﻿560 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Frederick 
  Simpich 
  

  

  COAL 
  MINERS 
  OF 
  THE 
  RUHR 
  

  

  For 
  600 
  years 
  men 
  have 
  delved 
  in 
  these 
  mines 
  along 
  the 
  Ruhr, 
  often 
  working 
  stark 
  naked 
  in 
  

   stifling 
  heat 
  and 
  dust 
  for 
  the 
  coal 
  that 
  Europe 
  needs 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  554). 
  

  

  Here 
  water 
  traffic 
  fairly 
  crowds 
  the 
  

   stream. 
  Boats 
  are 
  everywhere, 
  as 
  thick 
  

   as 
  Chinese 
  junks 
  and 
  sampans 
  at 
  Canton 
  

   or 
  Newchwang. 
  But 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  jam- 
  

   ming, 
  ramming, 
  shouting, 
  and 
  battling 
  

   with 
  oars 
  or 
  poles, 
  as 
  among 
  the 
  belliger- 
  

   ent 
  boatmen 
  of 
  the 
  East. 
  Here 
  are 
  sema- 
  

   phores, 
  signal 
  flags, 
  order. 
  Hundreds 
  of 
  

   boats 
  are 
  handled 
  a 
  day, 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  

   precision 
  and 
  speed 
  that 
  we 
  handle 
  trains 
  

   al 
  .1 
  great 
  American 
  union 
  station. 
  

  

  At 
  Duisburg-Ruhrort 
  you 
  can 
  see 
  scores 
  

   of 
  boats 
  berthed 
  side 
  by 
  side, 
  as 
  box-cars 
  

   are 
  parked 
  in 
  the 
  railway 
  yards 
  at 
  Chi- 
  

   cago. 
  Here 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  world's 
  greatest 
  

  

  river 
  harbors, 
  a 
  solid 
  line 
  of 
  wharves 
  five 
  

   miles 
  long. 
  

  

  This 
  Rhine, 
  this 
  artery 
  of 
  Europe, 
  this 
  

   Rhenus 
  Superbus, 
  as 
  the 
  Romans 
  named 
  

   it 
  when 
  they 
  built 
  Cologne, 
  how 
  few 
  

   Americans 
  realize 
  what 
  it 
  means 
  to 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  Europe 
  ! 
  From 
  the 
  Alps 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   from 
  Lake 
  Constance 
  down 
  to 
  Rotter- 
  

   dam, 
  "the 
  village 
  of 
  herrings, 
  " 
  this 
  swift 
  

   stream, 
  green 
  and 
  shallow, 
  tumbles 
  along 
  ; 
  

   into 
  its 
  foaming 
  waters 
  are 
  crowded 
  over 
  

   twenty 
  thousand 
  steamers, 
  tugs, 
  and 
  

   barges 
  — 
  a 
  tonnage 
  of 
  nearly 
  five 
  millions. 
  

  

  And 
  up 
  the 
  Ruhr 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  Ruhr, 
  

   in 
  ceaseless 
  procession, 
  move 
  hundreds 
  of 
  

  

  