A Journey Through France in War Time Part 15

TRAFALGAR DAY

To-day is the anniversary of one of the most decisive battles in the history of the world. Our minds rest naturally enough on Waterloo as the battle which finally destroyed Napoleon's power in 1815, to the great relief of France, as well as of all the rest of Europe. But it was the battle of Trafalgar, ten years previously, which secured to Great Britain the command of the sea and so prepared the way for Napoleon's downfall. The same factors that operated a century ago are operating today. There has been no Trafalgar to wipe the enemy's ships off the sea, but our sea supremacy was so well secured before the war began that the enemy has only once ventured to challenge it, with disastrous results to himself off the Jutland coast. The effect of British sea supremacy has been felt from the first day of the war. We were able by our intervention at once to prevent Germany from carrying out her scheme of a naval descent on the French coast. The same sea-power has since enabled us to transport in safety armies probably aggregating over two million men to France, the Dardanelles, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Salonica, the Cameroons and German East Africa. The larger portion of these armies has naturally been drawn from the United Kingdom, but large contingents have come from Canada, Australia, India, South Africa and the West Indies. None of these movements of troops would have been possible unless we had secured the command of the sea. In addition, our sea supremacy has enabled us to maintain our commerce with the whole of the world, while blocking German commerce wherever we chose to use our power. The British Navy is the force which has determined the final defeat of Germany, and so long as we maintain that force at adequate strength we can face without flinching any danger that may threaten us from any part of the world.

Sat.u.r.day, October 21st, was the day of sailing from Liverpool. We left London at 10:20 A.M. on the London & Northwestern Railroad for Liverpool and arrived at the latter place at 2:30 P.M. We boarded the steamer Philadelphia, of the American line, and noticed on the side of the boat an immense American flag painted in colors, as well as the words "American Line". There was also a row of electric lights, visible several miles distant, surrounding the flag and the name of the boat.

There were five lights on each side of the boat and each light had five incandescent bulbs, making fifty lights in all. The flag painted on the side of the steamer was 8 x 15 feet.

The Philadelphia left the dock at Liverpool at 4 P.M. on a rough sea.

Mr. E. A. Warren, a member of the Commission, stopped over a day in Manchester and was in close communication with friends in that city.

Manchester has a population of half a million people. It is the center of the cotton manufacture of the world. Mr. Warren is a manufacturer of textile machinery and represented the textile industry on the Commission. He reported that all the manufacturers of textile machinery in England are running on war munitions. The entire steel industry in England is under the control of the government, and the sale of steel for any purpose cannot be made without governmental consent. Mr. Warren reported also, as coming from friends, that England was at that time growing uneasy over the fact that the United States government requested that British war vessels keep away from our coast and then allowed the U-boat 53 to land at Newport and obtain information in regard to the sailing of vessels, which it then proceeded to torpedo. This occurred about the time of the blowing up of vessels off Nantucket.

The Manchester stock exchange has a membership of ten thousand and is open every day except Sunday. There are no auction sales, no excitement or loud talk, no gesticulating, as is the case in New York, particularly on the curb. The business is all done in a quiet, conversational tone.

Cotton is the princ.i.p.al commodity traded in.

A feeling is growing in England that the United States should have entered the war, which the English believe they are fighting for the cause of civilization and for the preservation of the liberty of the United States as well as of England. The feeling is also somewhat prevalent that the United States is only interested so far as making money is concerned. This feeling was apparently very bitter.

England today is an armed camp. From end to end of the country there is hardly a man, woman or half-grown child who is not working, making ammunition, guarding the coast, doing police duty, watching for Zeppelins, making uniforms or shoes, or moving provisions or supplies of all kinds for an army of five million men, with the British navy thrown in. There are two thousand munition factories in England and more under construction. I was told of one plant being built in units extending for eight miles. These munition factories employ one million men and women.

There are other works being built to make aeroplanes, cannons, machine guns and hand grenades. All this since the war opened. Great Britain has mobilized the ship yards and they are working overtime to build vessels.

This has more than offset the loss of vessels destroyed by the Germans.

America is doing a great deal in the way of Red Cross and relief work, but it is a mere bagatelle compared with the activities of England in this direction. The women of England are as fully awake as are the women of France. Thousands are at work in hospitals and caring for the refugees. Girls are at work making horse-shoes for the army horses.

These girls are cultivated, aristocratic women, members of golf and hockey clubs. Others are working on farms, handling teams, pitching hay, or driving cattle to market. Thousands of women are occupied as chauffeurs at the various fronts. Hundreds of English women are living through all kinds of weather in tents just behind the firing lines, acting as stretcher bearers and driving ambulances.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Nancy--Place Stanislas]

While in London I met a number of old friends, many of them incidentally connected with the government and very much alive to the situation. The concensus of opinion of these friends is that failure of the Allies to win the war means the death-warrant of France and the British Empire; that there is no middle course; that the war will be fought to a finish and the Allies will be victorious; that the Kaiser and the Prussian military system will be annihilated, the German people will arise, and the Republic of Germany will be the result.

Among other things spoken of there was the incident of Dewey at Manila and the near clash over Samoa. It will be remembered that Dewey fired a shot across the bows of a German vessel. To people in London the Venezuelan embroglio proved that the Kaiser had in mind smashing the Monroe Doctrine. Germany yielded to us in both cases. President Cleveland was at the helm when the Venezuelan controversy came and the immortal McKinley was in the chair when Manila was taken. Cleveland, Harrison and McKinley all stood up for our rights and Germany backed clear down, facts which the English have not overlooked.

XVIII.

ON THE BROAD ATLANTIC

During Sunday following our sailing we pa.s.sed through the Irish Sea, which was very rough. The davits were taken down and the pa.s.sengers ordered below. On Monday the sea was somewhat calmer. During the day I met Dr. Lee, who had been in the service of the American Ambulance for a year and a half. He is quite familiar with and believes in the Carrel treatment. He said that nearly two million British soldiers had been innoculated against typhoid fever and only twenty-five had died out of this vast number during a period of eighteen months.

On Tuesday, October 24th, we encountered another very rough sea. Old ocean travelers said it was the roughest day they had ever experienced in crossing the ocean. I was loath to admit seasickness, but when I found the dining room vacant and everyone on board, including some of the crew, unable to be about, I was forced to recognize myself among the number so affected. On this day the ocean was a sight to behold. I could see the dashing waves break high, not on a rock-bound coast, but on top of the ship, inundating my cabin. The waves were at times fully fifty feet high; stanchions on deck were crushed and the pa.s.sengers were ordered to their cabins.

Thursday, October 26th, found the ocean calm and the sun shining. On this date I was expected in St. Louis at the semi-annual meeting of the American Iron & Steel Inst.i.tute, and was booked for an address. All I could do was to send a Marconigram: "Gary, American Steel Inst.i.tute, St.

Louis: Absence regretted. Kind wishes for all members."

Friday, October 27th, was a bright, clear morning and the boat was making good time, with prospects of landing early Sunday morning. With the aid of Mr. Roche I completed the translation of the Le Creusot welfare book.

I had the pleasure of meeting on the boat Mr. H. P. Davison, a member of the firm of J. P. Morgan & Co. He is a plain-spoken gentleman with a strong personality. He is one of the leading partners in the firm of J.

P. Morgan & Co. and talks and thinks in millions.

On the boat I talked with an Englishman who saw the last Zeppelin come down near London. He said the English aviators have solved the problem of destroying Zeppelins. The Zeppelin contains a large amount of liquid explosives and firing with incendiary bombs it takes but a few minutes to destroy the huge air vessel.

We reached the dock in New York on Sat.u.r.day evening and remained on board over night. Early Sunday morning the quarantine officer appeared.

The good old Philadelphia docked at 9 A.M. and after the inspection of baggage, which was more rigid than usual, the journey was over. We were met on the boat by numerous reporters. I gave an interview of which the following is a copy:--

ALLIES WILL WIN WAR, SAYS MR. BUTLER

"Kitchener Right Predicting Three-Year Conflict."

That the Entente Allies, by the greatness and efficiency of their military preparations and by their wonderful financial strength, will push the European war to a complete victory regardless of the cost in life and treasure, is the opinion expressed by Joseph G.

Butler, President of the American Pig Iron a.s.sociation, on his arrival here today on board the steamship Philadelphia' of the American line, from Liverpool.

Mr. Butler was a member of the American Industrial Commission which went abroad late in August to study economic conditions in France, and hence had excellent opportunities to see the great military preparations being made by France. He was one out of the twelve members of the commission who returned today by the Philadelphia.

A Vast Military Camp

"All France is a vast military camp," he said, "and her people from the President down are deadly in earnest and determined to continue their victories regardless of the cost in life and treasure.

England is fully as much in earnest as France and has buckled down to the task of winning the fight for civilization, as Mr. Lloyd George phrased it in an interview I had with him in Paris.

"I firmly believe that the Allies will win. I feel certain that the Kaiser and the Prussian military authorities realize that they have lost and are casting about for some means of bringing the war to a close, hoping that better terms can be obtained now than later on. The German people must sooner or later learn the real condition of affairs, and then I believe they will make themselves heard in no uncertain manner.

Will Never Let Up

"The battle of the Marne settled the controversy in favor of France and her allies," he continued. "Earl Kitchener predicted a three-year war, and I believe he did not underestimate it.

"The Allies will never let up until they have won a complete and final victory.

"I am more convinced of this now than I have been on the ground and learned first hand not only of their complete equipment of men and munitions, but also of their wonderful financial strength. We in America know altogether too little of the astonishing richness of both England and France, and the sooner we wake up to our opportunities and encourage in every way the increasing of our trade with them the better off we will be."

I reached home early Monday morning glad to be again in my native town.

Before landing I had written an account of the French steel industry in war-time and had obtained permission from Mr. Nichols, as Chairman, to make an advance publication of this doc.u.ment in the Iron Age and the Iron Trade Review. I had in mind that something of this kind would be expected by my fellow steel manufacturers, and if we waited until the full report of the Commission was made, the information would be stale.

This article appeared in many of the trade journals and is republished in the chapter following.

XIX.

THE FRENCH STEEL INDUSTRY IN WAR TIME

The individual report on the condition of the iron and steel industries in France, referred to in the proceeding chapter, together with the comments of The Iron Age thereon, were as follows: Joseph G. Butler, Jr., Youngstown, Ohio, who represented the steel trade of the country on the American Industrial Commission to France, arrived in New York on the return journey of the commission on Oct. 29. While the general report of the commission, which went out under the auspices of the American Manufacturers' Export a.s.sociation, will not be published until late in the year, The Iron Age is able to give its readers below Mr. Butler's report of his investigations into the war status of the iron and steel industry of France.

W. W. Nichols,

Chairman American Industrial Commission to France.

My dear Sir:--