The daily progressive-miner., 1918-10-02
WORKMEN TELL OF
 RUIN IN FRANCE
Repatriated Men From Northern Provinces Describe Work of
 Germans During Occupation

Workmen. engineers, and superin- tendents in factories caught in the north of France when the German army invaded the region have gradu- ally worked their way back to Paris as repatriation has been accomplished They bring the information that prac- tically nothing remains of the indus trial establishments anywhere in the invaded districts. Commercial Attache Pierce c. Williams reports Mir Will Hams says:
 Tt is difficult to give any adequate idea Of the extent of this damage. While the area that has been under German occupation for almost four years ;s small, as compared with cor responding regions in the United States, it should be kept in mind that prior to August. 1914, northern and eastern France, with Belgium. con stituted one of the worlds busiest workshops In the invaded Depart ments os France alone there were nearly 26,000 factories and industrial establishments. These factories rep resented more than 30 per cent of the industrial output of all of France.
 "Befors the war the Department now occupied by the enemy furnished France with the following proportion of the country's total production of the articles named: Iron ore, 90 per cent; pig iron, S5 per cent: steel, 75 per cent; coal, 70 per cent; combed wool. 94 per cent; linen thread, 90 per cent; sugar. 65 per cent.
 Coal mines have been flooded and years will elapse before coal t<ill be ho,sted out of them again. Electric 9ewar stations and their transmission lines have in many cases been thor ougnly dismantled, the machinery car ried of by the Germans and the cop per sold at auction. Practically all the equipment in metal-working plants. all the cotton, linen, and wool spinning machinery. together with wo0.-ccmbing plants and textile looms, lave been systematically pillaged Re patriated workmen bring back word that machines have been skillfully taken apart and all the copper and al- loys in the bearings sent into Germ any for remci.ing. In many cases, af- ter this wss done, the iron frame was broken u9 and turned over to German zpiron dealers. Steel structures have been taken down and the sheet iron roofs and steel columns and beams have either been sent back into Germany or used elsewhere in the war zone. Machine shops finished just before the war broke out have been razed 10 the ground, and, if in the rear of the battle line, the enemy has continued in operation certain plants that are capable of serving his pur- poses. there is every likelihood that they will later be destroyed"
 F4SIICS IcplEScHlIiiS tllC NOol OA NOiA7 struction before the war are given by Alr Williams. These< include: Gen. tral electric stations and lines of dis -ritution, 25O,000,000 francs; mach inery and electrical manufacturing plants, 500,O00,000 francs; spinning of combed wool (2,400 900 spindles). 192,- 00Q,000 francs; spinning of cotton s2, S0O,O 900 spindles) 1S4,O00,0Oo francs; small machine shops. 350,000,00o francs, coal mines, 900,000,000 francs i; iron mines, blast furnaces, and steel works, 2,500.0OO, ,000 francs. These in addition with ether leading industries aggregate more than 5,000,000,000 francs. or $1,000, 900, 900
 Many other fiourishing plants with up-to-date installments have been de stroyed. Among these are ice-mak' Ing plants. glass works, potteries. es. tablishments for dyeing and bleaching textiles, four mills, and chemical and sertiIizing works. The buildings, tools and stocks of merchandise represent
 ed an enormous capital, and the cost
 of replacing them is estimated at three
 times their original cost.