The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-10
REFUGE FOR $4,000
UNDER VERDUN FORT
Accommodation for Large Pop
ulatiOn i'm Chambers 200
Feet Below Surface.
EVEN A HOSPITAL THERE
OBJ United PrcSS.)

''D ''''" . f'''sF
WITH THE FRENCH ARM At THE
FRONT, Aug. I ,by mail) France Is
putting her reliance in her men, her
entanglements of special barbed wire
of American make and in her series
Of marvellous trenches. No longer does
she depend primarily upon her forts.
No better proof of this could be fur
nished than the act to-day Of Military
Governor Courtenceau in howing me
the secrets of the organization OF the
defences OF Nerdun.
9TH Germans have announced that
Nerdun Is on the point Of falling a
STAFF office. said. W want you to
take "A look for yourself. then to let
you Judge whether Nerdun is In dan
ge-.'
Then we visited places and saw
things which no mere "civlls' had ever
visited or been shown before. We went
dow winding s~tairs-down. down. down
until was dizZy-into the bowels OF
the earth under the forts we ventured
into the deepest Of the dungeons, where
miles and miles of corridors are filled
with miles and miles Of foodsturs. ann
munitlon and the like in broad, tall
rows we saw the general stan ut work
in some Of these corridors, now rugged
up as offices we saw the whole plant,
and, lastly. We were admitted to The
underground retreat of the General.
You may say" he said. that we
are prepared to defend this city until
the last round of ammunition is gone
and the last man dead
UNDERGROUND Nerdun safe"
The subterranean chambers OF the
citadel Of Verdun can accommodate at
least $4,000 people with the supplies
necessary to their comparative com
fort. In June the Germans shelled
Nerdun with $50 millinieter long range
guns, twenty-siN shells falling on the
town. Not much damage was done,
but profitiug by the experience OF Dun
kirk, which was several times bonn
barded from a position twenty miles
away. the authorities at once set about
making Nerdun safe
This was dono by using the cor
ridors and chambers under the citadel
as a place to lodge tho troops Of the
garrison, and II need be the civil pop
ulation az well. These underground
spaces date back for the most part
about thirty years aud are from lot
to 200 feet below the surface. They
are cut almost entirely in rock, but
haV false walls ana celingS OF DITCH,
with space between the bricks and
rock for ventilation, chimneys ascend
ing 10 the surface at intervals. Great
ing a natural draft.
subway voyagers in New York would
find these underground passages delight
fully invigorating. one finds innumer
able beds or hunks in two tiers. There
10 a hospital with "A spotless operating
room. An independent water works
system. with two power stations CIR
case one goes wrougb. has "A capacity
sufficient for the needs of 10000 peo'
pie. There Is an immense store o'
grain, in air tight metal casks, ana 4
large grist min to turn the grain intC
-four. A bakery has sufficient ovens u
furnish all soldier and civilians In th'
fortress with bread. Besides the gran
there is four-much being from America
in sealed metal boxes also canned
meats IN enormous quantities.
Also there are stores of lard, canned
milk and many other necessities, none
of these things being drawn upon a
present. They Will be used only In cast
N,rdun IL invested.