Evening star., 1939-09-15
By FRED H. MORHART, Jr.


thickly wooded hills.
1t is a small loW-lying basin less
than one third the size Of Delaware
but having three times that States
population. Roughly elliptical, the
basin is some 40 miles long and 80
miles wide with a total area of 1888
square miles Thus in size it would
compare with many of the nearby
counties in Maryland and Virginia
uplands.
Though having a rural aspect, 1t
Is one of the most densely populated
areas in Europe Highly indus
trialized, 80 per cent of the people
are directly employed in industry
and it's associated work, with the
remaining 10 per cent devoting their
time to what little farming Is done
In the basin, according to statistics
gathered by the National Geo.
graphic Society.
Picture files of the society show
1t to be q hill country cut by nu-
merous valleys. Most of the cities
are centuries old. With this ancient
background the communities of to-
day have quaint old places over
Tapped by modern industrial plants.
Dependent on Coal.
Many Of the streets, winding and
cobble- stoned, are criss-crossed with
conveyors and pipes of the huge
plants. Since the discovery Of coal
in the basin the region now is
almost entirely dependent on indus
try for economic support.
Ancient church spires which once
dominated the skyline of the villages
and cities now are rivaled by tall
stacks and kilns. For local COM
parison, view up the Potomac
through the maze of Georgetown
commercial structures across into
the Virginia hills would look not
unlike many places along the Saar
River at town sites, some pictures
show.
A tormented land fought over
since antiquity, Saarland lies in the
gateway to the Moselle River Valley
through Which hordes have poured
In and out of Germany since man
first began his migrations.
Described as an irregular patch
Of hills crossed by valleys, the basin
long has been buffer between Ger
many and France. On natural
route between the two countries, it
for centuries has been point of
boundary dispute. 1t mainly has
been Germanic for the 1000 years
before the treaty of Versailles and
now once more is back in German
control since the plebiscite of 1885.
Door Mat for Conquers.
Attila and Caesar, Hindenberg
and Foch, and a host Of military
leaders in between have used this
hill-encircled region as a door mat
for the tramping feet of their fol-
lowers.
The land over which the Germans
and French troops are fighting be-
tween their fortress-hke lines is
similar to that found about PARIS
Ridge near Gaithersburg, Md.
Flanked by the Saar, tributary
of the Moselle, the little place now
in the world spotlight is heavily for
ested with trees planted by the gov
ernment, records at the National
Museum show. The land is poor for
agriculture, being primarily con-
glomerate and gravel.
The coal fields are of the upper
carboniferous geological formation
similar to those found in eastern
Pennsylvania. The exposed struc-
lures also indicate a similarity to
those about the Grand Canyon, ex-
cept that the German region has
coal.
Running back from the river and
the French border the long veins of
coal have been exposed through
thousands of years of erosion. What
was once a huge land fold has been
cut down to a basin as the softer
formations fell away from the hard
er and more resistant hills nearby.
Besides being in the road to in
terror Germany, the basin contains
some of the best coal in Europe
Though estimates vary, it is believed
the basin has at least nine billion
tons of coal available for mining
More than 40 seams are workable
and more are available should in
creased demands warrant more
costly mining operations, reports
indicate.
Artificial Waterways.
Gan1noirol1v tho riVor y1,hi ie
not much larger than Rock Creek,
flows through an area of matured,
old formations and because of the
small incline has slow current.
Compared with Rock Greek, the
river looks much like that section
above Pierce Mill Shallow, slow
moving, 1t has steep slopes rising
from the waters edge in many
places. Because of its Smallness
many sections have been developed
into artificial waterways with an
appearance much like that of the
old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
.above Georgetown.
Because of the poor land in the
basin many farmers have mined"
the little alluvial deltas and flats
along the riverside for soil for their
crops. Where possible they dig out
the good soil brought down from
upstream and carry it off in baskets
and carts.
A focal point for canal routes. it
also is fed by number Of railroads
over which products were sent into
world markets. Based on coal, foun-
dries, blast furnaces, potteries,
chemical works and machine shops
provide the main employment for
the 100000 population.
Valleys Varied Products.
Though the communities in the