On 22 February they visited the railworks of the Société Anonyme des laminoirs, hauts-fourneaux,
Forges, Fonderie et usines de la Providence in the Charleroi area. This company did not belong to the
Société Générale group, but was an independent company. It started in 1836 as a rolling mill. It became a joint
stock company two years later. In 1841 it established a subsidiary in Hautmont in France. In 1842 it started
a coke furnace in Marchienne, in 1846 it built its first furnace in Hautmont, thus realizing a complete
production range. Both factories specialized in rails, iron plates for ships, and other rolled steel materials.
Kume describes H-shaped iron material for construction ordered from South America.