The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-21
The Threatened strike in Germany

The mere possibility that strike may
tie UP the coal mining industry of the
Rhenish- Westphalia district OF Germany
is startling, for this region is the greatest
coal producer and industrial centre not
only of Germany but also of Continental
Europe Its coal mines are the richest
in Europe. Except in the United States
there had been no parallel to the develop
ment of its mining and the growth OF its
industrial towns in the last fifty years.
Many of the towns have increased in
population from ten to twenty fold in
that time.
A. combination OF natural resources
AMI means of transportation is the loun-
dation OF its greatness. The coal mining
district is called the Ruhr coal field be-
cause 1t lies wholly in the northern part
OF the valley of the Ruhr, tributary of
the Rhine. The industrial district which
depends upon this coal is called the
Rhenish- Westphalia district, for it en-
braces the Rhine province Of Prussia
and Westphalia to the east, about one
third Of the coal being in Westphalia and
INO-lIlIAls Ill VIC lNlAAllb liof AANb'
The little Ruhr sends it's waters north
west and west and reaches the Rhine at
the city of Ruhrort To the north Of the
river are the coal measures covering an
area Of only about 500 square miles, not
quite twice rs large as our anthracite
area in eastern Pennsylvania; but just
as our 4s0 square miles Of anthracite will
supply an enormous demand for long
period OF time, the coal Of the Ruhr
seems almost inexhaustible. About ZOO
COO miners are at work in about $50 mines
from Dortmund in Wesiphalia to Mulheim
on the Ruhr near the Rhine. A half mil
lion persons derive their living directly
from this mining industry. and in spite
OF the enormous output there is every
prospect that the industry viii thrive for
centuries TO come,
The coal strata, separated by thin
layers of rock, are in great number
They fill extensive troughs or valleys,
especially the Essen depression in the
west. that of Poohum in the centre, that
of Horden in the east, while the coal
field Of the Recblinghausen depression
branches of to the north. The richest
coal measures are in the west, where
the total thickness OF the coal strata
averages 1877 feet, which considerably
exceeds the total thickness Of the strata
further east The position Of the beds
is very favorable for mining, so that
the industry is carried on under the
/ .o1rN,,fca1 conditions
The billy region Is almost wholly given
up to coal and iron The groups Of
smoky furnaces and tall ohimneys arc
interspersed with coal pits and tidy
mining villages; but nowhere does it
recall the dreariness Of the black country
Of England, for amid the pits and fur
naces are pleasant, we'll cultivated fields
on almost every hillside.
In consequence OF this wealth Of coal,
vast industrial development has spread
over the mining region and beyond its
confines. We may perhaps, compare
the Rhensh- Westphalian and the Saxon
industrial centres, the two largest in
| Germany, With our two largest centres.
Thus, we may roughly liken the Rhenish-
Westphalian district with Pennsylvania,
the products of both being chiefly coal
and manufactures OF iron and steel; and
lust as Pennsylvania though mining
iron, brings most OF its iron ore from
Lake Superior. so iron is also obtained
on the Rnhr coal field, but most OF it is
brought from the Harz Mountains, the
headwaters OF the Sieg and Lain, and
from the vast sources of iron ore in
Alsace-Lorraine and in Luxembourg.
Roughly, too, we may speak Of the in
dustrial centre Of the Kingdom Of Saxony
as resembling Massachusetts, and Rhode
Island, because textile products are the
leading characteristic Of these industrial
centres. The Rhensh- Westphalia dis
trict, however, has it's textiles also. for
while iron and steel works have made
Essen. Dusseldorf Duisburg, 0ber-
hansen and Ruhrort famous, Crefeld is
the chief silk town Of Germany. and e.
berield, Barmen and other towns are
famous for cottons.
The concentration OF so many Of the
industries In this one district is due to
cheap fuel, TO the quantity ahd quality
OF the water which adapts the streams
both for navigation and for the chemical