MacNamara diary, 19 August 1916-29 May 1919 / John Patrick MacNamara - Page 200
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[Page 200]
We arrived in on time, the first time that this train has been up to time table.
Went to stay at the Victoria Hotel, which is one of the best here & is on the sea front. The tariff is 60PT's per day which is pretty stiff as compared with Egyptian Hotels, but of course conditions are much harder here.
The town is quite European being much cleaner than Damascus, & better drained on account of being built on the hill sides. There are electric trams which are run much better than in Damascus & the town is also lit by electricity.
The Harbour is very small but is a good one & boats can tie up alongside. There are still a couple of boats lying in the harbour, which were sunk by the Italians in 1912 during the Turco-Italian War.
There is no railway stn in this place, the train running down onto the Docks. There is a station out about 2 miles, which may be the main stn. Damascus has a fine big station whereas this place has not.
It rained heavily this morning until about 9 am when it cleared up & it has been fine all day. We went out to the American College to have a look around. It is a fine place, very extensively built on the sides of the hills & overlooking the sea. The main building is a 4 storied one & is very well built. From the tower one can get a fine view of Beirut & the mountains rising at the back. The price of tuition, boarding etc is £55 per annum which is