The selection of the spot where Nicolayevsk stands was owing to the advantages of the sand spit as a protection to river boats.
After dining on the Morje we went on shore, and landed at a flight of wooden steps in the side of a pier.

The piers of Nicolayevsk are constructed with 'cribs' about twenty feet apart and strong timbers connecting them.

The flooring was about six feet above water, and wide enough for two teams to pass.
Turning to the left at the end of the pier, we found a plank sidewalk ascending a sloping road in the hillside.

The pier reminded me of Boston or New York, but it lacked the huge warehouses and cheerful hackmen to render the similarity complete.

"This is Natchez, Mississippi," I said as we moved up the hill, "and this is Cairo, Illinois," as my feet struck the plank sidewalk.