New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-16
ALL FRANCE A FACTORY
ANSWERS MUNITION CALL
Individual Lathe and Great Factories Turn from Arts OF
Peace to Making Shells and Cannon to
Supply Nations Need.

steel. have been induced to make the
finer steel, which alone is of any value
for the present need. There also the
results are splendid. The production
Of war steel is now five times greater
than il was a few months ago, and II
will be twice that in very short time.
Besides the making of guns of ordi-
nary size, the Schneiders' works are
also contributing largely to the con-
struction of that heavy artillery which
we missed so dreadfully at the begin
ming of the campaign, but which since
has done such good service at the
front. For that, new shops had 10 be
built and fully equipped with powerful
machinery. Although | am not al
lowed to describe what | saw there, !
am betraying no secret in saying tnat
| have assisted in the construction or
guns amazing by their very hugeness.
OF these engineers told me that they
would in good time accomplish work
more amazing even than their size. TO
that end they have applied the best
of their ability and they have reason
TO believe that their creation Will JUS
ify their efforts and their hopes
Following the Steel.
II is a fantastic journey that we
accomplished through the different
shops, following the block Of steo
from its birth through successive
M etamorphoses till it becomes shell.
! and cannon! The casting Of the steel
| from the Martin and Bessemer fur
naces. pouring rivers of glowing metal
! amidst wonderful fireworks of sparks
! the fight of the workers. armed with
! long hooks and thei; faces covered
with metallic masks, against the burn.
ing masses writing in the jaws OF
the prodigious machines that mast-i
them, the gigantic steam hammer
pounding with a hundred tons mower
and the growing of a monster the
/ hugest masses Of incandescent steel
all this seems to belong to some
supernatural world. Yet everywhere
order and method reign; in the vas
hall where the shells are being cut
tempered and bored, they are throw
all glowing from one machine 20 ~
other; they roll about seemingly II
all directions, yet never one misses
SIS mark till it finds its place on Il
great wall Of projectilts of all kind
some imposing by their size, through
which we pass.
And the men, with what zeal they
| work Not minute - LOST, mo- yin
murmured when the days work WA
heightened by long hour; they kno"
the effort is demanded by the country
and that they are just as necessary I
the national defence IS the sol1ier
AT the front: indeed tncy are soldiers.
Large as IL is, and contrary to what
is generally believed, the Creusot rep
resents only one-half of the Schnel-
ders' works. Others very important, al
though smaller, are in lie Havre, Chalon
of Saone, Bordeaux and Champagne
/ They cover total surface Of l4,8OO
acres: 1850 acres Of industrial ground
with 100 covered buildings, and a rail
road of 100 miles. In time Of peace they
employ $4,000 workers, and the amount
of annual salaries reaches about Vs.
100000. A.
but in all establishments. is all this
producing power now employed for the
rountry's defence, and il is interesting
~ mote that Schneider & Co. have in.
trusted gratuitously their plans and
secrets Of fabrication 20 all French
manufacturers who needed them In con-
tributing 20 the manufacture OF war
material and the success OF our armies