WELS  , a

town of Austria, in Upper Austria, 17 M . S.S.W. of Linz by rail . Pop . (1900) 12,187 . It is situated on the river Traun and possesses an interesting parish church, in Gothic style, rebuilt in the 15th century, but the oldest part supposed to date from the 9th century . The town draws a supply of natural gas, used for lighting, heat and motive power, from deep artesian borings first made in 1891 . It has an important trade in corn, timber, horned cattle, pigs and horses, fowls, dairy produce and lard; and considerable manufactures, including machinery, cast-iron, copper and brass goods, calico, gunpowder, oil, paper, articles in felt, flour, leather and biscuits . Weis stands on the site of the Roman Ovilaba, and was in the 8th century the residence of the dukes of Lambach-Wels . The actual town dates from the r rth century .