THE DEFENCES OF PARIS

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15445, 7 September 1914, Page 2

THE DEFENCES OF PARIS

THREE IUXC? OF FORTRESSES

PREPARATION'S SINCE IS7O. j Paris is sp-i-ndidly toriiliod in a re- ' cent German account it is deeribed as iho greatest fortress in the world (savs an account in tho "Evening Post'," Wellington). It has throe perfectly distinct rings of defences. Tho two inner r ngs .tin- enceinte and tho inner circle ot detached iorts aro of tho bastionod typo, ami wctv built- in tho time of Louis Phillip]')!'. AVitli very few additions they .- ns'.iined ih.-siege of ]S7O- - Iho inner works of more modern typo, lorming an entrenched camp, which, in area, is rivalled only by tho An; worn of defence. wore huilt after the Franco-Gorman war. Tho enceinte has a deep dry ditch in front, and is nearly (wonty-two miles in cirriiinforeneo. witli 07 bastions. 07 gates, and !) railway passages. THE OLD AVORKS. Tho greater part oi' the encointo has, however, been given tip. and a larger one projected—as at Antwerp—bv connecting up ihe old detached forts. 'These lorts. which sustained the siege in Jti7i)-71, have n perimeter of about thirty-four miles. Each is designed as a miniature fortress. On the north side tliero are three forts arouud St. Denis, one of these being arranged to control an inundation. On the eastward side is Fort Aubervilliors. All these four l'orts lie in relatively low ground. Tho eastern works are situated on higher ground (300-:iooft-.), and c.ins-'st of four forts anil various small redoubts. In the low ground again aro two redoubts connected by a. parapet. and between the Seine and tho Marno, in advance of their confluence, Fort Charenton. On the south side of tho city, hardly more than a mile from the enceinte, is a Vow of forts—lvry. Bicetre, Montrougo, Yanvos, and Issy—solidly constructed works in themselves but as shown in IS7O, nearly useless for the defence of the eitv against rifled guns, as they arc overlooked by the plateau of Chatillon. On the west side of Paris is the famous fortress of Mont Yalerien, standing about -100 feet above the river. Two groups of works have strengthened the inner line—permanent forts at Hautes. Brnyeres, on the plateau of YiVer'if. on-.? mile south of Fort Bicetre and the Chatillon fort and batteries, which prevent access to the celebrated plateau which overlooks Paris front a height, of GOO feet, and of which the rear batteries sweep almost the whole of the ground between Bicetre and Mont- Yalerien. THE OUTER LINE. | The new works are eleven miles from th-' Lourro and eight miles from tho enooinio. They form a circle of seven-ty-fivo miles in circumference, and an armv which attempted to invest Paris to-dav would have to be at least 300.000 strong, irrespective of all field and covering forces. ' The actual defence of the works, apart from troops temporarily collected in tbe fortified area, would need some- 170.00(1 men only. The entrenched camp falls into three sections—tho North, the East, and tho South-west. The fort's'"fi'ave from 2-1 to 60 heavy guns and 600 to 1200 men each the redoubts, batteries, and annexe batteries generally 200 men and G guns each. FORMIDABLE. FORTS. In the northern section a ridga crosses tho northern extremities of the St. Germain-Argentouill loop of tho Seine after the fashion of a, horseshoe; on this ridge (about 560 ft) is a. group cf works, na.nod alter tho village of Cormoilles. commanding the lower Seine, tho Argenteuil peninsula and lower ground towards the Oise. At an average distance of five miles from St. Denis lie the works of the Montlignoin-Domont position (about GOO-7UU feet), which sweep all ground to the north, cross their lire with tho Cormoilles works, and deny tho plaieau of Montmorency-Mery-sur-Oiso to an enemy. At Ecouen. on an isolated hill, aro a fort and a redoubt, and to the right near Fort Stains, and two batteries on tho cointuro railway. The important eastern section consists of the Yaujonrs position, tho salient of tho whole fortress, which commands the countryside as far as Dammartiu and Clave, crosses its fire with Stains on the one band and Yilliors on the other, and itself lies on a stoop hill at tho outer edge of tho forest of Boiuly, which allows free and concealed communication between the forts and the inner line (if works. Tho Yaujors works ari> armoured. Throe miles to the right ■ ->' Vr.-o-M-s. -. l-'o-h Chel'-s hars tho roads and railwavs of tho Marno Yalloy. FORTS RTGHT«ROUND. On the other side of the Marno,- on grounds made historic by tho events of i~?tU, aro Fort Yilliors and Campigny, designed as a bridgehead lo enable the defenders to assenii.ie in front ot the Manic. To the right of those is a. fort near Boissy St. Leger, and on tho right of the whole section are the armoured works of tho Yilleneuve-St. Georges position, which command the Seine ami Veres country as far as Rue and Corbeil. The left of tho south-western section is formed by tho powerful Fort Palaiseau and its annexe batteries which command the Yve.tte Yalloy. Behind Fort Palaiseau, midway between it and Fort C'hatillion. is the Verrienes group, overlooking the valley of tho Riovre. To tho r'glit of tho Palaiseau "n the high gro-uid inwards W;sai!los aro other works, and around Yersailles itself is a semi-i-iiv'o of batteries right and loft of tho armoured Fort St. Cyr. In various positions around Marhv there are some seven or eight batteries. Since IS7O Paris has grown exceedingly fast beyond tho second ring of forts described and sometimes; ju suburbs about the outer ring. In some cases it has been found that buildings mask tho lire of guns of the forts or otherwise a fiord protection to a possible besieger, and these aro ari-oi din-dv being demolished as rapidly as possible. CURE YOUlt RHEUMATISM. The many kinds oi" Rheumatism can bo traced to tho one cause—excess uric j acid in the blood. Although this fact j is recognised by tho leading physicians and scientists, people still trv "to cure [ their Rheumatism. Gout, Sciatica,• and Lumbago by embrocations and'linii mcnis and pills, instead of using a | rational remedy and rooting out tho I cause. If relief is to lie obtained and j a permanent euro effected RHEUMO I must I*e taken. RTIEL MO possesses I the remarkable quality of neutralising and removing this excess uric acid an!l ! its deposits from tho system. It acts | through the eirculatory system 'jf the ; Mood, and thus expels the uric acid! |No matter how long standing your | case may be you can rolv ' on i RHEUMO effecting a cure. Mr .Tolm ' Sullivan. Timarn Bottling Stores. Ti>e.arti. has groat faith in Rheunio. Ho has good reason to he. Read how it : cured bun :— 44 I have taken vour ; Rll EUMO for Rheumatie Gout, and j h.-vo groat faith in it. T can reoomi 11• nd it as a good medicine in Rliou- ' tiiatie ras"-\ John Sullivan." Gd or Is Gd. ... ; MAXIM: ("Oiml i-ln-ap long run." MORAL: liny MARTELL'S llraiidy.