The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-29
WILHELMSHAvEN.
Brief History Of Germany's Naval Sta
ton on the North Sea.

Less than 20 years ago the place
where Wilhelmshaven, the great Ger
man naval station on the North sea,
now stands, was part of a deSolate,
low lying marshland, on the western
shore of the shallow inlet formed in the
coast of Oldenburg by foundations dur
ing the 18th and 10th centuries, and
known as Jade Busen. That was, of
course, many years before the coming
of the Kiel canal. Schleswig- Holstein
was still Danish territory. Hanover
was still a separate kingdom, and Prus-
STA had no access to the open sea, save
by way of narrow passages through the
Danish islands.
Such state of things had to be rem
edled and SO the king of Prussia APP
preached the grand duke of Oldenburg
to negotiate with him for the purchase
of just four square miles of marsh on
The Jade Busen. The grand duke con
sented, and the land changed hands at
a purchase price of 100000 thalers.
Then the herculean task began. The
natural obstacles were bad enough. but.
IN addition to these, Prussia had to
contend with the deeply-rooted suspi-
.lons entertained by Hanover for the
whole scheme. Hanover, in fact, would
ave mono of it, or, at any rate, as
little of it as she could; and she utterly
feTused to afford any facilities to Prus-
5ia in the carrying out of her project
She closed her railways to the trans
port of materials for the new harbor,
and obliged the Prussian government TO
ship everything it needed by the long
sea route round the coas- Of Denmark.
In the view of Prussia, however. the
l. II
1 carried through at all costs, and iii spite
of all difficulties and so, for z wears
| hundreds of workmen were employed
] dredging the shallow bay, driving great
piles down into the solid ground be
meath the peaty SOIL constructing dock.
and stewards and LAYING out the new
town with wide streets and open places
} Inc work was often interrupted The
1 sea was no respecter Of persons II
had been in the habit Of flowing more
], or less where it pleased in these parts
l and every now and again a specially
, high tide would demolisn in an hour The
, labor of months Finally. however. the
work was completed, harbor construct
ed, and town built, and the whole wa.
> formally dedicated by King William 0,
{ Prussia in 1869, in the presence Of many
6 If course, marked the rise of Prussia
e IS 4 sea power and as ship was added
q to ship in the Prussian navy, which aft
er 1871 became of course the Germa,
= navy, Wilhelmshaven developed IN i'm
a portance. Shipyards. dry docks, fitting
: out harbors, iron foundries. boiler fac
= tories, all the paraphernalia of a grea
naval base, were steadily added to an,
S Kept abreast with the needs OF III,
: tines More than a third of the town
e oven before the outbreak of the war
r vas made up of army and naval forces
q As TO the famous harbor itself. il con
Il sists Of the old and new harbors AM
he tor0edo harbor which lies to tn
southeast of the latter. The three en-
e ranees to the old and new harbors ar
{ sheltered by long and d ma sive molsa
l The whole body of docks, building slips
l.. machine shops, dc, being inclosed u
n lofty wall, with II iron gates, and dc
II snded by strong Notifications Wi
* aaimshaven has. however. or at an
q rate had. in the days before the war.
peaceful side, and every year was won
@ welcome 4 considerable number d
II lsitorS who came there for the Sc
Il hlng.-Christian Science Monitor.