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2013 5
ing rods had to be brought in big crates (they
were actually coils for the dynamo with at-
tached iron rods).
But no manufactured excuse could possibly
disguise the heavy and cumbersome leads
for batteries. And so one day, a strange boat
quietly landed on the coast of Asia Minor op-
posite the Island of Samos. And very quietly
the batteries were loaded onto large wicker
baskets and attached to camels. IC students
and teachers were probably the only ones
who noted camel caravans arriving onto their
campus during strange hours.
The engineer set to work. It is not certain
whether MacLachlan himself helped out in
building the plant, but as a hands-on person
who reveled in construction projects, he most
likely did lend a hand.
Bit by bit, the electricity plant was finally
completed. Was it MacLachlan or the engineer
who first switched it on? We don’t know. But
no matter. It worked! IC boys actually had
electric lights in their dorms and classes.
Essentially, MacLachlan had built the first
electricity plant in Turkey. Unfortunately,
the name of the Greek engineer was never
revealed.
About a month after his plant was built,
MacLachlan got wind of the news that the
Turkish government had heard rumors about
electricity in the school and was sending a
delegation over. The source even informed
him of the exact day and hour. MacLachlan
got ready. He instructed all school personnel
to greet them warmly and to escort them
graciously to his office. The cook was told to
wait for MacLachlan’s signal and enter the
room carrying a wide array of refreshments.
No sooner had the Turkish group arrived
than they were whisked off to MacLachlan’s
office. The Protestant minister enthusiastically
performed the needed oriental formalities
and then – as he saw the deputies about to
state their business – jumped in with his own
announcement: IC has its own electricity!
He proceeded to switch on and off the light
in his office – an obvious signal for the cook
to enter. The Turkish group found themselves
munching on refreshments as they watched
the lights flicker. Their frowns slowly gave
way to wonder and MacLachlan (who under-
stood Turkish by then) heard them murmur to
each other “Why can’t we have these things
in our homes?” and “Imagine foreigners in
our country having such things and yet we
can’t have them.”
But MacLaclan didn’t stop there. He quickly
ushered them to the plant itself and showed
off the dynamics of the plant. “Much time was
spent in the engine room answering questions
and showing further demonstrations,” wrote
MacLachlan in his 1937 diary “Potpourri of
Sidelights and Shadows from Turkey.”
The group was then ushered back to the
office and served yet another array of ex-
quisite refreshments. Deftly, MacLachlan bid
them farewell thanking them profusely for
their lovely ‘unannounced’ visit.
Turkish authorities never mentioned the
electric plant again. And IC, now all lit up,
continued to thrive.
Historical information based on: an interview
with Dr. Howard Reed (summer 2011); Pot-
pourri of Sidelights and Shadows from Turkey,
by Alexander MacLachlan, 1937.
To be continued …
Smyrna
(Part VI)
A common sight in Smyrna. Turkish authorities never suspected that camels
were being used to smuggle in to IC the forbidden electric appliances.
MacLachlan would do anything to make sure his boys got the best.