The Ely miner., 1900-10-26
PARIS WELL GUARDED.
Extensive Fortfhcntions and Military
Protection of the French
Capital.

Another German army mlgnC get
into Paris as did old King Williams
men in 1871, but the feat would prob
ably be much more difficult of accom-
plishment. The traveller who has just
returned from a visit to the Paris ex-
position missed a good many things
probably. Here are some of them:
Seven great forts about the city. eight
miles away from its walls. Nineteen
smaller forts four miles out, each con-
tanning three acres and mounting two
95-ton guns. Great stacks of 10o-pound
melinite shells ready for these guns to
hurl. Twenty-one miles of continu-
Gus Notifications about the town
base and fronted by 45-foot moats.
Three hundred emplacements along
this giant wall for as many 95-ton
cannon, kept free from rust in the
Champs de Mars arsenal and ready to
be swung in place at any time. Thir-
teen barracks, IL great mobilizing de-
pots-no, you may have seen these or
some of them, says the Chicago Chronr
ic,e.
So cieverly are the forts masked by
long slopes of green turf and the walls
by trees and bushes that one can pass
in and out of Paris dozen times and
see scarcely trace of its famous forti-
fcations. The range of the 95-ton guns
is over ten milestone say IA.
To work these guns, were every man
of the garrisons drafted away, Paris
has 50,cG0 trained artillerymen among
her reservists. She could man every
gun twice over, garrison all her forts
with infantry and reservists and put a
dozen cavalry regiments into the field
for scouting purposes. Such per-
formance no other city on earth could
rival.
The Paris railway stations have i'm
mense acreages of platform space, ex-
elusive of arrival and departure quays,
which are made long enough to re-
ceive three trains at time Paris has
three circular railways-the inner,
the outer and the Grand Centuries
which form a network connecting the
city and its suburbs. At every 1,003
yards along the inner slope of the
fortifcations is a three-story guard
house. Some 10000 troops could thus
be sheltered within call of all attack
able points. These guardhouses are
connected by the broad Boulevard E1-
terieur. which is, of course, provided
with tramways.
Every reservist, whether Partisan
born or provincial immigrant, has a
book containing his number, partic-
ulars OF his service and a memoranr
dunn Of the barracks to which he must
repair upon the calling of the reserves
In case Of war lines carefully main
tanned would be switched into use and
the tramway system would be in COM
munication with the enormous goods
depot of the Paris termini. Not roll
ing stock only, but horsef1esh, would
berequisitioned. Every horse over four
years old is registered together with his
type, owner, and probable utility. The
general staff could choose from some
IN, 900 horses. There are in, Paris 16. 900
cabs, with three horses to cabs, 900
mounts fairly suitable for cavalry.
Add 10000 tram and bus horses and 50.-
600 draught horses-the balance may
be taken as in private hands
The military stores of Paris are
boundless. In day she could arm and
clothe 100000 fighting men with TO-
GOo.00O rounds of melinite cartridges.
Atthe army bakeries she reserves large
stores of grain. In case of siege the
general staff has censorship of prices
ready in the Paris municipality, which
at al times fixes the prices of bread
and would do SO of other staples. Paris
has an invisible defense-the subma-
rine boats that patrol the Seine from
Asnieres and Ivry.