BALTIMORE

the chief city of Maryland. It is on the Patapsco river and is about 14 miles from the Chesapeake Bay. It is on the Baltimore and Ohio, the Pennsylvania, the Western Maryland and other important railroads. Its length from east to west is about 6 miles, and from north to south, between 44% and 5 miles. Its total area is about 31 sd. miles. The situation of Baltimore in Tel at i on to shipping has made it, from its very beginning, an important commer i cal city and this importance has increased greatly in recent years with the building of many important industrial plants in and near the city. One of the most important of these is the Sparrows Point plant of the Betfilehem Steel Co., which is one of the largest steel plants in the world. Baltimore is the distributing and jobbing center for a large area and is one of the largest wholesale distributing points in the United States. Itis on the border of the great Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia coal flelds. Electric power employed by the industries of the city is generated from McCall’s Ferry on the Susquehanna River. The city has always been famous for its markets, as it is the center of a large agricultural and fruit growing region. It has also one of the best harbors on the Atlantic coast and its growth as a port has been very rapid in recent years. Shipbuilding during the World War was one of the most important industries in the city. Its wharfage and water front cover over 30 miles and its piers constructed with a uniform depth of 35 feet provide unusual facilities for loading and unloading cargoes. The United States Government has expended over 21 million dollars for improvements to the. approaches of the channel. The wharves which are owned by the city are constructed of concrete. There are many modern grain elevators and a floating dock, one of the largest in the world. Many important sane companies, including many trans-Atlantic lines, have their terminals in Baltimore. There are many steamship companies carrying on local traffic along the coast. Baltimore is unusually rich in public monuments and buildings. From the number of memorials within its borders it is called the Monumental City, These include the Washington Monument, Battle: Monument, Francis Scott Key Monument, and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The public buildings include a city hall, post office, custom house, Masonic Temple and Johns Hopkins Hospital. There are also many important educational institutions including Johns Hopkins University, St. Mary’s Seminary, Loyola College, and several colleges for women. There is an unusually efficient public school system and over 80,000 pupils are enrolled. The Baltic States ZS and Ore pdithenisDy, ° SCALE OF 20 MILES Capitats of Countries... oo Elevations in English Feet.sooe Bailrosds.—— Canals,—; yo Ds.: pAiikomtic The city has many handsome churches including a Roman Catholic cathedral. Its industries are varied and include the manufacture of clothing, steam _ rails, automobiles, fertilizers, structural iron, chemicals, etc. Baltimore was founded in 1729 and for a time grew more rapidly than any other city in America. During the war of 1812 it was attacked by land and water by the British but was succe fully defended. During the bombardment of Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key, who was detained on board a British war ve el, composed ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ Baltimore suffered severely from lo of trade during the Civil War but recovered rapidly. In 1904 a great fire destroyed a large part of the city, causing a lo of over $125,000,000. The burned district was practically rebuilt within three years. Pop. 1920, 732,826. IMG:map281.jpg: