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

Electric W.
Prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. u. CO.
The Ruhr basin, where France now
seeks to collect unpaid German repara-
ions. Is true daughter of the Rhine.
And long ago Hugo said of the Rhine :
For thirty centuries it has seen the
forms and reflected the shadows OF al
most every warrior who has TILED the
Old World with that tool they call the
sword" Caesar, Attila. Charlemagne,
Napoleon, Barbarossa, Bismarck, Hin
denberg, Foch, Haig. Pershing-ahd
Degoutte-all have passed this way.
The Ruhr river is an inconspicuous
stream. hardly more than a hundred
miles long, with little volume of water.
and navigable, even with the aid of its
IL locks. for distance Of only 20
miles. But its valley and. the rolling
country to the north for few miles. to
which 1t has given its name. is re-
gion of concentrated industrialism
There, In a district roughly 40 by 10
miles, has been developed the greatest
coal production In Europe. And with
iron ore available from the nearby for
mer German Lorraine" and Llxem-
burg. there sprang up the industry OF
fabricating iron and steel, which went
farther. perhaps. than any other ac-
tIvity toward building up the mighty
German empire Of 1913. and gave 1T
eral significance to Bismarck's ideal for
a country Of blood and iron."
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
fine screen. showing Enthusiastically the
hive of industry that this district has
come to he.
Essen, the City of Steel.
The solar plexus of the Ruhr district
Is Essen. known far and wide rs the
home of the great Krupps' gun and ar
morplate factories. In prominent
places in the city stand statues to Bis
marck and Alfred Krupp-the man
who laid the foundations for Germany's
powerful fighting machine. and the
man who equipped 1t and became ire
mendously wealthy In the process
Krlpp really made Essen almost as
truly as the United States Steel corpo-
ration made Gary. Ind. The town was
founded In the Ninth century, hut as
late as 1854 It was little more than
village with 10000 inhabitants. Before
the World war Il had grown to he
city of 3OO.0t,0. and of these nearly No.
600 were employed in the krupp works.
From 1914 to 1918. when Germany was
nuttine forth every effort TO produce
more and more war supplies. the popu-
Iation Of Essen had war addition of
100000 or more.
With the development of Essen MS
steel and ire enter hundreds OF other
establishments joined the Krupps, I'M
ti1 the environs of the city are now
forest of chimneys. Near Essen. too.
are many coal pits.
Jts famous crucible steel is the old
EST speciality of Essen. To oht'in II.
raw materials especially chosen are
melted in separate crucibles and then
poured together TO form the incot. This
norticular steel is said TO excel all
others in purity: the giant ingots are
absolutely homogeneous, close-graineH
and uniform throughout.
Lately. too new stainless and rust
less steel has been made at Essen. II
Is claimed that not even boiling nitric
acid can affect it. and it IS well adapt
I'd as substitute for nickel-n'ate IN
tbe manufacture of surgical and other
instruments.
Aside from Its truly amazing indus
trial aspects. with its singn'nr'y AIDE
uuate welfare institutions for AGED and
crinnled workmen. Essen is only an
overgrown German factory town
uomber md smoky. 1t Is the sort OF
nloce You like TO see-once. At near
bv Werden. fitting background to the
drab dizziness of Essen. stands an old
abbey, used now as peni-
tertiary.
The Ruhr river itself rises on the
north side of Winterhers. In Sauerland.
lows northward past the romantically
situated town of Arnsherg, and thence
Winds on down into the mining district
around Hagen. Here. after receiving
he waters of the Lcnne. 1t twists on
INST Witten. Steele, Kettwig and lul-
,eim. getting greasier ana oiacNer as
{ washes past coal dumps nr foun-