The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-26
W|LHELNSHAVEN
WAS ONCE MARSH
IT TOOK SEVENTEEN YEARS TO
BUILD PRESENT GERMAN
NAVAL STATION.

"Wilhelmshaven, the scene of a ter.
ric eXplosionT which is supposed to
have wrought great damage to the i'm
perial docks and shipyards recently is
one of the two most important naval
stations Of the German empire" says
a war geography bulletin issued by the
National Geographic Society from its
Washington headquarters.
"Only forty-five years ago the site of
this now strongly fortified town Of S5..
0OO inhabitants given over chiefly to
shipyald DIS, drydocks fitting-out harbors.
iron foundries, and boiler factories. was
desolate, low.lying, marshy tract of
land on the edge Of a shallow inlet of
the North Sea, known as Jade Busen
or Jade bay, which had been formed
by inundations in the thirteenth and
sixteenth centuries.
In 1852, however, the nascent spirit
Of Prussianism awokc to the fact that
the kingdom did not own single inch
of seacoast on the North Sea In or.
der TO acquire a foothold on the west.
ern shore Of Europe the Prussian king
purchased from the grand duke of on.
denburg the marsh, four square miles.
upon which now stands Wnhelmshaven
ana the purchase price was 500 600
thalers about 1855 0O0
"For seventeen years a large body Of
WOrkmen was engaged at great expense
In building the town, dredging the bav
and sinking piles in the peaty soil up.
on which to erect docks and shipyards.
1t was herculean task and frenuent.
ly months of labor would be wiped ont
IN single hour by a high tide or a
violent storm. In the end. howeve
the work was completed and the bar.
Dor was formally opened by King WI.
liam' afterward Emperor William l.. in
the presence Of many British naval Of.
ficers, who little imagined what a mo.
inentous ceremony they were witness.
ing, for with the dedication of Wu.
helmshaven began in earnest the de.
velopment Of modern Germany's sea
power.
"One Of the odd difficulties with
which Prussia had to contend in the
building Of Wilhelmshaven was the
unfriendly attitude of the kingdom (soon
thereafter TO become a Prussian prov.
inceD of Hanover, which refused To al.
low the construction OF a railroad acro.s
It's territory from Prussia into Olden.
burg so that all the material for the
hafbor had to be shipped from Prus.
'sia by the long sea route.
Wilhelmshaven is less than fort,.
miles in an airline northwest Of Pre-.
men, and is only sixty miles nv rail
from this great commercial cor,or
The town is given over almost entirely
TO the needs of the German navy. II
mas extensive arsenals. and mine do.
pots machine shops, iron foundrio.,
and boiler shops. The imperial doct.
yards before being enlarged for the
present emergencies included two largo
sllpways, five immense floating docks
iour smaller docks for the accommoda.
ton OF torpedo boats. and seven dr,.
docks. The shipyards are surro,nded
by lofty walls and access to the inclos.
ure even prior to the outbreak Of tho
wal was very restricted. More than
d third Of the population Of the town
before the beginning Of hostilities in
I'I4 was made up Of, army and naval
forces.
The new harbor Of WHhelmsbaven
mas an area Of 10 acres and a deptb
oi more than twenty-six feet"