Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-06-16
THE WAR PRIMER
By National Geographic Society

Lubbock, situated beyond the dan
gers of blockade on the broken south
western shore of the narrow -mouthed
Baltic Sea, has become, due to the
advantages of its position since the
outbreak of the European war, the
foremost port of the German Empire
in foreign, water borne trade The
National Geographic Society describes
this port, whose fortunes have risen
and fallen through it's centuries of in
ternational business relations, as fol-
lows:
Lubbock is the smallest of the free
cities of Germany, but richer in rem
iniscences of former greatness than
either of the other two. Hamburg,
Bremen and Lubbock Joined the mod
ern German Empire as free and indie
pendent Hanseatfc cities. Hamburg
and Bremen have developed into great
stone mortar hives Of present-day
business; have multiplied their wealth
at a tremendous rate, and have, more
and more,s grown to the international
type of purely business cities. Lue-
beck, on the other hand, while it has
maintained an importance as busy
place of commerce, is medieval, ro-
mantle, a breath from the past.
Lying 10 miles from the Baltic Sea,
on the River Trave, the channel of
which has been so improved that boats
of Is foot draft are able to tie up at
the city's docks, Lubbock has been a
nerve center of North German trade
with Denmark, the Scandinavian
lands, and with Russia. The city has
been made into an island by its far-
around its western border and a wide
canal around it on the east. The
wharf districts are upon the north
eastern and northwestern sides Of the
town.
This city enjoys a location as fay
h If RToIT1 on a
for the distribution of it's wares over
Germany. 1t is reached by rail in
two and one-half hours from Bremen,
and is about as conveniently near to
Berlin. Before the war, the port was
connected with Copenhagen, Stock
holm, Dantsic and Petrograd by regu-
lar steamer services. It's chief arti-
Giles of commerce were, in pre-war
days, wines, especially clarets, tim
Der, tar, and northern consigments of
German manufactures.
Once city of considerable renown
throughout the trading world, the bus
mess of Lubbock dwindled, and the
port cities more favorably situated
upon the open ocean lanes of COM
merce gradually absorbed much of the
business that formerly had taken its
course through the northern port The
trade of the city began a fresh period
Of growth with the founding of the
German Empire, and 1t has remained
one of the most important commercial
cities on the Baltic.
1.-THE city was founded by Count
Adolph II of Holstein in 1143, near the
site cf an earlier town. 1t was de-
clared a free town of the empire in
1926. and in 1927, made it's appearance
as a military power, when, in union
with the Holsteiners, it's citizen SOL
dierly badly defeated the Danes at
Bornhoeved, freeing their northern
commerce from the Danish yoke. The
inspiration Of this feat at arms led the
rapidly rising municipality to develop
a strong naval power, and the enter
prise of its diplomacy led to the foun-
alliance of the great commercial towns
OF North Germany, first as a protec-
ton for their peaceful commences.
and, then, as a sort of commercial and
trading trust. The towns that Joined
Lubbock in founding the League were
Rostock, Wismar, Greifswald, StarIs-
und and Hanbur. This League, dis
solved and established, became ALL
powerful about a century and a half
later, embracing more than eighty rich
cities.
For time, Lubbock held an nm
disputed precedence over the other
members Of the League. During those
days Of it's prosperity, it is said to
have had a population about the same
as it has today, between 10000 and
10000. Lubbock, as head of the Ham
seattle League, held the supremacy of
the Baltic, which supremacy its peo-
pie are endeavoring to win back today
under the stimulus which the war has
g1ven1to -their~citys