The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-05
The French Peace ]
The Origin of the War
The Contest a National One.


The Captured Prussian stronRhoid-Its sItua- |
tion, FortIfcations, and stragettc Import
auce-The Important Railroad Connections |
of the Locality.
The valley of the Saar has become the first
battle ground between the French and Prus-
sians as its peculiar location indicated would
be the case at the outset. The Vosges Noun
tains in which the river Saar takes its rise, run
parallel with the Rhine, connecting with the
Jura on the south and the Ardennes on the
northwest and forming a second Prussian
barrier for the French frontier. Rising
in the Vosges, the Saar, or the Sarre
according to the French spelling, flows north
wardly through the French departments of
Meurthe and Moselle and part of Rhenish
Prussia following the frontier closely In this
part of its course, and joining the Moselle q
tributary of the Rhine, five miles southwest of
Treves. The river has length of 120 miles, for
about so of which it is navigable. The river
has given name to several towns. Travelling
south from Treves, we find Saarsburg, then
SaarhOlzbach, then Saarlouis Saarrbuck, and
Saarbuliengen, all in Prussia; crossing the
stream, we have Sarreguemines, Sarreable Sarre-
unian, and sarrehaney, in France.
Just below the head of navigation, at dis
,apce of 40 miles S. s. E. of Treves, and only
three miles from the French border the Saar is
crossed by stone bridge at the small unfor-
rounding which were captured by the French
on the I'd inst after feeble resistance by
small Prussian force. Through Saarbruck
passes the railway from Metz, in France, to
Mannheim, in Hesse-Darmstadt, running in n.
N E. direction. A few miles north of the from
Ter branch road, not yet complete through
its whole distance starts in asoutheast direction
along the boundary line towards Strasbourg.
At Neukirchen, about 10 miles northeast of the
border q road branches off from the main line,
taking first northerly and then an easterly
direction, and connecting with the main line
along the western bank of the Rhine at the
boundary between Rhenish Prussia and Hesse-
Darmstadt, some distance below Mayence. Up
the two lines to Neuenkirchen, aud over the
single line west of Neuenkirchen, the Prussian
army or at least 300, 900 men, must receive their
supplies. 1t is fully 20 miles from Neuenkirchen
TO the boundary, on the south; but at Saarbruck
the railroad is within reach of the guns planted
on French territory.
BBut the most important railroad line, aud the
one for the possession OF which the French are
now fighting, starts at Saarbruck and runs along
he east bank of the Saar in N. n. E. direc-
tion to Treves, and thence in the same general
direction through the cities of Luxembourg and
Namur to Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
Along the whole length of this road, it, like the
Saar, runs almost parallel with the frontier and
at bat short distance from it, rendering Its
possession and control of vital importance tc
both belligerents.
At distance of ten miles w. n. w. of Saar
brlck, and but five miles from the border, and
thirty miles S. s. E. of Treves, is situated the
town of Saarlouis, which, according to a cable
elegram received this morning, has been cap
ured by the French after n great battle Saar
louis is situated on the western bank of tn,
iver Saar, and on the railroad from Saarbrucl
t o Treves as well, and from its position not les
than the care with which it has been fortifet
by the Prussiaus, is place of great strategi
importance The railroad runs along the east
ern bank of the stream al the way from Treve
to Saarbruck. The railroad station at Saarloui
is connected with the town by a fine ston
bridge. The river is too deep to be forded b
an advancing army. 1t is about as wide as tn
Rappahannock at Fredericksburg. The tow
of Saarlouis. which has a populatio
of about four thousand five hundred, wa
founded by Louis XIV, and was strongly fort
fled by Vauban. 1t belonged to France unit
1915, when it passed under Prussian contro
and has since formed an important borde
stronghold of that power. In fact, it is ii
only well-adyanced Prussian fortress for Ii
defense of the Rhine Immediately on the frol
tier. Saarlouis, as well as Saarbruck, is col
neeted by excellent roads with Metz, Neye
Mayence, Mannheim, and Landau. These road
afford an excellent opportunity for the rap
movements of troops, but the fortifcations,
proved by tue capture of the place by th
French are inadequate for the requirements
an advanced post to hold the enemy in chec
while the army is being brought forward, or
serve as the base of operations against Met
Thionville, Verdun, and Paris.
Saarlouis is surrounded by wide meadows al
t~o-LhMGs encirc.ed by the river, waish at Ia
point is a sluggish stream. The fortifcatio