LE CHAMBON

le chambon, or le chambon-feugerolles, a town of east-central france in the department of loire, 71⁄2 m. s.w. of st etienne by rail, on the ondaine, a tributary of the loire. pop. (1906) town, 7525; commune, 12,011. coal is mined in the neighbourhood, and there are forges, steel works, manufactures of tools and other iron goods, and silk mills. the feudal castle of feugerolles on a hill to the south-east dates in part from the 11th century. between le chambon and st etienne is la ricamarie (pop. of town 5289) also of importance for its coal-mines. many of the galleries of a number of these mines are on fire, probably from spontaneous combustion. according to popular tradition these fires date from the time of the saracens; more authentically from the 15th century.