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Into Persia On A Bicycle

Into Persia On A Bicycle image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
November
Year
1885
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Thomas Stevens, the Americau, who stiirted from San Francisco to go arouad the world on a bicycle, hjis reacbed Tabrc'7, Persia. The foliowing interesting lettert which we are allowed to use in advHnce of its publieation in Outing, deUils gome of the rider's experiences in passing throngli the almost tmcUless waste9 of A-i;i : I reachfd Tabreeï yesterday, 8ept. ltf, after a journcv of 389 miles, as registored by cyclnnicter, frnm Krzeroum, the point ironi which 1 lust wrote. Thus far my espértenos in Persla has provetl even innre novel ;ml interesting tlian in AsiaticTurkey: and, klaring out, of course, the question of literary merit, I have no hesitation in saying that tlie series of pan'is, descriptiva oí thta part of the jourupy, will prove a rval treat to tlie readers if the rtiHgHZlne, and more novel and cnterlaining tlian either the American portion pubiished last spring, or tliose on the Earopean part of the tournow appearing. On the route from Erzeroum here, I pnssed close to the toot ot' Mt. Ararat. 1 have heen honored and entertained by Khans, and iiave fept in, and partaken of hnspitality in the famous " black tents" of wild ICurds, against which these same Khans liad wariied me to beware Nobody thinks of traveling without guarda in this couniry, hut I have ventured alone anywere and eveo wlurc, and have 'sn far escaped serious molealatton, thpugh I have Beverul linies had to display my revolver. I finil tlie Peraisnt exeessively inquisitive, - worse tlian anything alletred against the Americans. - and t is au every-day occurrence lor me to race away from howling inobs of villasiers, who inslst on detaining me untll the Khan of the village and evrry individual oftbetn lias seen me ride. and inspecred the bicjcle. It is a great wonder the bicycle hasn't become disabled long since, for I am litcrally compelled to 1'1V!llll.:l,r.1.Jf,,lnMtl1iii.ti;i'unfeVoffi'lYie'pëo1 pli w 1 1 1 consent to my di-parture ; and uften theonly way 1 can convince themof tnelinpossibïiltj orcoinplying with ttrati demanda, is to convince them with the revolver; howewr, I haven't had occasion, to far, toso ntnch'M tighten a apoke In the wliee), everything about it being in perfect order, except that the rubber tire of the small wheel is gett'me worn down. Everybody oes armed liere; but I have so fa f managed to avoid serious trouble, - the mere sight of the six-shooter being siitlident to scatter them like so many sheep. These people do not mean barm, siraply wishing to satisfy thcir curiosity; but frequenlly it is impnllhl to ride ut the place, and they will not take " no" for an nnswer. On the other hand, they are very kind and hospitable, sometirues refusing to accept any payinent whatever for such accommodation as they can afford. I have found the country less montainou9 in Persia tlian in Asia Minor, but there ia a total absence of wheeled Tehicles, and consequently of wagon-roads. The great camel-caravan routes afford a greaier proportion of ridable patliway, howeTer, tlian I anticipated, enabling me to do lifty miles a day between Hoi and Tabreez, besides going at least ten miles out of my direct course to reach n village for the night. The distance traversed from Ismidt to Trabreez is 1,202 miles - 300 of which is Turkish measurenient by post hours, between Bei Bazaar, where my cyclometer pin was broken, and Sivas, where I had It ropaircd again; and the leinaiuder actual measiiremont by cyeloïneter. It is somcwliere nenr 41)0 miles trom here to Teheran, where I shall Iiave to reinain for the winter; and as there is no particular hurry I shall probably accept the invitation of Mr, Abbott, the Knglish Consul here, and Messrs. Oldfuther and Whipnle, the American mis¦ionariej, to rt;main lor a couple of days. The journer to Teheran will probably occupy about ten days, more or less, accordiug as I tind the roads. On the way I pas3through Miana, the place celehrated for the poisonous bug, whose bite brings on violent íever. I understand that these insecls are only in the house, conaequently I shall either contrive to pass through the district during the daytime or sleep out in i lic open. Throiigh Asia Minor from Sivag to Erzeroum, there are well-defined caravan routes froin one important town to anotlier, but the mountaiii traiU are tbc most abrupt I evt-r traversed; in this re:-eet they are much more dilflcult to overeóme with the bicycle tlian anything I experieuced in the Hockieswherc the aacenta are oomparativelygradUhL Often llicst' innuutaiu trails are churned up by tlie feel of pack aniuutls that have traversed them all throiigh the rainleM huiiiUier niontus until several inches of loose material covers the gurface, and Uin in addition to the steepness, makes it irnposlible to ahci-nd save by pushing the bicycle ahead with rear wheel aloft like ascencling u pair of staiis; souietimes I havo tliin liigh'.y intt-ie.-liug task to acoomplisli for miles at a stretch; but In the vallcys there is invariably found a good average proportion of ridable road, and the last forty miles of my road to Erzeroum, traversed in halt a day, was a macadam road, part of the great TreWsdfld and Persiau caravan route. From Sivas lo Erzerouta the oyclometer registered :08 miles, and in spit of ïnonntains and bridgeless streams I aventutd over forty miles a day. Perhaps I ibould not averige quite so innch, but it is only at these distant polnts where onc can experience the luxury of listoning to, and convorsing n]liis'own mother tougue, and wliat s ptrhap.s quite as important, where anything like what Americana cali a "square mear' is obtalnable, Henee the Induceinent to worry along as rapidly as pOHlble. The ordinary mode of traveling in this country, by people In anything like comfortable circuinstances, is to go 00 horseback with a %ütd of laptüks, and extra honea and attendants carrylng bedding, tent, cases of provisions, etc; for the vilttgera aro the most poverty-stricken poople imaginable, and the atcommodiition obtaiiiablc IVoni them is something to shilnk from, so it is not easy for nn fitexpciieiiccd person to imagine what a fellow carrying none of these things, but trusting entirely to whatever raay turn up from one hourtoiinoiher basto endure. Siucerelv vours,

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News