Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-08-25

employed in the factories and foun- |
dries Of Charleroi.
Against its broken skyline the |
smoke Of its furnace fires assembled |
day and might, and close behind one |
another freight trains sped over the
thick network of railroads in the hill |
country with an unending stream Of
metal material and manufactured |
ware. The highly developed railway |
net was, however. insufficient for the
transport of the districts goods. much
of which found its markets over the
canals from Charleroi to Brussels and
to Mons, thence through the main ar
terfes OF the Scheldt basin to the port
Of Antwep and to Northern France.
The coal mines around the city
were operated at depths Of 5000 feet
and more The coal belt reaches IN 4
long, narrow band northeast-souttl-
west from Northern Belgium into
France. The basis Of the industry OF
the Charleroi district were its smelter
and iron working. factories Here,
within two miles Of the city, the iron
works Of Couillet turned out one-third
OF all the cast iron produced in Bel
gtum. Large nail factories, glass
works both for blown and plate glass
and a number of lesser Industries
| throve. There was a large increase of
/ immigration from Northern France in
| to the region, and the famous forest
| of Caesars time was fast shrinking to
1 y
| ''CharIeroi was founded In 1866, and
named after the willful sovereign.
Charles II OF Spain, by its Spanish
| governor, Roderigo. It lies upon the
| Sambre, and its communications with
France and with the commercial cen
| tiers of its own country are excellent.
| By the treaty of Aix-la -ChapeIIe It
| became French and was fortified by
the renowned Vauban. The little city
twice withstood the might of William
Of Orange.
There is a strong French element
in the city's character. Many French
men were in its mills and factories,
and French peasant families grew
much of the Charieroi's produce in the
comparatively thin soils of the region.
In 1894 it fell again into the hands of
the French, later to become Dutch and
finally Belgian. Wellington, the best
remembered war lord among the Bel
gians, directed the naturalization of
the city in 1916. The Germans found
the city's defenses negligible when
they swept over the place in August.
Belfort, from which the most per-
| sistent, tenacious and successful OF
| the invasions undertaken by the Al
lies-that into southern AIsace-nas
been based, is a powerful fortress on
important keys that lock the north
eastern gates of France. This city is
described in today's war primer Of the
National Geographic society:
"Belfort and Metx are among the
strongest forts in the world, both DOS
sessing formidable natural positions
which have been strengthened in ev-
cry way known to modern engineer
ing The primary Importance of both
places is their military strength, and
in neither place have commercial and
industrial 'booms' found any encour-
agement at the hands of the autho-i-
ties Belfort is a storehouse where
vast quantities of military supplies are
Kept, and the safety lock to the
French back door. During the pres
ent war it has supported a determin-
ed invasion beyond the neighboring
borders of Alsace.
Paris lies 275 miles away from this
fortress in the west-northwest and
the capital and the outpost are Joined
by the main line of the Eastern rail-
way The German city AItkirch lies
IL miles west of Belfort, while MueI-
hansen is little more than 20 miles
distant The French post is situated
astride of narrow valley in the midst
OF a convolution of sharply broken
| hills The intersection of the roads
and railways between Paris and Basel
Switzerland, and between Lyons and
| Strassburg occur here Before the
war a large trade passed through Bel
fort to and from Germany.
:, AhC OI the are the mOSi
up to date of works, constructed and
maintained with unhesitating free
handed expenditure. They consist OF
powerful Notifications close upon the
city and of outworks built into and
upon the tangled hills. During peace
times there was a thriving manufac-
ture of machinery, locomotives wire
textiles and other metal products herl
winch manufacture is doubly yaluabls
to the city in war time.
Belfort was the only French fort
ress to oppose an unconquerable re-
sistance to the violent tide of Ger
man invasion in 1S70-1871 Almost
from the beginning of the war it was
cut OFF from the interior of France
Its forts then were merely the anti
Quated works of the famous engineer
Vauban, but supplemented by impro-
vised field works they withstood ev-
cry effort of bombardment and as
sault- Belfort, however, must have
surrendered in the end as by the
time Of the general armistice the Ger
mans were surely advancing their
final moves for its reduction. Belforl