Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-23
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society


 plain. with a smell of petroleum, a wonderful harbor, and strong naval fortress, Batum, recently bombarded by Turkish warships, IS the great | naptha port of Russia, a sea outlet for | the oil fields of Baku, and the foremost | city upon the eastern shore Of the Black Sea It is place of 10000 in | habitants, alive with the snap or Wes- tern business and filled with the color 1 of Eastern peoples. It has just three things to please the fancy; Alexander 1 Park on Lake Nurie, at its eastern boundary: a cathedral completed in l 1906: and a straight palm-fringed boulevard along the sea
 "rBatuul is about eight miles from the 1 Turkish frontier in Asia Minor. Rus l sia conquered it from Turkey, and the Congress of Berlin, in 1878, confirmed the conquest. In awarding Batum to Russia. 1t was stipulated that the port should not be made into naval base but the city is now a strongly forti- fled station. In 1911. following the col lapse of the ancient quay, extensive harbor works were undertaken, with the result that Baum has been made one of the safest, best equipped har- -bors on the Black Sea.
 'The city is very ancient in location and very recent in importance. It is mentioned, under various names, from early antiquity. The Russians have been the first to endeavor to launch 1t upon a career. Though still highly un- successful from a sanitary standpoint, 1t has model modern city's ground plan, the streets being the shortest ways between two points and most of | the city squares having sharp right | angles. Modern conveniences, how ever, have been lost sight of in the city's stride for business.
 "A piDe-line and railway made Batum. The pipeline is laid down
 from Baku. and it brings to the port its l principal export-oil. The railway con- l meets Batum with the main Trans caucasian line, through Tiflis, and with Baku. Besides petroleum and it's by products, the city ships Hquorice,
 manganese silk cocoons and wool It | imports tin and machinery. Greeks, 1 the shrewd dealers in money and goods
 In the Near East, have control of much 1 of the business.
 | 'HSubtropical vegetation sets off the | city. A recognizable tea and consider | able bamboo are grown in 8 nearby valley. Lemon and orange, trees grow out of doors. While mild and warm,
 the weather is very cratic. The an- nual rainfall is high-ninety inches,- and falls mostly in AuPust and Sep tember. Sometimes sixteen inches of l rain bursts upon the city within forty eight hours. Batum is in it's second, or, possibly, third childhood, with only an occasional well-appointed house, but with commerce of around $3e,- OO0,O00 a year, and with the same alert ness of air which business success has 1 brought to favored western cities.
 "The Vistula River, one of the mightiest streams flowing toward the
 north, sweeps in an irregular course through three empires, Austria Rus- sla, and Germany. 1t serves as a | frontier line between Austria and Ger many, between Austria and Russia,
 and, for a shorter distance, between
 Russia and Germany. Upon its banks lie the cities of Cracow, Warsaw
 Flock, Thorn, Kuhn, Graudenz, Marien-
 burg and the Baltic port of Danzig.
 The Vistula rises in Austrian
 Snesia, and takes circuitous course of $50 miles to the sea. It's source is
 on the northern slopes of the West | Besklden, a spur range of the Car pathians. The upper reaches of the rlVer run through a narrow, wooded
 valley. narrowing in places to a pie
 turesque gorge, with tree-hung sides. ) and throughout it's highland way is l surrounded by as wild scenery as can
 be found within the United States.
 Just before reaching Cracow, the . Vfstula leaves the mountains, and rom this Gaician city Seaward it Is
 naytgable for smaller boats. Its di- rect1on from Cracow is away from it's 1 pIaf,s Of Russian Poland before if turns, not far from Warsaw, back to } German lands. Its banks through the
 high Polish plateau in the south and I III Ine nelgnporhood of Warsaw are } high bluffs, often sharp and faced with
 loosely held earth erosioas, and d. 2 together difficult of passage between bank and bank. From Warsaw on. if Is navigable for larger river craft.
 The plain through which the river passes from Warsaw Co the Prussian l boundary srncoths away into swelling si loWlauds, the =lver Szcursg, IecorneS
 tricky and wan6erin~ while the sandy
 banks are forever sliding into the a water. The V5stUia aJaters Prussia 10 : miles above Thorn, the strong prussian
 frontier fortress. Beyond this point i. cuts through the FTussisn ridge, enters
 low country again, where it's shifting
 banks give considerable trouble tf D navigation. The Prusziar Government . has expended large suuas G? money fr . the endeavor to wsSl 3 mastery of thf
 ! river. and to keep ft serviceabie as 2
 great trade artery. Ths Vtstula has 2 e heavy traffic Of lumber, grains ana ' other farm productions.
 Before reaching the North Sea al Danzlg. It divides into two arms, tfat 0 on the west retaining the name. Wis.
 tula- Thick sheet ice binds inc rive
 at Warsaw, as 2 general thing, iron e about Christmas time to the first 0 r March. It is visited by periodica z floods of powerful headway in eorin, = and in Tnfd-eumnner. The Visxpja form :. one Of the most important Commercial Is avenues fin Russian POiard. in stsdftio, y to it's important Pruss9an traffic. | f is connected by canal with the German Q 1 River Netze, and through it with tn S square miles in areas and receives tn rivers of recent war fame, the Sar '- the Bug, the Pillca, Bzura. and tn
 tWieprz as tributarleSo