The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-03-14

dino in Essen.
dries, till it joins the Rhine at Ruhrort.
| From this point, also. the Isuhr canal
connects it with Duisburg.
Rhine Crowded With Traffic.
From Witten to Its mouth. some 43
miles, the Ru,ir is navigable, with the
aid of a dozen locks, as has been said.
but low water often delays the boats.
Here and there, along its busy course,
it even finds time to pause and turn
the wheels of little mills and factories.
Down the Rhine the trade Of the Iiuhr
moves out to sea.
Here water traffic fairly crowds the
stream. Boats are everywhere, as thick
as Chinese junks and sampans at Can
ton or Newchwang. But there Is no
iamming, ramming. shouting. and bat
Ting with oars or poles. as among the
belligerent boa.men of the East Here
are semaphores, signal flags. order
Hundreds of boats are handled a day,
with the same precision and speed
that we handle trains at n great Amer
centration of boats that 1t has given
Duisburg- Ruhrort. at the mouth of the
R,ihr, worldwide fame MS the greatest
river harbor In the world.
This Rhine. this artery Of Europe,
this Rhenus Superbus, as the Romans
named 1t when they built Cologne
how few Americans realize what II
means to western Europe! From the
Alps to the sea, from Lake Constance
down to Rotterdam. "the village of her
rings" this swift stream. green and
shallow, tumbles along; into its foam
ing waters are crowded over 20.WO
steamers. tugs and barges-a tonnage
Of nearly five millions.
From Cologne to London. by way of
the Rhine and serving the Ruhr from
tier. runs regular line of specially
built river-sea steamers. which do away
with the cost of unloading and reload.
ing from river barge to ocean steamer.
or vice versa, at Rotterdam.
Ideas, as well as boats. it is said. are
carried on great rivers. Here then.
may be- a lesson for America on how to
use inland streams. Through all this
region railways parallel the rivers.
cross and recross them. and compete
with them: yet the water-borne car
goes continue to he enormous. taxing
the capacity of twice ten thousand bot
toms.
No country has developed Its water
transport to a higher efficiency. The
whole of Germany il covered with
regular network of canals and chan
neled streams. linked w with one an
other wherever practicable
Many Big Cities There.
Essen is mentioned almost whenever
the Ruhr Is mentioned. so that II Is
understandable that the two are some
times considered SYNONYMOUS. f;ut big
cities are thick In 'he Ruhr. Entering
the region at Duishnrg. its gate-city.
with 100000 inhabitants. by Journey
of less than five miles one reaches
Oherhausen. with 81 population of So
600. Three miles farther Is Mnlhe'm
with $4,000: five miles away. Essen.
with 100000. and four miles farther
Gelsenkirchen. with 10000. BY an nd
vance of another four miles into the
Ruhr one reaches Hochum. with pop
ulation of $4,000. while barely ten
miles farther to the east. AMI still
short of the eastern limits of the re-
gion. lies Dortmund. with 2l4,oOO In
habitantS.
Dortmund is the largest city In West
rhalia. 1t boasts history dating
back a thousand wears. Long ago II
was free. fortified Hanscatic town.
and once 1t withstood siege of ~
months. ''led by the good bishop Of
Cologne and AZ other princes" 1t Is
proud of IFS churches. centuries old
its inconsistencies. with their relics and
antiquities. and its municipal museum.
with prehistoric. Roman and Germanio
collections.
Hard b, Is the historic hill of Hohen
Svburg. where Chnrlemacne fought
with The Saxons.> From its crest you
can view the vast. smoking. seethins
valley of the Rnhr, where drones and
oilers are an unknown human species
In the Ruhr. more nearly than In
most Industrial regions. everyone Is n
W orker. Technicians clerks and other
'.white-colar' men there must be- but
Il is n land of grimy.
sweating toilers-hetween three and
one-half and four millions of ITEM