The newest way round the world

Front matter

THE NEWEST WAY *£ ROUND THE WORLD J*.

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Contents

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Publishers' Foreword ....... xi

I. Eastward Bound ; . >•> . . 15

Foreword

TN placing this book before the reading public of America and the English speaking people of foreign lands, we do so with a just appreciation of its great value as a record of one of the most unusual journeys ever undertaken by any one, as well as a volume of accurate information concerning parts of the earth little frequented by tourists.

To the author belongs the distinction of being the first woman to have traveled over the Trans-Siberian Railway alone, and the first woman to visit the more remote parts of South America unattended by even a guide. Miss Miller always travels alone, and many times she has been for months by herself in countries where she could not speak the language ; yet she never met with an accident nor missed a train.

Five times she has encircled the globe by devious routes, some of her journeys occupying two and three years ; and there is no continent and scarcely a country or group of islands of any importance she has not seen. The journey, of which this volume is a descriptive record, began at Chicago, June 16th, 1902, and continued through New York, Bremen, Berlin, Alexandrov, Warsaw, Moscow, Irkutsk, Stretensk, Blagovchensk, Habarovsk, Vladivostok, Korea, xii FOREWORD

Chefoo, Shanghai, Hongkong, Siam, Singapore, Java, French Indo-China, Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, Japan, Honolulu, San Francisco, and back again to Chicago.

From this list it will be seen that the title " The Newest Way Round the World," is not fanciful, but literally true. The record of it is not put forth as a dry analytical treatise on the countries visited, their ethnology, economics and politics, but rather as an entertaining and instructive narrative of what this distinguished traveler saw and experienced — a narrative made doubly valuable by the reproduction of photographs gathered by the author in all parts of the world.

The Publishers.

RUSSIA AND SIBERIA

The Newest Way Round the World

Chapter One Eastward Bound

"TJ EPEATED attempts to analyze my feeling of •*■*' dread in undertaking a Russian trip have not been successful, and I am unable to say whether it is due to the immensity of the territory or to the military aspect of the country, or whether it is an overwhelming sense of the unspellable, unpronounceable words. Whatever the cause, the feeling is universal among tourists.

It is not unlikely that the laxity which prevails among the higher classes, especially in regard to the marriage law, strengthens this impression. Comparatively few go to church for the marriage ceremony and their contract lasts merely as long as it is agreeable. The divorce laws are extremely stringent ; a man after being divorced still owns his wife and can take her from any country, while the same is true if the wife obtains the divorce. The offspring of these unions generally go to the Foundlings' Home, and in consequence, so dense an ignorance prevails among the lower classes that only seventy-five per cent, can read or even know there is a country outside of Russia.

As a preliminary to a Russian trip the first step is to obtain a passport and have it vised by the Russian Consul. This formality having been accomplished, a palatial train on the Michigan Central bore us to New York, where we took one of the largest transports of the German Lloyds line. Many years of travel have proved the big transports superior to the fast steamers, because they move so steadily; indeed, the motion is almost imperceptible.

Although we embarked in a pouring rain, the ardor of the passengers was but little dampened as, with the blare of two brass bands, we set sail.

Our departure was cheered by a pleasant episode in the form of an ovation tendered to a fellow traveler, Madame Cappiani, formerly a well-known opera singer and now one of the best vocal teachers of New York. A number of her pupils had come down to see her off and after rendering selections from six or seven operas, they presented her with a beautiful diamond ring.

There was a very amusing incident in connection with the Captain's dinner which was given to the passengers just before we reached Southampton. The dinner was a really faultless performance and one of the passengers toasted our host in a most complimentary way, thanking him for the care he had exercised over us while we slept. Being unable to be present, as the ship was so near port, and wishing to express his appreciation of the courtesy with graceful ceremony, the captain selected a passenger who

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strongly resembled him, dressed him in his regimentals and sent him to thank the guests who were still seated at the table. The supposed captain was at first greeted with cheers, but when his identity was discovered he was hooted from the room.

About two hundred disembarked at Southampton. We had hoped to see the naval parade in honor of the coronation of King Edward VII, which was scheduled to take place at that time, but the ceremony was postponed on account of the King's illness. However, there were about fifty men-of-war of various nations in the harbor, an inspiring spectacle one witnesses but once in a lifetime, and each played its own national air as we passed.

Twenty-four hours later we landed at Bremerhaven, where the lack of system which characterizes the handling of baggage in foreign cities was amply demonstrated. The special train which was to carry us to Bremen was not in evidence nor did it appear for fully three hours, and to add to our discomfort the baggage had been dumped from the trucks in a state of utter chaos that added greatly to the unnecessary confusion. When we finally reached Bremen at 1 a. m v there were no porters and no conveyances to the hotels. After some time six men were summoned and though I was fortunate in securing the services of one of them, it was three o'clock in the morning before I was able to retire.

I have never visited Europe without experiencing upon landing, a sense of oppression and sadness at the ever present atmosphere of war as evidenced by the military aspect. It is soldiers everywhere; the only difference between the soldiers of the different countries being their uniforms and flags. The more civilized the country the larger the standing army; from which it would seem that civilization does not foster peace. Yet, in America, I never saw a soldier until I was a woman grown.

But to return to Bremen, a beautiful city, and, at the time of my visit in July, specially charming and fragrant with flowers. It is a very old town on the banks of the river Weser, with a beautiful park running through it and many places of interest. Of them all, however, none proved so interesting as the old cathedral built in the 11th century, famous for its mummies found in the Bleikeller or lead cellar, which are supposed to have been preserved by the peculiar atmosphere of the cellar, through the action of the quantity of lead used in constructing the tower and roof.

The Rathaus, or City Hall, is a fine old Gothic structure built in the early part of the 15th century. It contains the famous Rathskeller with its immense oaken hogsheads that hold from 24,000 to 30,000 bottles of wine and bear on their heads the old coat of arms of Bremen. Though the place is now used as a wine restaurant there are a number of rooms not shown to the public, each with some pecularity of its

A View of Bremen

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own. There are many lovely parks and museums in Bremen. It has a remarkable government, presided over by two mayors, each with an independent administration of his own. Bremen is six hours' ride from Berlin. As we journeyed there the only interesting things we saw were the famous peddling wagons of Germany, a sort of general merchandise store on wheels.

We found Berlin very much improved since our last visit ; it is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Among the new buildings is the memorial church of Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse near the Zoological Gardens, that was dedicated in 1895 and cost 5,000,000 marks. The Reichstagsgebaude, one of the most magnificent buildings in Berlin, is also new, having been dedicated by the present Emperor in the same year.

The Hohenzollern Museum, presented to the city by the Empress Frederick, is most interesting, but it would be impossible in a limited space to give any idea of it, or of the other beautiful structures to be seen in Berlin. It is a very progressive city and growing larger every day; and the enterprise and " go-aheadness " of the present Emperor are seen on every side.

At seven o'clock one evening we left Berlin at the Frederickstrasse Station en route for Moscow. It was a regular German express train the conductor of which was kind enough to go through the car and advise us to go to bed, as it would be morning before we reached the Russian border; but to my surprise we were scarcely in bed before we were told that the next station would be Alexandrov, and that our baggage must be examined. At the station a customs house officer came on board and examined our passports ; the porters then carried our baggage to the customs house, the doors were locked and guarded by soldiers and we were imprisoned there for three hours while our baggage was being examined and turned over and over. One of the officers made a strenuous effort to read an English book which he found in my trunk and a new gown packed at the top was pounced upon as evidence that I was an importer going to Moscow to sell clothing. I expressed myself in good strong English, — I could not speak Russian, — and my eloquence seemed to have a salutary effect, for they left me alone after that.

In Berlin I had been told that we would change for the Russian railroad at Warsaw. The change was made, however, at a station called Blassa, some twenty miles beyond. A train was waiting for us and the first class passengers were transferred to a Russian car of very comfortable build, with a corridor running along one side of it. There was a dining car where meals were cooked and served in true Russian style, and our menu consisted of coffee, bread and butter for breakfast, two courses for luncheon (generally boiled meat followed by an omelet and coffee), while dinner consisted of four courses, — soup, beef, fish and p o o o

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chicken, with dessert and coffee. The car was divided into two compartments so those who smoked could eat apart from those who did not. Later in my experience I had reason to wish that the Siberian dining car had been arranged in the same manner.

Besides myself the only Americans on the train were a bridal couple from Atlanta, Georgia, who told me they had studied the different languages for many years preparatory to their European trip. Thus far they had progressed on their journey only from Southampton to the point of which I speak; nevertheless they continued to make themselves, and everyone else, miserable by their complaints of the inconvenience of Russian travel, especially bewailing the imperfections of the dining car. They expressed surprise that the Russians should have the audacity to invite them to such a table, and ostentatiously proceeded to wash and wipe up the dishes with their handkerchiefs, before they commenced to eat. They announced that they had intended to make a tour of the world, beginning with the Siberian route, but had determined to take the first ship home from Bremen and never would they leave their country again. In fact, they " would rather travel in an American cattle train than under such conditions," and all this after years of preparation, while I felt I was traveling like a merchant prince in comparison with inconveniences experienced elsewhere.

The country through which we passed was not very rich and the wheat and other cereals stood poorly on the ground. The villages consisted of small, windowless houses, thatched with straw, and in the midst of all their squalor one could see the inevitable Greek church painted with a green roof; indeed there is just such a church in every village, and very imposing it looks compared with its miserable surroundings.

The people were evidently the poorest type of Russian peasants. I was informed that many of them had never tasted a piece of white bread and that cabbage soup was a luxury seldom realized. They came to the railroad stations peddling sour milk and mushrooms which were readily bought by the Russian passengers.

Chapter Two

A FTER a long and tedious journey, we arrived at *^^ Moscow on the tenth of July, according to our way of reckoning, or the twenty-ninth of June, Russian style, for they still use the old method of computation there that makes a difference of thirteen days between the two calendars. It had been raining for weeks and the streets were covered with mud and water, for Moscow is one of the worst paved cities in the world, and, as the hotels were two miles from the station, our ride to the hostelry was anything but pleasant.

Our carriage was a Russian drosky and our driver was attired in the dress worn by all public coachmen, a long blue coat reaching to the ground, a red belt with a flat, low crown, black oil cloth hat dipping in the front and back. These coachmen's coats are made all of one size, and in consequence, the small men are obliged to pad themselves to fill it up, and this gives them a fat, rotund appearance. They cut their hair square at the neck and wear the full beard required by law. Russian coachmen drive very fast. Few of them can read or write, but they are all very religious. Our driver stopped ten times in our two mile drive from the station to cross himself and say a prayer before the churches and shrines.

We found Moscow much improved since our last visit in 1895. Many new buildings had been put up, among them three new banks, one of which is called the American Bank, but it is run by a lot of naturalized Jews from America. There was a marked improvement too, in the hotels of Moscow, for the Siberian route compels a stop and change of cars at this point.

The Czar has tried to make the city one of the most attractive in the world; he intends to move all the museums there as soon as the buildings can be completed. Three months in each year His Majesty spends in Moscow, a thing that had not been done by other Czars in years. I am told that his royal father never entered the city after his coronation,

Moscow has a population of 1,360,000 people. There are 460 churches, 900 chapels and 29 convents, 18 of which are for women and 11 for men. It is certainly one of the most religious cities in the world; I know of no other place, unless it is South America, where the people are so constantly blessing and crossing themselves as they do in Moscow.

The city is built on a hundred hills, and its countless domes and spires with their curious shapes and colorings of blue, green and gold, make it resemble greatly the cities of Turkey and Egypt. The greatest attraction, however, and one of its most beautiful sights,

Russian Sleigh and Drosky is the Kremlin, with its wonderful coloring, its old walls and its holy Gate of the Redeemer, over which hangs a portrait of the ikon (or Virgin) who, it is thought, saved the city from the bombardment of Napoleon. What history this ikon could unfold could she only open her mouth! A policeman is stationed at this gate to see that every one who passes through it takes off his hat.

Near at hand is the great bell, famous the world over as being the largest in existence. It weighs over two hundred tons and was broken when taken from the mold. It was not made to ring, however, for the gold and silver necessary to produce sound were omitted in its manufacture. This dumb and voiceless bell recalls, by force of contrast, the big bell of Mongoon in Burmah, the second largest in the world. Thirty persons can stand under its base while its sound, because of the great quantity of gold and silver it contains, is most musical and can be heard for many miles.

But to return to the Kremlin. A fitting companion to the big bell is the Great Czar's cannon, cast at the same time and, like the bell, made only for show; and a beautiful piece of work it is. Here are also the cannon taken from Napoleon, and the famous statue of Alexander the Third. The finest view of the Kremlin is obtained from the Kamenny bridge over the river Moskva. The tower of Ivan Velike, near which stands the big bell, has an interesting museum containing the robes of the patriarchs, and from its summit there is a fine view of the surrounding country.

Not far from here is the Cathedral of the Assumption, where all the czars since Peter the Great have been crowned. When I visited this church, just before the coronation of the present Czar, the walls within and the domes without were being covered with gold and the building is still magnificent with this shining metal. At the time of which I speak I stood upon the spot where the Czars are crowned ; or rather where they crown themselves, for no one is considered exalted enough to place a crown on a Czar's head. Now, one is not even allowed to look upon the spot, it is considered so sacred.

The Assumption contains the tombs of the patriarchs, the first rulers of Russia. The ikon in this church has the most magnificent crown of any in Russia, a crown that cost over 2,000,000 rubles. The ikon herself is a miserable black daub. I was assured that none of the ikons are painted by human hands; they all appear miraculously upon the canvas, thereby forcing one to the irreverent conclusion that the celestial artist cannot be a master.

Near the Assumption is the Church of St. Michael, with its tombs of the first Czars of the Romanoff s, and the treasury, with its collection of all the magnificent things once the property of former rulers. Indeed, the mind is appalled at the array of splendor and it is

The Kremlin

The Great Czar's Cannon Views of Moscow

Impossible to single out or particularize when each article would be a theme for a chapter. Another of the sights of Moscow is the old Romanoff palace, witK its strange coloring, its low pointed ceilings and its small windows.

Of the many churches in Moscow there is none more noticeable than St. Basil's, owing to the peculiar contour of its domes and its many little chapels with low pointed ceilings. It was built in the sixteenth century for Ivan the Terrible, during whose reign Siberia became a Russian possession, and it was one of the few buildings that escaped when Napoleon bombarded the city.

The Church of Our Saviour is the finest of the new sacred edifices. It stands on a hill and can be seen from all over the city. It is said to have cost more than any other church in Russia. The interior is decorated with immense oil paintings, the work of Verestchagin, at a cost of 50,000 rubles each.

One of the never changing sights and probably one of the saddest in the world, is what is called the Thieves' Market in Moscow. As a matter of fact, it is a place where the very poor, those who are out of work, congregate, pathetically waiting for some one to hire them. Most of them have a long time to wait for I found two or three hundred there, about as many as were there when I last visited Russia, five years before. There they stood in the pouring rain, their only rations being some black bread and water furnished by a neighboring convent, which also tried to shelter them, but only a few could be accommodated.

I drove out of the city to the old convent of St. Simon to see the accumulation of magnificent robes worn by the priests of Russia eight hundred years ago. For over two hours two priests were engaged in spreading before me these splendid garments; wonderful, priestly hats, centuries old, the remarkable enameling of which jewelers from all over the world have come to examine, but it is a lost art and cannot be reproduced.

At this convent there are half a dozen ikons with magnificent jeweled crowns. The convent was undergoing extensive repairs at the time, making it necessary to remove the treasures to another part of the building which was quite insecure. I asked the priest if he was not afraid to have so much wealth in so poor a building. He was greatly surprised and replied that there was not a man, woman nor child in Russia, however destitute, that would touch them for they were as sacred as the Saviour himself.

Another point of great interest in Moscow is the Sparrow Hills, three hours' drive from the city, celebrated as the place where Napoleon spent the night before he entered the city bringing fire and desolation with him. On a clear day the view from these hills is glorious. Moscow with its many domes sparkling in the sunlight, lies before you, and the Kremlin's red walls and multitudinous towers are distinctly visible.

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In the old part of Moscow, or what is called the Chinese town, there are many old buildings, among which is the palace of the first Czar, Michael Romanoff. It is a queer little building with its small rooms, low, peculiarly shaped ceiling and strange colorings. Some of the clothing and other belongings of this Czar are exhibited there.

It may be proper to state in this connection that this part of the city, though called the Chinese town, is not and, never was, the residence of Chinamen. After the wall was built it was thought to resemble a Chinese wall, and so it was that the name came to be applied to that quarter. I know of no large city where there are so few Chinamen; there are only a few in business as tea importers.

In the many museums of Moscow I saw nothing more curious than an iron cage standing at the top of the stairway in the Romanoff museum. This cage is about two feet square by six feet high, and when in use was chained securely to the wall. The conductor of the museum informed me that it had been used by the royal family as a means of punishment for their servants, and that it was so used less than forty years ago. The unfortunate victim was made to stand in it for days and it was impossibe for him to change his position; his sufferings were too terrible to contemplate.

Of all the ikons there is none so sought after as the one called St. Iberia, the great ikon healer that visits thousands of poor sufferers every year. At ten o'clock every morning in the year a high mass is said for this lady, who is in a magnificent frame with a crown set with all kinds of precious stones on her head. After the mass a large black coach draws up before the door with four black horses and a coachman in livery, and two bags of cotton saturated with holy oil suspended from each corner of the frame. The ikon is deposited in the coach which then starts on its rounds.

Those who wish some of the cotton send in their names, and as they have to pay well for this sanctified bit of commodity, there is a great revenue constantly coming in. I asked how long this ikon had been in the healing business and was told that no one knew; she was supposed to be of Spanish origin and brought centuries ago to Russia.

There are few American goods sold in Moscow. I was told there were some American locomotives used on the railroads but I did not see them. The only thing I found from America was the new riding gallery, presented by the Governor General of Moscow. It is said to hold from 15,000 to 20,000 people and is used in the summer as a bicycle school, no one being allowed to ride a wheel in Moscow unless he is a graduate from this school and carries its diploma in his pocket. Without this choice document he will be put in prison and fined heavily. In the winter time the building is used as a drilling place for soldiers.

The iron work was made in Chicago and the building was constructed entirely after American ideas.

I learned that a great many bales of American cotton were shipped into Russia to supply the numerous cotton manufacturers of Moscow. There is only one car line in the town and this is run by horses, for it is deemed unsafe to use electricity in the city, though there are electric cars in the suburbs.

In order to see the life of Moscow one must visit the great park situated not far from the city. Here is the great race course of Russia, and here it is that the wealthy Russians go to enjoy themselves, staying there all night and often for days, eating, drinking and gambling.

The shops of Moscow are disappointing. One sees no such goods as at Paris or at St. Petersburg, which is the real capital of Russia, for the Czar spends most of his time there, and all the style and splendor of Russia are to be found in that city.

I was unfortunate in the time of my arrival in Russia, for two holidays coming in succession meant that I could attend to no business in connection with my Siberian trip until they had passed. Of course, I tried to obtain information at the hotel, but failed utterly. There was not even a time table there. I thought my best plan would be to go to the head officials of the road for information regarding its completeness, but even this failed me ; for after waiting a long time I was ushered into the presence of a

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man six feet in height, with a uniform that denoted his high rank and a cold unbending demeanor that seemed to say " Why do you trouble me? " When I had stated my errand, he rose to his feet and with a magnificent wave of his hand and an ominous shake of his head, informed me that he knew nothing of the road beyond Irkutsk, as that was the end of the Russian part of the great Siberian Railway. However, he referred me to the office of the Internationale des Wagon Lits Sleeping Car Company, which I found was really the place to go for information and tickets.

At this office good English is spoken and one can obtain a time table in French, which is easily deciphered, but even there I could obtain no information regarding the completeness of the road beyond Irkutsk. However, the time table they gave me included the whole road and it seemed to fit together so nicely I thought I should have no trouble. It was somewhat discouraging to meet with such perfect silence on the part of high officials, but I had learned through many years of travel not to be discouraged by adverse reports, even though I was going around the world by way of a railroad not yet completed. They were kind enough to tell me at the railroad offices that I was the first American woman to go over the Great Siberian Railway alone, and that they knew of no Russian woman who had gone over the route unattended.

From Moscow to Irkutsk there are three express trains weekly of the Internationale des Wagon Lits Sleeping Car Company, built after the regular Russian style. There is also a daily train of the Russian build which makes the same trip, but it runs very slowly, and carries first, second and third class passengers but no dining cars.

Chapter Three The Great Siberian Railway

JULY 19th I left the hotel at 8 p. m. for the Trans- ** Siberian Railway station, which I found to be a large well-appointed building. As I already had my ticket, the next step was to have my baggage registered and weighed. The first class passengers are allowed about thirty-six pounds free; all over that must be paid for. Arrangements having been completed I started for the train, the last one on the opposite side of the station, and found it easily distinguishable from all the others, for it was a blaze of light. All the express trains are composed of one first class, two second class coaches, dining car and baggage car, all lighted by electricity. It was the regular Russian Express, divided into compartments, with a corridor running along one side of the car.

In the first class coach the compartments are so arranged that they can be occupied by only two persons, while in the second class coaches four can be accommodated in each compartment. The dynamos that light the train, the kitchen, the bath room and the barber shop, are located in the baggage car. The library, with books in German, French and Russian, is in the dining car, where there is also a piano.