Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-06-10
VALLEY OF The RUHR
Busiest Centre Of European Indus
trial Activity.
BASIS OF GERMAN WEALTH And POWER
Many Mighty Cities Grouped Together
In Small Compass-Dist-ct Only
About Ten Miles Wide by Forty

In Small Compass-Dist-ct Only
About Ten Miles Wide by Forty
Miles Lon0-Home Of the krupp Gun
Works.
The Ruhr valley Of western Germany
at the mouth Of which Allied soldiers
have been cncamped for severa months
and the complete seizure of which by
France was barely avertcd by Germa-.
ny's eleventh hour acceptance Of the
Allied reparatons ultimatum, is the
subject of the following bulletin issued
from the Washington, D. c., headquar-
ters of the National Geographic Soci-
city:
1.-THE Ruhr river is an incnnspicuous
stream, hardly more than hundred
miles long, with little volume Of wafer,
and navigable even with the aid of it's
eleven locks for distance of only 43
miles. But its valley and the rolling
country to the north for few miles, to
which it has given its name, is a region
of concentrated industralism. There,
in district roughly 40 by 10 miles, has
been developed the greatest coal pro-
iuction in Europe. And with iron
orc availab from the nearby former
German LORRAINE and Luxembourg,
there sprang UP the industry of fabri-
calling iron and steel which went fur
ther perhaps than any other activity
toward building up the mighty German
empire of 1913 and gave aliteral sig
nificance to Bismarcks ideal CT a coun-
try of blood and iron.
Railroads Show Ruhr's Importance.
"One could pick out the oval Of the
Ruhr region on map Of Germany by
its railroads. Germany's steel high
ways form a relatively close network
over the entire country, but. in the
Ruhr region the lines draw together
into a fine screen showing unmistaka-
bly, the hive Of industry that this dis
trict has come to be.
THE solar pleXus Of the Ruhr dis
trict is Essen, known far and wide as
the home of great Krupp's gun and ar
morplate factories. In prominent places
in the city stand statues to Bismarck
and Alfred Krupp-the man who laid
the foundations for Germanys power
full fighting machine, and the man VINO
equipped it and became tremendously
wealthy in the process. krupp really
made Essen almost as truly as the
Uni,ed States Steel corporation made
Gary, Indiana. The town was founded
in the 9th century, but as late as 1S34
it was little more than IL village or H.
son inhabitants. Before the World war
it had, grown to he a city Of 100000 and
of these nearly $4,000 were employed
In the Krupp works. From 1914 TO
1918 when Germany was putting forth
every effort to produce more and more
war supplies, the population Of Essen
had a. war addition of 100000 or more.
with the development of Essen as
steel and iron center hundreds OF other
establishments joined the krupps until
the enyirons of tho city arc now for
est Of chiuncys. Near Essen, too arc
many coal pits.
Zig Cities Elbow One Another.
"Isut wrile Essen is the center ni INC
Ruhr,' it by no means mnnopnli%es itS
business. Big cities arc thinck IN tniS
area. Entering the region at Duishu:g'
its gate-city. with 100000 inhabitants
by journey Of less than five mics
one reaches Obcrhausen with, n p"p'i-
lation of 10000. Three miles further IS
Mulheim witli 10000, five miles away
Essen with 100000, and four miles far
ther Gelsenkirchcn with 10000. EF
an advance of another four miles into
the Ruhr one reaches Bochum with