Evening journal., 1914-12-02
National Geographic Sociefy's War Primer

WASHINGTON. d. c.. Dec. 2.-The
region around verdun. in the Depart
ment of the Meuse. and that around
Sedan and Charleville, in the Depart
ment OF Ardennes. form the subject
of an interesting statement given 70
the press by the National Geographic
Society today. The statement is as
follows:
The Department Of the Meuse. in
northeastern France, is one of the
most strongly fortified regions in the
world. The greatest length OF this
department from north to south is
approximately 80 miles. and it's great
est width is approximately 40 miles.
yet within that circumscribed area.
with its 2,400 square miles of terri
tory, are the great fortress of Verdun,
the fortified positions of st. Mihiel and
Gironville. and the towns of Mont
medy. Stenay, Montfaucon. Spncourt.
Iroyon and Commercy, each eloquent
with recent military history.
"rhe Meuse river flows through the
department from its southeast corner
to its northwest border, crossing the
latter only about ten miles from the
historic battlefield of Sedan. Verdun,
ST. Mihiel and Gironville defend it's
eastern banks and the great fortifica-
tions Of Toul form an outpost Of its
valley. About one-half of the total
area of the department Is embraced In
the valley of the Meuse, which Is en-
closed on the west by the forests of
Argonne, and on the east by the hills
known as the Cote de Meuse. still
further TO the east lies the forests
of the Woevre district. One-fourth of
the entire department IS covered with
forests, and they were. prior to the
present war, those finely kept forests
of France that resemble wooded parks
In our own country.
Three hundred thousand people
who live in the department of the
Meuse in normal times. are devoted
mainly TO agriculture and manufactur-
ing. Their crops correspond generally
to those of the Mohawk Valley OF New
York, the Susquehanna Valley OF
Pennsylvania. and the Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia Sugar beets are
an important addition to the list OF
things produced from the soil
There are many industrial estab-
lishments in the department. such as
textile mills, lumber mills. paper mills
carriage works and distilleries Ligny-
en-Barrios is famous for its output OF
scientific instruments. There are also
important iron. steel and wire plants
in the deuartment and its files. hard.
ware and edged tools are famous.
important waterways cross the de
partment, one of them connecting th'
Marne in France, with the Rhine. in
Germany. and the other running M
and down the Meuse Valley. Theii
aggregate length approximates Ia
miles, OF nearly three times the length
of the Panama Canal. In times o
peace these canals are great thor
oughfares of cheaply-transferred com
merce. There are numerous railways
among them the main line from Pari
to Strassburg, passing through tn
southern part of the department, an
the line from Paris to Metz, passin
through the middle section. Anothe
important line is the one which fol
lows the Meuse Valley.
with more OF a panhandle tina
} either Texas or West Virginia ca
boast OF. the Department of Ardenne
in northeastern France, is one OF n
smaller and yet one Of the most hii
torlc of all of the departments {
France. and one. which has figure
prominently in the present war
Europe.
"In fact Ardennes boasts Of tw
'panhandles' instead of one The mai
one shoots northward into Belgium 70
distance of about 12 miles, and ha
an average width of about seven miles
The other thrusts itself eastward, be
tween the Belgian border and the De
partment of the Meuse for some 1
miles. and has a width of some eigh
or nine miles.
"The department slopes general
toward the Aisne. which flows throug
its southeast-central section, althoug
the Meuse flows through its northeas
section and thence northward throug
the Belgian panhandle Althoug
]