names to an order to
that effect. The eXecutioner per-
fected his arrangements to suit his
own convenience. His assistants were
detail of Lettish soldiers When all
was ready, he reused his victims
from their sleep in the middle of
the night, hurried them into a cellar,
hastily read them the sentence"
of the Ekaterinburg soviet. THE
Car stepped forward and said some
thing indistinctly, whereupon Your
kovsky drew his revolver and shot
him in the head. A general fusillade
followed. During the next few days
the corpses were removed to an
isolated spot and destroyed
by fire, after having been soaked
with petroleum. A few objects of
apparel were later picked up on the
spot"
1t is against the background of
such dark events that the prevail
ing drama of conflict is being played.
One evil incident, it seems, leads to
another; but the civilized people of
Sverdlovsk, like those of Berlin and
London and Washington, are not to
blame. The troubles and sorrows of
the generality of mankind derive
from the misdeeds of a barbarous
minority of merciless men.