The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-03
Especial corresponden ce OF The Times

Especial Correspondence OF Tho Times
l Dispatch) S q
COLOGNE, April ILL write to-day OF
the Rhine. Not the Rhine picturesque.
not the Rhine romantic nor the Rhine OF
4 castles and cathedrals, but the Rhine as
a trade route and. as the great "ater5
avenue OF the American invasion OF @ err.
many. During this trip IN Europe ! nave nay
studied 1t from It's sources 5to It's mouth.
I was near It's beginning on Mount Saint
Gothard in Switzerland, ! saw 1t rushing
nast Basel the head OF navigation. and
watched the enormous traffic moving into
4 from Rotterdam near the sea. It is
626 mi es from Basel to the German ocea 2,
and throughout this distance tEa Rhihe
Is spotted with towns and cities: it IS cut
s ~ canals hich lead to the Seine and the
TSanube. and others which bring It into
connection with the busiest section q o.
this busiest OF all the continents, You
fcnn yet from Hamburg to the Rnlne py
cnnal The ports Of Belgium have access
ttIitnrd a network of railroads leads out
from 1t to every quarter OF Europe,
55s' 1" THE RHINE AT COLOGNE.
Here at Cologne the Rhine Is about l,3Oo
feet wide, and II IS deep enousn ,ou 70
Arm wing twelve feet OF water. The tall rs
s,,oht from here to the sea, and the flow IS
ar slow tina 1t does not impede ayigatlon.
~. little further south the river narroWs.
!, III ~ tho Seven Mountains the current IS
1 an swift that the steamers make only
few miles mi hour, and 80 strong lnhe :
d ha banks have to he walled IN WIN STONES
almost tho whole way 70 Keep tii me- itoi y
we shing, .,,a = ,,,na
Vas about four hundred thnusand peo-
nlc and Il Is largely dependent. upon lts
4 yiver trade. t has built up q great ma =
4 i,or for handling tho traffic and is now q
general transshlppng point ior a., 5passs
d ~ europe. Ships come here from Aoi, ,u!
4 Bremen, Hamburg. Copenhagen n NJ; I,n "a
4 -, a, IThere q ia, daily boats to Engla
s sui three boats which run regularly Pc Pc.
y twaenT Cologne and ST.. Petersbur 6. 49, u Il h
z ~ AMRERICAN& ON Ti p Ri IN "a
h rha most OF the goods from the United
4 =, ,tos IL 1transshipped at Rotterdam. am
star,,a ~ Antwerp or Hamburg, ana g lar ~ y
'nart az tits sent up the Rnlne IL ~ so',
have spent much time on the river, , nom
passing RATS Of logs ana poalus - - nav.
4 trnn lumber now going by strings OF Lnar.
N v.,n hnrpcs each two hundred or more
ssat ,nnr7 filled with American Wheht,L h'lu
aIhar harres piled high with parreis 80. =.
y !, or,can no troleum. II have met y le w
= n,arican travellers and one or tWo .,
q c,,m drummers. but the most Of t'e tra ",
"a European, and the most o. ,o ~.
{ goods go on German and putc'' ''N''''
handled by German. tmporte11ssc.,r,n
$500 IA GREAT 7 IIAND PORT,
Cologne is a good place to stuay VIZ
Rhino traffic, It Is the headquarters 9!
the leading steamship companies, TNe
X trade Il carefully watched; IT steadlly ny
s creases from year to year, and u nov
approximntes a million tons annualty
4 Something like four thousand PASSENGER ~
boats call at Cologne every year. ana ~.
freight boats number many hundreds,
4 ,r,,nro| ,ra a Ion sa fling VESSELS. and an