The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-26
PARIS FORTIFIED CITY.
,-.-cfpor,HD BY A TRIPLE LINE OF
h-' DEFENSES.

Never Before, from Any
0a -0 Attack, Even by an I'm
nense Army.
E,,y, the Nelg York Times.
,,,,on which the eye Of the world is
- : xed. has, as the capital of Fran &c,
JUS ,;ticaI and strategical, imp ortance pos
like manner by the capital OF no
80 80 F1ropean state Paris c'est To France
~. the expression of an idea but the as
= -. Of a fact. the truth of which has
~ -aoaa+allv testified to by the events of
- Even the military genius OF Ma
N -, ,rbicb shone forth so brilliantly in
p'-'s sa,,,raign of 1914. was unable to avert
49, roIirical consequences which followed
-. -. occnpation of the capital by the allied
.,ias Although the emperor placed him
-l,t nth 100 900 men across the communi-
-+;ons If Butcher aud Schwartzenberg,
80, them both from their base of sup
oTss the French people refused to support
hin, any longer, and the capitulation of
paris became the signal for his own abdi-
cation. .;,;1or oonsaoro,oos m
b.va necessarily attended the fail OF otner
nav r.,.,I,esn cepitals. The Prussians did not
Weld to the Russians In l!6O when berlln
tdE INTO their hands, nor the Austrians to
40! 40, French when Napoleon entered Vienna
~ 1s65 and again in 1909, nor the Spaniards
--ba, Jos-ph Bonaparte was proclaimed
1riny in Madrid in 1893, nor the Russians
T-ten Moscow was occupied in 1872. The
avoan+ional pOsition of Paris is owing to the
government of France being so completely
licensed in the capital that its occupation
" an enenly's force must inevitably lead TO
ocollanse OF that splendid system of de
centralized Capitalization which was con-
structed by Napoleon, and which wholly
derends u0on the control OF the depart
mental administration by the ministry of
tbe interior. Left to himself in his own de-
partment, the ordinary French prefet
would b. helpless without the support of
the minister at Paris, and even the energy
of n Gambetta failed to accomplish the task
of Governing France when communication
win the capital had been cut off by the
Investing Gordon of the German armies.
Apart, however, from these purely politi-
cal considerations, which are alone sufficient
TO give Paris great military Importance,
the situation of the place, as shown in the
Fortaidhtly ReUieIC, is undoubtedly at a
point If enormous strategical vantage. 1t
lies at the meeting of the waters of the
Seine. the Marine, and the Olse, the valleys
Of which three rivers are the main arteries
of approach for armies advancing into
France from the eastern and northern from
tiers of the country. The valley of the
Seine leads direct to the famous gap of
Belfort," which lies between The southern
Vosges mountains and the Swiss Jura; the
valley of the Marine to the trOltee between
the northern VOsges and the Ardennes; and
the valley of the Olse to the direct high
road through Belgium. 1t is by these val
leys thai every invasion of France has
hitherto been made, and an examination of
the lines of railway and roads which now
lead from the frontiers shows that the same
conditions which existed in the days when
Caesar invaded Gaul, no less than in 1914
1915, and 1870, still exist in 1889. Time
has not removed these valleys, though it
has improved the communications along
them, and we may be certain, should an
other invasion OF France take place, that
Paris will be approached by one or other of
these valleys, or, what is quite likely, by all
Of them simultaneously.
The above considerations have led the
French since the war of 1S70-'71, to fortifv
their capital on its present colossal scale,
Tor which there Is no previous parallel in
military history, nor any existing parallel
In other European countries. 1t is not in
tended here to enter into technical engi-
neerlng details, but a general idea of the
Paris Notifications may not perhaps be un-
interesting t. those who intend visiting the
French capital during the course of the
summer holidays.
Paris is now grit by triple belt of de-
lenses There is in the first place the old
ehceinte, twenty miles in perimeter, which
v oil
structed III 1910 1t remains as it was built
"a simple parapet and often, broken at
intervals by bastions chiefly adapted for
musketry defense, with here and there en-
placement for guns. The demolition of
tne encelnte has been frequently proposed
since tne construction of the new forts.
out 1t has recently been finally decided TO
retain, and even strengthen it, as a perma-
HenU line OF inner defense. Outside the
ehcelnte are sixteen detached forts. likewise
constructed in 1S40-42, and placed at dis
tahces varying from one to three miles from
lhe walls OF the town. 1t was with this
glcelhte and these detached forts that the
rrehch held the Germans at bay for four
t noAVns curing the winter of 1870-'71. Since
I Sns war another circle of forts
n ; TOUR to six miles from the inner
me OF forts. Should the Ger
man armies ever again approach Paris thew
Won modiu ma all the positions they took up in
10y already occupied by French defensive
moiAs; 1heSe works are arranged in three
nam Dlocks: Versailles on the south and
S@ouVn"est V1ncennes on the east. and ST
Denls on the north have been convertad
! ,ltj Lnree vast intrenched camps. each Of
~ mni On Is capable Of sheltering an army af
a2o,ooo men The perirneter of the works
H. covers nearly seventy miles. On
ono norUnWest the natural defenses of the
oyv Grny are SO favorable to the defenders,
o"a5ts W Ihe obstacle afforded by| the
stTT,nt; IpI' pend OF the Seine, that the con-
~ uO'lon OF new works on this side has
osen postponed till the comnletion
oa the forts on the south and
I 'ae. sues Oh Paris. Works have. however
Paa projected for the nights of Hautie and
nr1oo pieOeuil IN order to cover the an
I'D! mUaches to the forest of st. German and
, ISL 0nese and other works near 7 ,onin-
+I io@u nave been completed the perimateT. Of
Iiio new line OF forts will be Increased TO IN
Dl0;tIS, OF about ninety English miles
of 49, ins recent visit to Paris the writer
mo rs Taper TOOK the opportunity of visit
mHst POSITIONS of these new works. which
stndart I run OF interest to the military
the aJ,,i1 AAis inspection was facilitated bv
and jG IiI, exists between the forts themselves
The ,As"lse connects them with the town
PaT Tie are TWO circular railways trayersinr
know, one u 9 OF which, the Ceinture well
the sa,, 20 English tourists who winter in
round GT Jun OF Franco, runs immediately
line Inc s .ne encelnte. The other and exterior
,ottaTICing from Versailles, is carried
circles s1 we round the city between the two
scribed i FL warh have just been de-
lona -. ffOm tins line rail yrau nffrhoo..