Fécamp is a large fishing port.

To be sure, simply consult the extract from the general table of commerce and navigation established by the General Directorate of Customs, and the maritime fisheries statistics from the undersecretariat of the merchant marine.

In 1918, Fécamp was the leading fishing port in France for the value of boats and gear (3,000,000 tonnes), and the third, with La Rochelle, almost on a par, for products in francs (21,322,462 francs). The latest customs statistics gave the following figures:

The main specialty of Fécamp is salted fish. For centuries, salters and curers have been preparing herring, mackerel and cod in a renowned way. It was fishermen from Fécamp who gave a wonderful boost to French fishing in Newfoundland, by inventing a new bait, the whelk.

Before the war, Fécamp's armament included 46 three-masted Newfoundland ships, 15 large trawlers fishing for cod in Newfoundland and Iceland, herring in the North Sea and fish in the English Channel. 22 large dundees fishing for herring and mackerel in the Irish, North and Channel seas, and around sixty small fishing boats.

In 1918, despite the requisition of all steamers and the sinking of a large number of sailing ships, Fécamp was able to produce. 7 million 200,000 francs of cod and 13 million francs of herring.

Here are the detailed statistics for 1922

Fécamp ships considerable quantities of herring fillets and, for some time now, cod fillets. This port also has a very active trade in cod in tonnes, dried cod, salted mackerel, cured mackerel, white herring, sweet or puffy cured herring, keepers or open, etc.

Cod is shipped to most countries around the world. It appears from a speech by Mr. Caron, president of the salting merchants' union, that the preparation and sale of fishing products employs more than 4,000 people in Fécamp.

But Fécamp is not only a large fishing port; it is a commercial port where coal, oilseeds, wood, metals, flax, hemp, pitch, tar, cement, etc. pass through.
:
Fécamp received during the period 1915-1919, an annual average of 186,000 tons of coal, 90,000 tons of metals, 7,000 tons of wood, 6,000 tons of peanuts, 5,000 tons of tar, 16,000 tons of miscellaneous, together 310,000 tons, together 310,000 tonnes.

State network statistics for 1920 show Fécamp in 18th place of the 1,713 stations in the network, with a shipping figure of 157,969 tonnes.
The industry includes electricity and power transport factories, coal, oil mills, soap factories, metallurgical houses, line mills, flour mills, rope factories, fishing net factories, tanneries, clothing factories, biscuit factories, construction sites. of naval construction, and finally the Bénédictine, which we talk about later.

The post-war program, presented by Mr. Gustave Vasse, the active and competent president of the Chamber of Commerce of Fécamp, is extremely important. He understands :

10 Repair, construction and improvement work to be carried out in the port;

2o The rehabilitation of old tools and the creation of new tools; The improvement of current routes and means of transport, the creation of tools for new routes and means.

Tools

10 Construction of a slip, or acquisition of a floating dock for the careening of ships;

2° Repair of cranes and acquisition of electric cranes to be placed on the quays of the Freycinet basin.

Work to be carried out in the port

10 Deepening of the outer harbor and repair of the quays;

20 Digging and stripping of the channel and regular execution of dredging;

3° Replacement of the Pont-Neuf with a double-lane bridge;

40 Dredging and regular maintenance of the Bérigny and Freycinet basins, establishment of a continuous wharf

5° Dredging of the new outer harbor and establishment of wharves on the South quay;

6° Vault the Valmont River over the largest part;

70 Backfill the meadow to the east of the Freycinet basin in order to create a storage area.

Fécamp is a large fishing port.

To be sure, simply consult the extract from the general table of commerce and navigation established by the General Directorate of Customs, and the maritime fisheries statistics from the undersecretariat of the merchant marine.

In 1918, Fécamp was the leading fishing port in France for the value of boats and gear (3,000,000 tonnes), and the third, with La Rochelle, almost on a par, for products in francs (21,322,462 francs). The latest customs statistics gave the following figures:

The main specialty of Fécamp is salted fish. For centuries, salters and curers have been preparing herring, mackerel and cod in a renowned way. It was fishermen from Fécamp who gave a wonderful boost to French fishing in Newfoundland, by inventing a new bait, the whelk.

Before the war, Fécamp's armament included 46 three-masted Newfoundland ships, 15 large trawlers fishing for cod in Newfoundland and Iceland, herring in the North Sea and fish in the English Channel. 22 large dundees fishing for herring and mackerel in the Irish, North and Channel seas, and around sixty small fishing boats.

In 1918, despite the requisition of all steamers and the sinking of a large number of sailing ships, Fécamp was able to produce. 7 million 200,000 francs of cod and 13 million francs of herring.

Here are the detailed statistics for 1922

Fécamp ships considerable quantities of herring fillets and, for some time now, cod fillets. This port also has a very active trade in cod in tonnes, dried cod, salted mackerel, cured mackerel, white herring, sweet or puffy cured herring, keepers or open, etc.

Cod is shipped to most countries around the world. It appears from a speech by Mr. Caron, president of the salting merchants' union, that the preparation and sale of fishing products employs more than 4,000 people in Fécamp.

But Fécamp is not only a large fishing port; it is a commercial port where coal, oilseeds, wood, metals, flax, hemp, pitch, tar, cement, etc. pass through.
:
Fécamp received during the period 1915-1919, an annual average of 186,000 tons of coal, 90,000 tons of metals, 7,000 tons of wood, 6,000 tons of peanuts, 5,000 tons of tar, 16,000 tons of miscellaneous, together 310,000 tons, together 310,000 tonnes.

State network statistics for 1920 show Fécamp in 18th place of the 1,713 stations in the network, with a shipping figure of 157,969 tonnes.
The industry includes electricity and power transport factories, coal, oil mills, soap factories, metallurgical houses, line mills, flour mills, rope factories, fishing net factories, tanneries, clothing factories, biscuit factories, construction sites. of naval construction, and finally the Bénédictine, which we talk about later.

The post-war program, presented by Mr. Gustave Vasse, the active and competent president of the Chamber of Commerce of Fécamp, is extremely important. He understands :

10 Repair, construction and improvement work to be carried out in the port;

2o The rehabilitation of old tools and the creation of new tools; The improvement of current routes and means of transport, the creation of tools for new routes and means.

Tools

10 Construction of a slip, or acquisition of a floating dock for the careening of ships;

2° Repair of cranes and acquisition of electric cranes to be placed on the quays of the Freycinet basin.

Work to be carried out in the port

10 Deepening of the outer harbor and repair of the quays;

20 Digging and stripping of the channel and regular execution of dredging;

3° Replacement of the Pont-Neuf with a double-lane bridge;

40 Dredging and regular maintenance of the Bérigny and Freycinet basins, establishment of a continuous wharf

5° Dredging of the new outer harbor and establishment of wharves on the South quay;

6° Vault the Valmont River over the largest part;

70 Backfill the meadow to the east of the Freycinet basin in order to create a storage area.

THE BENEDICTINE

Among the most flourishing industries of Normandy, we must not fail to mention in Fécamp Bénédictine, the great French liqueur, of universal reputation.

Everyone, in fact, today knows the famous liqueur called Bénédictine, and the establishment of the same name where it is manufactured by the successors of Mr. Alexandre Le Grand elder, its founder. This establishment, in the thinking of Mr. Le Grand, was intended to replace, in a new form, the old Abbey of Fécamp, which disappeared at the end of the 18th century.

It was in 1510 that a monk from the Abbey, Dom Bernardo Vincelli, a profound scholar, who devoted himself to the study of herbs and the preparation of medicinal drinks, composed the Benedictine Elixir which was later to be called “Benedictine”.

When the Revolution broke out, the Abbey suffered the fate of all religious establishments. It was delivered to revolutionary fury, the monks were expelled, the buildings ransacked and almost entirely destroyed. Fortunately, a number of works and precious objects were saved from the turmoil and entrusted to the devoted care of the former fiscal prosecutor of the Abbey, Mr. Martin Couillard, maternal ancestor of Mr. A. Le Grand, the founder of the Bénédictine Distillery. Among the manuscripts collected was the precious recipe of the monk Vincelli. It was only in 1863 that M. A. Le Grand became its lucky owner.

After laborious experiments carried out with the tenacity of a true Benedictine, M. A. Le Grand succeeded in reconstituting the precious elixir in all its finesse and sweetness to the palate and smell, and called the liqueur thus composed by the name of “Bénédictine” , due to its origin.

In 1876, in order to further expand this already flourishing industry, a Limited Company was created. On the vast grounds dependent on the old Abbey stood the marvelous buildings of the Bénédictine Distillery, executed according to the plans of Mr. Albert, architect, who was inspired, in the design of his work, by the best era of the Renaissance. Burnt down in 1892, these buildings were rebuilt with true artistic taste.

Our aim is above all to study the installation and organization of Bénédictine from an industrial point of view; the reader will be grateful to us, nevertheless, we have no doubt, for also telling him a few words about the artistic part of this establishment.

Before, however, entering the Bénédictine factory, it is appropriate that we make a quick excursion to the surrounding cliffs, where the cultivation fields of the plants used in the manufacture of the liqueur are located. It is largely to the vicinity of the sea that these plants owe the invigorating and salutary principles which they subsequently communicate to the spirituous liquids and sugars into which their juices will be incorporated. Harvested in July and September, the plants are chosen with the greatest attention and put into bouquets to be hung in huge dryers whose buildings rise in the center of the crop. Once they have reached the desired degree of drying, they are stored to be used as needed.

Now making our visit to the Bénédictine in the order of manufacturing, we go to the industrial establishment and enter the vast laboratory of the Distillery, where we are given to see numerous distillatory and other apparatus, as well as gigantic tuns bringing together nearly five hundred thousand liters of Bénédictine.

We continue through the cellars with endless depths, where the abundant reserves of brandy are located, and in which the liquor undergoes the final preparations before being pushed back, by means of compressed air, to the upper floor for bottling. This part of the distillery is admirably arranged. All the containers are joined by pipes which allow rapid transfers without loss of aroma or degree, and thus make it possible to obtain the uniformity of the product, an element so appreciated by true tasters and which has given Bénédictine its rightful reputation.

From the cellars, we go back to the ground floor to see the empty bottle store, where 500,000 or more of these pot-shaped bottles wait, in enormous racks, for their turn to pass into the unloading and rinsing rooms for then receive the precious liquor.

From the unloading and rinsing rooms, we pass to the bottling room, where we see the automatic fillers allowing up to 10,000 bottles to be filled. bottles per day. Once full, the bottles are transported by an electric freight elevator to the upper floor, to the labeling and dressing room, a veritable hive of work, where around a hundred young girls, under the direction of the sisters of Saint Vincent-de-Paul, are busy with corking, sealing, labeling and wrapping bottles. Some are also used to dress the bottles of lemon balm water and mint alcohol, which the Benedictine helped to manufacture, also conforming to the formula left by the former monks of the Abbey of Fécamp.

A staircase takes us back to the ground floor, where the enormous pile of full boxes, marked, sealed, ready, in a word, for shipment, strikes the visitor's eye. Note the ingenious method of packaging made up of compartments exactly matching the shape of the bottle. The operation is done very quickly and the packaging is perfect.

La Bénédictine has a permanent stock of 50,000 cases.

Crossing the main courtyard of the factory where we can see two powerful generators supplying the steam necessary for distillation and the various machines operating the mechanical tools of the workshops, we enter the sawmill, separated from the factory by a street. In this important building, all the trades used for cutting, shaping and marking wood are at work. Large galleries, on the first floor, surround this vast building; this is where the carpentry and crate making workshops are located; annexes contain the blacksmithing, boilermaking, plumbing workshops, etc., etc. We now leave aside the industrial part to go to the artistic part.

It is for us a duty to begin our visit to the artistic Bénédictine with a stop at the monument erected in memory of Mr. A. The Great Elder, founder of the Bénédictine. This monument, placed in the main courtyard, is the work of Mr. Camille Albert, architect, and Mr. Gauquié, statuary sculptor.

Detaching ourselves from the monument of the founder of the Bénédictine, we enter under the “Hall”, or room of the Pas-Perdus, of very beautiful architecture and giving access to the main staircase. A huge bay window gives a profusion of light to this double revolution staircase, shining through a very beautiful stained glass window which, in two historical scenes, evokes the past. and the present of the Benedictine. One of these scenes depicts the Benedictine monk Dom Bernardo Vincelli in his laboratory, directing the manufacture of the precious elixir. The other shows us the Board of Directors of Bénédictine and the Management as they were constituted in 1895.

Crossing the landing of the main staircase and heading to the right, we enter the Abbots' Room, a vast room measuring no less than 250 square meters. The architecture, inspired by the richest Renaissance style, is of great effect. Sixteen strong pilasters support as many niches housing the statues of the sixteen main abbots of the old Abbey. In the background, a stained glass window representing the reception of Francis I by the monks at the gates of the Abbey in 1534.

THE
We then enter the various rooms of the Museum, including the large Gothic room, the Dime room, the Oratory, the Renaissance room and the counterfeit room. We cannot enumerate the riches amassed by M.A Le Grand, founder; it would take a large volume to detail the thousand and one curiosities that present themselves to the eye through the various rooms of this museum. There is everything in this little Cluny: stone, marble, alabaster, wood, carved ivories, sideboards, credenzas, various seats, enamels, religious goldwork, locksmithing, armory, priestly fabrics, abbots' seals, manuscripts, charters, paintings of piety and portraits of Benedictines.

After reviewing the industrial part and the Bénédictine part, we must say that the Society's administration did not neglect the well-being of its workers and employees. A relief fund has been operating since 1888 for the benefit of workers with families or those affected by illness; it is fueled by the entrance fee charged to the numerous visitors who come to visit the establishment each year.

Currently, a workers' housing estate is being built to address the housing crisis and provide its staff with healthy and comfortable homes. as we see, material and moral well-being is not forgotten; We can also see in many circumstances the good agreement and the bonds of true esteem and affection which exist between directors, employees and workers and which result from the duties well understood on both sides.