﻿558 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Frederick 
  Simpich 
  

  

  SOFT-COAL 
  MINTNG 
  IN 
  GERMANY 
  

  

  This 
  cheap, 
  low-grade 
  fuel 
  is 
  skimmed 
  off 
  the 
  surface, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  

   big 
  "brown 
  coal" 
  mine 
  on 
  the 
  flat 
  plains 
  of 
  northern 
  Germany 
  often 
  

   looks 
  like 
  the 
  empty 
  bed 
  of 
  an 
  ancient 
  lake. 
  Pressed 
  into 
  briquettes, 
  

   this 
  soft 
  coal 
  becomes 
  a 
  staple 
  article 
  of 
  commerce. 
  

  

  Here, 
  about 
  this 
  time 
  also, 
  spoons 
  were 
  

   first 
  rolled 
  from 
  one 
  solid 
  block 
  of 
  metal 
  

   by 
  an 
  odd-looking 
  machine 
  invented 
  for 
  

   that 
  purpose. 
  

  

  Then 
  came 
  the 
  great 
  era 
  of 
  mass 
  pro- 
  

   duction 
  in 
  steam-engines, 
  hammers, 
  steel 
  

   tires 
  for 
  railway 
  cars, 
  cast-steel 
  shafts 
  for 
  

   river 
  and 
  ocean 
  steamers, 
  and 
  finally 
  that 
  

   astonishing 
  output 
  of 
  guns 
  and 
  armor 
  

   plate 
  which 
  brought 
  the 
  militaristic 
  na- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  to 
  buy 
  at 
  Essen. 
  

  

  The 
  daily 
  roar 
  of 
  artillery 
  at 
  the 
  prov- 
  

   ing 
  grounds, 
  where 
  each 
  new 
  gun 
  was 
  

   tested, 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  din 
  of 
  whistles, 
  rush- 
  

   ing 
  trains, 
  and 
  rattling 
  gears, 
  made 
  pre- 
  

  

  war 
  Ruhr 
  probably 
  

   the 
  noisiest 
  place 
  on 
  

   earth. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  noisy 
  enough 
  

   now, 
  but 
  the 
  great 
  

   guns 
  are 
  silent 
  ; 
  Krupp 
  

   makes 
  them 
  no 
  more. 
  

   The 
  big 
  lathes 
  that 
  

   once 
  made 
  guns 
  for 
  

   every 
  nation, 
  from 
  

   Chile 
  to 
  China, 
  now 
  

   turn 
  out 
  shafting 
  for 
  

   marine 
  and 
  other 
  en- 
  

   gines. 
  Box-cars 
  for 
  

   Belgium, 
  car 
  wheels 
  

   for 
  South 
  America, 
  

   and 
  whole 
  tram-line 
  

   systems 
  for 
  the 
  Dutch 
  

   East 
  Indies 
  were 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  orders 
  being 
  

   filled 
  when 
  I 
  saw 
  these 
  

   giant 
  works 
  a 
  few 
  

   months 
  ago. 
  

  

  You 
  can 
  picture 
  the 
  

   size 
  and 
  scope 
  of 
  this 
  

   colossal 
  plant 
  when 
  I 
  

   tell 
  you 
  that, 
  literally, 
  

   the 
  coal 
  and 
  iron 
  come 
  

   in 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   flock 
  of 
  factories 
  and 
  

   emerge 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  

   in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  finished 
  

   locomotives, 
  with 
  

   steam 
  up 
  for 
  testing, 
  

   or 
  as 
  plows, 
  all 
  painted 
  

   and 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  

   farm, 
  or 
  as 
  the 
  finest 
  

   nickeled 
  instruments 
  

   and 
  tools. 
  

  

  But, 
  amid 
  all 
  this 
  

   mad 
  drama 
  of 
  fren- 
  

   zied 
  production, 
  noth- 
  

   ing 
  can 
  compare, 
  in 
  sheer 
  human 
  interest 
  

   and 
  excitement, 
  with 
  the 
  adventurous 
  life 
  

   of 
  the 
  masked 
  men 
  who 
  battle 
  with 
  red- 
  

   hot 
  iron 
  in 
  the 
  heat, 
  fumes, 
  and 
  dust 
  of 
  

   the 
  furnaces 
  and 
  mills. 
  It 
  is 
  like 
  a 
  mov- 
  

   ing 
  picture 
  from 
  hell 
  — 
  a 
  scene 
  to 
  baffle 
  

   the 
  descriptive 
  skill 
  of 
  Dante 
  or 
  Dore. 
  

  

  Think 
  of 
  one 
  block 
  of 
  red-hot 
  metal 
  

   weighing 
  85 
  tons 
  tossed 
  about 
  with 
  cranes 
  

   and 
  hooks 
  like 
  baggage 
  on 
  a 
  dock 
  ! 
  Then 
  

   from 
  between 
  giant 
  rollers, 
  with 
  a 
  deaf- 
  

   ening 
  boom 
  and 
  a 
  hiss 
  like 
  cannon 
  fire, 
  

   the 
  long 
  rails 
  and 
  strips 
  shoot 
  out 
  white 
  

   hot 
  and 
  crawling 
  like 
  fiery 
  serpents. 
  Let 
  

   a 
  workman 
  but 
  stumble 
  then, 
  or 
  take 
  a 
  

  

  