Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-10
GREAT WORKS SUPPLY
MUNITIONS TO FRANCE
Like krupps. Lee CreusOt Factories
owe Origin 10 II Single
I'umIIy.
WASHINGTON. JuIv ~


WASHINGTON. July 9.-Lc Creusot,
the center OF France war munitions
works. where the output OF an iron
torrent with which TO dclugo the cen
trail empires of Europe is said by a
French cabinet officer to be surpass-
ing all expectations. is the subject of
u war geography bulletin from the
Washington headquarters Of the Ma
tionhl Geographic Society. which says:
Like the famous Krupp Works, of
Germany. lie Crcusots vast ordnance
factories owe their origin 10 the or
SaniZing and inventive genius OF one
family-thc SchncidcrS. At the out
break OF the war the schneider Iron
Works employed more than $4,000
"orktheh aud their great shops, COW
cfihG hundreds Of acres of ground.
were connected by II network Of near
~ forty miles of railroad tracks since
the war this plant has been enormous
~ Increased
lie CrcuSot owes It's Importance in
the manufacturing and foundry indus
Try TO the fact that IL Is in the center
OF one OF the richest coal and iron
mining districts Of France. The coal
beds OF this region were discovered in
the thirteenth century. but il was not
until 800 years later. in l7Ti, that the
ftrst iron works were established
Sixty years later the Schncidcrs
.Adolphe and Eugene, established Their
hrSt workshops here, and the little
hamlet formerly known as Charlton
mere began 10 grow. I'm 1911 it was
q town of 100" people: just before the
war there were 5000 inhabitants
nearly half of whom were cmplovcd
in the arnor-platc factories. the gun
shops, the locomotive works and the
ordnance plants. 1t was one Of the
achneiders. incidentally, who revolu-
tionized warship armament in 1876
Up to that time the most progressive
nations used wrought iron for pro-
tective arinor on their ships Schnei-
der proved the superiority of steel i'm
resisting the penetration power of
projcctiles.
lie Creusot is admirably situated
with respect to the French frontier
for while il is not so far from tho
hring line as TO occasion undue delay
III the transportation of munitions IL
IS sufficiently removed To be well be-
yond the danger zone. l; is 1875 miles
IN an airline. southwest Of Bclfort, a
fortress OF the first class on the Al
SAGE front, and is lI5 miles south of
Ncruun If an invading army should
succeed in passing either OF these bull
warks. there would still be Dion. with
Its eight detached forts. guarding the
approach fifty miles 10 the northeast.
Paris lies to the northwest, $50 miles
distant by rail
GREAT MUNITION CENTER
HAS WAITER TRtNSPOItTA'rION
experimenting its railway conncc-
tons, lie Creusot enjoys the transpor-
tation facilities OF the Canal du Cen
l..l.
way joins the Saone and the Loire
The former, rising TO the north in the
faucliIcs Mountains. a few miles below
f'pihal, hows south and mingics its
waters with the Rhonc at Lyon. The
Loire, the longest river in France. rises
10 the south and lows northwest into
the Atlantic
This is not the first war in which
the Schneider works oT lie Creusot
have played an important part in fur
nishinG France with arms. During the
CONNECT OF the Crimca and the Franco
German War of 1870, the factories pro
duccd enormous quantities Of mun-
lions.
while lie Creusot has practically no
historical associations OF its own, il is
only a few miles southeast OF Autun.
the famous Augustudunum of the Io-
mans. celebrated for its ancient schools
ihe siXty-two towers and most Of the
old walls have disappeared, and the
town now occupies only about half tho
area of its most prosperous days III
was here that the Christian MARTYR I
ST. Symphoricn, was put TO death in
li?. This, too, WAS the scene Of ST |
LeGers sacrifice. he who, as the Bishop
of Autun, led tho mobiles in revolt /
against the tyrant Ebruin, Frankish |
mayor OF the palace. When the city /
was besieged in G7S, and its fan was
seen 10 be inevitable, Lcger. then called |
LeodeScr, surrendered himself 10 his
enemy in order that the !
wrath of the ccnqueror might he 1
visited upon him rather than upon the !
whole community. Untouched by the /
valor Of such a sacrifice. Ebruiu or
dcred his followers TO put out the |
bishops eyes, subject him to pro-
lOnceu torture and final liz bcta,J IA