The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-09-17
BIC WAR MACHINES
TAkESTHEP PLACE Of
PORCELAIN FACTORY
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS.

Paris, Sept. 16.-The World-1ameo
national porcelain factory at Sevres
has suddenly been transformed into
part of the huge war machine. In
stead of making those dainty and
fragile statuettes and vases which are
the wonder of art collectors, it is
turning out "poteries de guerre," or
earthenware retorts and cauldrons
for manufacturing asphyxiating gas
and for all the various chemical pro-
cesses of producing high explosives.
Even the famous artists whose names
are associated with the delicate color
ing of Sevres porcelain, are now ex-
ercising their art in enameling these
huge retorts so as to make them more
resistant to the acids and chemicals
used in the war processes.
Early in the war NJ. Bourgeois, adj
ministrator of Sevres, learned that
the production of high explosives for
| artillery was falling short owing to
the lack. of earthen receptacles capa-
BILE of treating the acids. He, there.
fore, proposed to the minister of fine
arts, NJ. Dalimer, that the art work
of Sevres be suspended and all its
! energies given to producing the re-
/ ceptacles needed for powder making.
This was approved, and soon the
transformation was begun. There
were many difficulties to overcome.
Half of the force had gone off to the
war. Those who remained were art
lists trained in the most delicate class
! of work. The furnaces, too, were de-
signed for small art objects, and there
was only one furnace big enough to
make powder cauldrons.
! But the obstacles were overcome,
the whole establishment being in
spired with the idea that it was con-
tributing to the national defense. The
sculptor of bisque figures did not
hesitate to make the plaster mouldf
for the big retorts. The chemists
studied art methods of adapting the
various hard clays to the new kline
of war work The artists did theil
part in enameling. The working force
soon had four furnaces, usually en-
ployed on vases and bisques, enlarged
so as to bake the big powder caul
drons. Soon the work was going a
such a rate that a branch railwa!
! was run into the factory, connecting
it with the great powder factories a
! Angouleme, ST. Chamand, St. Fon;
Toulouse, Bordeaux, Dion and BresI
l Thus Sevres has gone through
complete transformation, and is toda
furnishing thousands of receptacle
a of all sorts in which powder, explo
sives and gases of all sorts are man
; ufactured and stored. With stat
less than half its usual strength, tn
! production of Sevres is five times a
great today as it was before the wal
And besides the great quantity of it
war output, the quality of its wor
is making it a sort of expert scho>
for the engineers of the various pow
der factories. The chief workers c
these factories now come to Sevre
J. to study the chemical methods en-
ployed in hardening clays and NAL
| ing them more resistant to high ten
perature. A huge new furnace, thre
times the size of any heretofore uset
is now being built for the manufat
D ture of retorts of specially large d
/ mansions. And the change from a
art basis to an industrial basis hs
1 also necessitated the building of va
S new ateliers, or work rooms, wit
y drying rooms, etc.
eve hope to see art resume il
{ place before long at Sevres," said
= Bourgeois, the director, "and when
h does it will find industry has give
new resources to art. And it will l
lasting souvenir that national il
stitution founded for the developme,
8 of ceramique art was able to jo
with French industry when the w;
30 called for united efforts of nation
defense"