Norwich bulletin., 1917-07-20
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society.

stettin; Scene of Food Riots--''fn few cities of the German empire would economic and industrial dis turbances have more profound ef- feet upon the Kaiser's prosecution of The war than in Stettin, where serious food riots are reported to have oc- cured recently, says a war geogra- phy bulletin, issued today from the Wa shington headquarters of the Ma tional Geographic Society.
 Tt is in suburb of Stettir that the great Vulcan shipyards are located, where so many of the German war ships are built. Even in peace times the Vulcan works, covering more than 70 acres, employed 5000 men and this number has. of course, been vastly augmented since the Prussians be- gan with feverish haste to multiply the units of their sinister submarine fleets.
 "Stettin's importance to German arms does not end with its shipbuild- ing activities, however. Locomotives, boilers and machinery of various kinds are manufactured here, while than 10000 men, women and children, are probably n1obiiized at this time for the production Of uniforms for the Prussfan soldiers.
 "Stettin is s4 miles by rail north east of Berlin. It has a population of 236,o00 and is built on both banks of the River Oder. about 1T miles above it's entrance into the Stettiffer Half. q landlocked arm of the Baltic. Vessels dra wing as much as 23 feet of water can discharge their cargoes here, es- pecfa1ly in tho new Free Harbor, ad- Jacent to the suburb of Iastadie. with quays having a total length of more than 14.G00 feet. Next to Hamburg and Rremerhaven. more ships annual ly entered and cleared from Stettin before the war than at any other port in Germany. The city may be con- sidered the seaport for Berlin. It is the capital and principal city of the province of Poneran nia
 The authentic history of Stettin dates from the 12th century when it was known as Stedyn For several hundred years it belonged to the Dukes Of Pomerania. one of whom granted it municipal rights as early as the middle of the 18th century. The line of Dukes became extinct in became a Swedish possession. It was not until the following century (1720) that it was allotted to PrL ssia by the treaty of Stockholm. Frederick the Great greatly strengthened its fortifi- cations but these did not prevent it's surrender to the French without a struggle in 1906 Seven years later it was returned to Prussia. The city's defenses were razsd in 1874. thereby greatly facilitating It's industrial ex- pansion.
 -'Stettin might be lilsened to Hart ford, Conn, for it is the home office of many of the biggest insurance com panies of the German empire. Although other cities have tried to rob it Of the distinction, Stettin may rightly claim the honor of being the birthplace of one Of the greatest women of history, Catherine II of Russia At the time Of her birth her father Christian Augustus of Anhalt- Zerbst) was military commandant of Stettin. The future ruler of Russia was baptized Sophia Augusta Fred erica. She did not become Catherine until she was rebaptized, at the age of 15, into the Orthodox Greek church the day before her marriage to the son (afterward Peter IT'D of the Rus sian empress Elizabeth