The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-14
LUBBOCK NOW. CHIEF
PORT FOR GERMANY
Beyond Danger of Blockade, Smallest
of German Fuel Centers is Again
Famous.

Washington, June 13.--Gucpeck.
/ situated beyond the dangers of block
ade on the broken southwestern shore
of the narrc w-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
I Society describes this port, whose for
! tunes have risen and fallen through
/ its centuries OF international business
relations as follows:
Lubbock Is the smallest Of the free
cities Of Germany, but richer in remin-
iscences of former greatness than either
Z of the other two Hamburg, Bremen
/ Lubbock Joined the modern German
Empir as free and Independent Han
seattle cities. Hamburg and Bremen
have developed into great stone and
mortar hives of present day business:
have multiplied their wealth at tre-
mendous rate. and have, more and more.
grown to the international type oil
purely business cities. Lubbock. on the
other hand. while it has maintained
an Importance as a busy place of com :
from the past.
Lying ten miles from the Baltic
Sea. on the River Trave, the channel
Of which has been so improved that
boats OF sixteen foot draft are able
! to tie up at the city's docks. Leubeck
/ has been a nerve center of North Ger
man trade with Denmark, the Scandi-
navian lands, and with Russia Inc
! city has been made into an island oy
its harbor Improvements, the TraVe
flowing around Its western border and
a wide canal around 1t on the east
The wharf districts are upon the north
eastern and northwestern sides of the
town
This city enjoys location as
I favorible as that of Bremen or Ham
burg for the distribution of its wares
over Germany. 1t is reached by raj
! in two and one-half hours from
/ r'remen. and is about as conveniently
near to Berlin. Before the war the
port was connected with Copenhagen
Stockholm, Dantsic and Petrograd oy
/ regular steamer services. Its cnieI
articles of commerce were. in prevail
days, wines, especially clarets, timber,
/ tar and northern consignments OF Ter
/ man manufacturers
! "Once a city of considerable re-
nown throughout the trading world,
the business of Lubbock dwindlej, 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
it's 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,
The CITY was founded by Count
/ Adolph, H.. of Holstein, in 1l43, near
the site of an earlier town. 1t was de-
clared a free town of the empire in
1926. and, in 1927, made its appear
+ ance as a military power, when, In
union with the Holsteiners. It's citizen
| soldlery badly defeated the Danes al
I Bornhoeved, freeing their northern
commerce from the Danish yoke. The
/ inspiration of this feat at arms leo
the rapidly rising municipality to de-
veIop a strong naval power. and the
! enterprise of its diplomacy led to
the foundation of the Hanseatic
League, an alliance of the great com
mercial towns OF North Germany, first
as a protection for their peaceful com
merces, and, then. as sort OF com
mercial and trading trust. The towns
that Joined Luebeck in founding the
League were Rostock, Wismar, Greifs-
valid, Starlsund and Hamburg. This
! league, dissolve dand re-established
! became all-powerful about century
! and a half later. embracing mere thaf
eighty rich cities.
"For time, Lubbock held an undis'
puted precedence over the other mem
/ hers of the League During those DAYS
of it's prosperity, II is said to have
had n population about the same at
iii has today. between 10000 and $4,000
! Tueheck as head of the Hanseane
/ League. held the supremacy or the
| Baltic which supremacy Its people
Ia hnH
under the stimulus which the war has
/ r3yar IN their citv'E commerce"