New-York tribune. [volume], July 28, 1918, Page 4, Image 38

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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Around the World and Back Again
The Amazing, Comical,
Terrible Monetary
Chaos in Russia
A VIVID light is thrown on condi?
tions in Moscow by a letter
from an American refugee
who reached Copenhagen on May 19
last It was written to a friend in Swit?
zerland. The "Berner Bund" recently
published the following extract from it:
"I think myself fortunate to be able to
inform you that I succeeded in making my
escape to this place, although I had to leave
in Moscow all my money and belongings.
1 have barely recovered from my journey,
on which, in order to effect my escape, I
had more than once to change my disguise,
and dared not remain for a night at the
place where I had spent the day.
"The violent proceedings of the Bolshe?
vist Soviet in Moscow are simply dreadful;
the conditions thereby created beggar de?
scription. Decree after decree, execution
without mercy and at a moment's notice!
"One of the first decrees empowered the
'authorities' to go to houses where it was
known that money, bonds, jewels, etc., were
to be found, no matter whether in the hands
of Russians or foreigners. And the 'au?
thorities' went and took. Another decree
gave notice to all owners of safes, private
persons as well as banks, foreigners as well
as natives, to deliver all the keys, ticketed
with name, street, house number and floor,
to the office for an inventory. In case of
failure the contents of the safes were se
ejuesirated.
"What, then, was left but to deliver the
keys promptly to the designated office? The
taking of the inventory proceeded punctual?
ly, of course, even with foreigners, where,
for propriety's sake, an employe of the con?
sulate was permitted to look on. They then
took away the keys. As occasion demanded
i and there were many occasions for ?ucn
demands) they took without scruple any
cash, as well as bonds and jewels. Formerly
we had the saying: 'The Church has a good
stomach!' Now they say: 'The Soviet di?
gests everything!'
"Energetic protests of the foreigners
finally produced a modification to the effect
that every foreigner should be allowed to
retain as much as 1,000 rubles?'for his de?
parture.' If he disposed of more than hun
?Ireds of thousands, there remained for him
only those 1,000 rubles. As to the rest -
?:oodby! With this thousand he could travel
or eat up the money and then see how and
where he was to starve to death. This is
said to have happened, since the road to
departure to the east was as blocked as to
the west. In brief, all money, bonds and
jewels are now in the hands of the Bolshe
viki, and none of those thus robbed can
cherish a ray of hope ever to see a penny
of it.
'When the first decrees of this sort came
into effect Russians in possession of great.
fortunes hoped to save at least part of their
money and values by transferring them
to foreigners. They thought that the prop?
erty of foreigners would be protected by
the consulates. At that time Russian mer?
chants of my acquaintance offered to trans?
fer to my name over a million rubles, and
these credits in the banks of Moscow were
to pass into my hands, while I would have
become debtor to but 10 per cent of the
Vilue. A brilliant deal, indeed! But when
the good people later realized that the for?
eigner was 'skinned,' just as the Russian,
this most brilliant deal came to naught.
"In order to be enabled to i-hear all the
sheep at the same time and with absolute
certainty the Soviet devised an infallible
means, announcing that all paper money in
circulation would at a given date cease to
pass as currency, since a new emission of
banknotes was to be made. Those who
would be kind enough to bring the old bills
within the set term would get 60 per cent?
that is, half of their money. Those failing
to do so might keep their bills, which, how?
ever, would only be good for papering their
dark abodes. I had a talk with the director
of the Moscow Bank of Commerce, hoping
to get at least 1,000 rubles for 160,000 there
deposited. But all was love's labor lost.
He declared that he himself had been
strictly forbidden to dispose of more than
he needed for his daily subsistence.
"Everybody knows that all over Russia
banks have been sealed up **nd the doors
hermetically closed, so that no mail is being
delivered and no transactions whatever are
possible. Outside, before the doors, stands
bankruptcy."
The War Horse Is Still
a Factor
DESPITE the vast numbers of motor
vehicles used on the European bat?
tle fronts, the horse is still important as
an engine of war. The armies in the
field have already used 4,500,000 horses,
and our new army will require 1,.'500,000
more.
Wounded horses are easily handled.
They seem to know that the surgeons
are trying to help them and they submit
to having their hurts dressed with won?
derful fortitude.?Prom Gas Logic.
A Big Tuna Cannery in
Hawaii
HALF a million dollars is to be ex?
pended in the construction of a
large tuna cannery on the island of
Maui, in the Hawaiian group. The
waters around the islands swarm with
fish of every description, among which
the tuna is predominant and attains an
enormous size. The operation of this
plant will be a valuable addition to the
food supply of the United States and
may lead to the establishment of an im?
portant fishing industry in the island
territory, says an exchange.?From The
Fishing Gazette,
The Only City That Lies Partly in Two Continents
? ?/^>|EEN from the deck of an ap
^^k proaching steamer on a smiling
IV-^ summer morn, the city im
pr< 3es itself on one's fancy as
the creation of an Eastern magician." It is
Constantinople, the only city in the world
that lies partly in two continents, that is
thus spoken of. The description in "The
National Marine" is by L?on Dominian,
"To the right the subdued heights of the
Asiatic ^shorc lie fringed with islands whose
verdant slopes assume varying appearance
as the stately pine trees that crown their
heights or the lawns beneath come into
full view.
"Ahead of the steamship's bows the
Golden Horn, teeming with craf? of every
size, stretches far inland to where green
hills reach the horizon. To the right, Pera,
the Christian quarter, covers the high
ground in shelflike rows of houses. The
massive Genoese tower of Galata flanks Its
eastern slope. On the left, the Yenidjami
and Valideh Sultan mosques appear, with
their lofty domes and massive arcades. The
Turkish city of Stamboul is deployed along
the entire length of the shore. The rounded
forms of the mosques of St. Sophia and
Sultan Ahmed stand out like gigantic
citadels. The town presents the appearance
of a vast pyramid formed by successive
steps of dwellings. Flat roofs merge every?
where with the level of thresholds. Tower?
ing high above mosque and home alike the
graceful watch tower of the War Depart?
ment, commanding a view of European and
Asiatic shore lines, rises as if to symbolize
the erstwhile mastery of Turkish arms over
two continents.
"The random wanderer will find Turkish
life at its best in Stamboul. There, in the
maze of crooked lanes and narrow streets,
remote from spacious modern avenues, the
customs of another age flourish undisturbed
by the din and bustle of progress. At noon,
as the melodious call of a muezzin is sound?
ed from the balcony of frail minarets
erected within shouting distance of each
other, a slow procession of faithful Moslems
will piously turn their steps toward the
entrance of the nearest mosque, in sight.
With solemn deference they will perform
the prescribed ablutions at the fountains
that surround every Mohammedan sanctu?
ary. Deep-rooted faith marks their every
gesture. The removal of shoes, the bath?
ing of feet, the moistening of ears with
thumbs drawn out according to the prophet's
directions, all form part of what they con?
sider the most important action of life.
"In the streets a thousand tokens bespeak
the capital's imperishable past. Its moss
clad ramparts, rising in the very heart of
the Mohammedan city now grown beyond
their line, give mute testimony of sturdy
struggles. The strolling visitor casually
proceeding along a narrow street may sud?
denly behold a lone pillar standing in the
middle of the pavement where once a row
of columns had marked, perhaps, some
grandee's favorite afternoon resort. But
beyond all it is the sight of stately churches
and palaces that conveys true inkling of
the grandeur of former days. The Moslem
conquerors of Constantinople themselves
were inspired by the monuments they found,
and here the noblest conceptions of Turkish
architects materialized into their most ex?
quisite creations.
"To protect the city a triple wall of forti?
fications was reared in early Byzantine days.
The hand of time has been more lenient on
this ancient pile than that of men. In spite
of the havoc wrought in spots by conquerors
the ruins still spread over a considerable
portion of their line. The seaward wall ex?
tending from Seraglio Point, along the
shores of the Marmora to the Castle of the
Seven Towers, is in a relatively fair state of
preservation. The same can be said of the
landward line thence to the Golden Horn.
As they stand at present, shorn of their
erstwhile might, they convey a striking
vision of majesty lingering in an aftermath
of decadence. The mute tale of chapter
A street of steps, in Constantinople, leading from (jaiata to Pern. It is called the
Yuksek Kaldirium.
?Photo from The Notional Marine, ?"Underwood & Underwood
upon chapter of world history can be read
in tho solemn succession of rampart and
castle."
H _
Buffer
AFGHANISTAN, writes Basanta Koo
mar Roy in "Asia," is a buffer
state and a prize Germany would like to
control. For, he continues?
"It is a broad door to India. The Entente
versus Teuton contest for its adherence is
a gamble as delicate as the spin of a wheel.
This contest may turn on a single throw of
the dice. It is not a question of influencing
public sentiment through a thousand and
one approaches, any one of which may be
abandoned if proved a mistake without
jeopardizing the other thousand. The
stakes are laid on the personality of one
individual?the Amir of Afghanistan. He
is astute, ambitious, conscious of the bal?
ance of power he holds, and not unlearned
in the art of watching the turn of world
events. . . .
"The opinion is held that it is highly
unlikely that Germany could undertake in
the near future a big military drive through
Central Asia. The extent of the necessary
lines, it is argued, would seem prohibitive.
I, however, am strongly of the opinion that
the German will lose no time in attempting
this thing. And the nature of the problem
of Afghanistan is inviting to the Teuton
ambition. If by peaceful penetration the
German should first get the ear of the Amir
there are features in the geographical sit?
uation of the country that make it. a nest
for unlimited trouble and danger to India.
A military campaign against India from At
ghanistan, granted a primary base of sup?
plies near at hand, is not impossible, in
spite of the mountainous character of the
country. . . .
"Next to Turkey, Afghanistan is the
strongest country in the Mohammedan
world. It is, like Switzerland, a mountain
fastness, and this has given it its independ?
ence as a buffer state. Its people are fierce
fighters, a quality the British Raj had occa?
sion to test in the two Afghan wars of
1840-'41 and 1878-'79. The dangerous nature
of the country's topography was also dis?
covered at this time. Afghanistan has an
area of 250,000 square miles, inside which
both Germany and Bulgaria could easily be
placed. The. population is 6,000,000, or as
large as that of Holland. The Aimaks,
Ghilzais, Hazars, Kafirs, Pathans, Tojiks and
the Uzbegs are the principal races of th?
population.
"Afghanistan has no outlet to the sea
and hence no navy. Rut the paramount
factor in its life is its state of military pre-'
paredness. Out of political and military
chaos a new Afghanistan has been created
by the supreme genius of Abdur Rahman,
the late father of the present Amir. He
fought his way to the throne of Afghan?
istan, and immediately after his recognition
set himself to reorganizing the scattered
forces of the army. He introduced a sys?
tem of compulsory military training by
which one man in every seven between the
ages of eighteen and twenty had to tase
military training. Thus he planned in
course of time to train every man in mili?
tary science. . .
"The present Amir, H?3 Majesty Siraj-ul
Millat Wa Ud-din Habibullah Khan, Lamp
of the Nation and Religion, cooperated
with his father In the reconstruction of
Afghanistan. He, too, is a firm believer in
preparedness, and ever since he received
permission from the British to buy ma?
chines of war from whomever he chose has
been buying the very best from all quar?
ters of the globe. Most of his modern forts
arc equipped with howitzers and Maxims,
Hotchkisses and Nordenfelds. Since the be?
ginning of the present war he has been
busy perfecting the roads."
A New Goal for the
American Tourist
AMID the wilds of Southwestern Ore?
gon, almost unknown to the world
at large, according to "Popular Mechan?
ics," is situated
"a series of underground chambers and
passages remarkable for their size and for
the beauty and unusual character of their
decorations. Within the last few years
they have been made a national monument
and are now known as the Marble Caves
of Oregon.
"They were discovered in 1874 by Elijah
Davidson, an early pioneer, while trailing
a wounded bear down the mountain side.
Owing to their isolated location and high
altitude they have remained almost un?
known even to the people of the Pacific
Coast.
"At the present time a visit to the caves
is no small undertaking. From Grant's Pass
or Medford a thirty-mile drive takes one
to the camp at the end of the wagon road.
The rest of the trip must be made on foot
or muleback up a steep trail ten miles in
length. During the summer months the
Forestry Service stations a forester at the
caves as guide and caretaker. . . .
"The caves consist of three and a half
miles of marble passages and grottoes,
ranging from one to four or five stories in
height. In places the connecting corridors
are so low that one must crawl on all fours
for a considerable distance. Elsewhere the
chambers are so large that the opposite
walls and ceiling are scarcely visible in the
dim candlelight. The largest cavern meas?
ures over 500 feet in length, and its
arched ceiling is 100 feet above the floor.
"Throughout the entire cave the stalac
titic formations are rich and wonderfully
varied. In some chambers the ceiling is a
mass of small stalactites, from the points
of which hang starlike glittering pendants
?drops of water. In one superb room the
roof is covered with gigantic inverted white
tulips; in another folds of massive dra?
peries cover the walls, supported by immense
fluted columns. Here stalactites reach
down from above, and embrace their stal
agrr.itic sisters, thus forming pillars of sur?
passing symmetry and beauty; there a min?
iature Niagara stands outlined in white
marble, beyond which a magnificent Solo?
mon's Temple is carved deep into the heart
of the mountain.
"Through the lower levels of the cave
flows a clear stream of water, the River
Styx, over which visitors travel for some
distance on a narrow plank foot bridge.
The pipes in the Organ Loft when struck
with a wooden mallet sound weird tones
which can be heard in the adjoining grotto,
Old Nick's Bedchamber, with its four-poster
bed of stalagmites.
"In Windy Passage the candles are gen?
erally extinguished by the current of air
which constantly sweeps through, and, for
once in their lives visitors know what real
darkness means. Fat Man's Grief, a long,
low, narrow passage, is almost impassable
for those who weigh over 200 pounds, and
great is the laughter which greets the
heavyweight of the party as he slowly and
painstakingly works his way through. . .
"The climb to the upper cave, 200 feet
above the lower chambers, is a very strenu?
ous one. The first obstacle to be encoun?
tered is the Devil's Backbone. This is a
long, sharp ridge with a yawning chasm on
either side, and the only way to cross it
in safety is to straddle it and hitch along
a few inches at a time. The rest of the
way is up ladders and chimneylike crevices
in semi-darkness, for the few candles car?
ried by the party seem only to accentuate
the gloom and to cast shadows where light
is most needed. Exit can be made from the
upper opening, thus avoiding what would
be a very tiresome if not dangerous descent
back to the lower cave."
Dining Out in Paris Isn't What It Used To Be
"Where are you going, thus laden?"
"To the Huntels, who have Invited us to dine"
?From Le P?le M?le,
There's Still Some Heavy
Going on the Lincoln
Highway
THOUGH much has been done for
its improvement, there is yet a
great deal to accomplish in the
way of engineering and road
building on the Lincoln Highway, says
a writer in "Sinclair's Magazine." The
following brief report is given of the
most interesting facts of the highway'.?*
latest improvements:
"The start is made at Times Square in
New York City, where the road question was
settled more than a hundred years ago. In
New Jersey the highway is r?iprescnted by
fine macadam roads, but the enormously
heavy freight traffic is demanding a con?
struction even more durable. Pennsylvania
is proud of th?-: honor earr.e-i by its sectian
because of its use for military traffic be?
tween Pittsburgh and Atlarrie- coast pon?.
The three hundred and eighty mile?, of ths*.
state's portion make the longest improved
road in the transcontinental route. Ohio's
road officials expect to eliminate all dirt
roads from their part of the highway dur?
ing the present year. Their expenditure ol
a million dollars recently in tran^formim;
an unimproved road indicates the progress
of this work. The Indiana section is prac
tically all of brick and concrete, calculate?:
to stand the demands of future freight
traffic.
"From such construction the Lincolr
Highway passes through the Gumbo states
Illinois and Iowa, where the atsence of gril
in the soil is partly responsible for the glue
like consistency of the muddy roa?l in we1
weather. Due in large part to the efforts o:
J. W. Corkins, state consul, and the unitj
of effort of county, state and Federal au
thorities, the present programme for Uli
nois will complete that state's section o:
the Lincoln Highway with permanent re
surfacing by the end of the year. Iowa';
three, hundred and fifty miles will probabl;
be converted into an all-weather road b;
next year, as grading, draining and gravel
ling are at present improving conditions.
"Nebraska lacks funds to make the neces
sary changes in its stretch of highway 01
account of its extensive mileage and spars?
population. Drainage work and the placin?
of concrete crossings where the roads an
likely to be flooded are steps toward an all
weather thoroughfare. Wyoming has spen
more on the Lincoln Highway in proportior
to her population than any other state trav<
ersed by it, despite the fact that grave!
roads prevail there. In some localities
strips of concrete thirty inches wide are be?
ing inserted across the road when; lack of
funds forbids entire concrete construction.
"Utah presents difficulties to the Lincoln
Highway traveller as he reaches the desert.
Through the generous financial assistance
pledged by Mr. Seiberlin-, the Goodyear
Tire and Rubber Company and Carl Fisher,
the founder, $125,000 will be spent in
improving the desert section and the moun?
tain pass east. Thus fifty-five miles of the
worst road between New York and the
Golden Gate will be eliminated. Nevada
looks to Federal aid to improve her roads,
which present no serious difTici.
"Upon reaching California the attractions
of the last lap in the ocean-to-ocan path?
way harmonize with other aelvantages pre?
sented by the state to travellers. Th?
motorist who completes his journey across
the continent becomes an ardenf advocate
of the improvement of highwavs, for he ha*
been reminded daily of th?' trennendem*
military and industrial, possibilities of this
great highway."
The Sinn Fein Anthem
IRELAND'S new (Sinn Feiin) national
anthem was written a few years age
by a Dublin carpenter. Peadar O Cear
naigh. With the spread of Sim F?in
since 1916 "A Soldier's Song" has al?
most displaced T. D. Sullivan's "God
Save Ireland." After the Irish Nations1
Volunteers split in September, 1914, the
Sinn F?in section adopted the ballad as :
rallying song, and it was used at their
miniature training camps and on rout
marches. Now it is raised in every Na?
tionalist street demonstratiem, and,
though the supporters of Mr. Dillon
have hitherto shown preference for the
traditional national anthem by Thom?s
Davis, it is noted that the Sinn Fein w*r
song has been sung at most of the an*?!*
gamated meetings held during; the l*?t
few weeks.
The anthem expresses the aggressif?
nationalism of Sinn F?in, as in the bal?
lads of the Fenian days. Here is an ex?
tract:
Sons of the Gael, men of the Pale,
The long-watched day is breaking.
The serried hosts of Innisfail
Shall set the tyrant quaking.
Our camp-fires now are burninghv,
See in the east a silvery glow,
Out yonder waits the Saxon foe,
So chant a soldier's soJig.
Soldiers are we ichose lives are'pkdgcd
to Ireland,
Some have come from the land beyond
the wave;
Sworn to be free, no more our anexe*?
sirelan?
Shall shelter the despot or the ?lav?;
To-night we man the Be ama Baoghau
In Erin's cause, come une or Wtd
'Mid cannons' roar and rifles' ptd
So chant a soldier's song.
The Bearna Baoghail means the "g??
of danger." The Pale was, of course, the
English settlement area in Leinster, atf
is still used as a poetical way of describ?
ing the descendants of the settlers.
Manchester Guardian.
After the War in Occu?
pied Belgium
ATTENTION is called to the />'<
that in the district of Li?ge aft*'
the war the coal mines of the ba?:n ?
Li?ge will reorganize in still greater p?J
portions the food service wit ich they b?
. created for the miners, but which t*
? food shortage forced them to suspei?
The syndicated coal mines in quest!?*
will open establishments to furnish M
tb,e workers food, clothing, shoes, etc., ?
<? st.?From The Belgian Bulletin. J