Omaha daily bee., 1914-09-21
RHEIMS SHELLED
BY GERMAN GUNS;
CATHEDRAL BURNS
Historic Notre Dame Church in
French City Under Fire from
Distant Heights,
STRUCTURE REPORTED ABLAzE
Teuton Wounded Are Brought Into
the Nave from Nearby
Hospital,
WANT TO TALK ON ONE THEME
Is it Not Possible, They Ask, to Put
Bigger Red Cross Flag
on TowerR
REFUGEES HIDE UNDERGROUND
Great Champagne Cellars Haunted
by People of Town.
MANY BUILDINGS DESTROYED
Correspondent Tells of Passing
Burned Cottages of Homeless
Wretches for Mile After
Mile.
Is it Not Possible, They Ask, to Put
a Bigger Red Gross Flag
on TowerR
REFUGEES HIDE UNDERGROUND
Great Champagne Cellars Haunted
by People of Town.
MANY BUILDINGS DESTROYED
Correspondent Tells of Passing
Burned Cottages of Homeless
Wretches for Mile After
Mile.
BULLETIN,


BORDEAUX, Sept. 20.-The min
lister of the interior announced to-
day that the cathedral of Rheims
had been destroyed by German ar
tillery fire and that all the other his
toric and public buildings of that
city had been destroyed or seriously
damaged
Official advices state that the ca
thedral is in flames, following the
mbardment by the German artil-
lery, and that there appears to be
little hope of saving the city from
destruction. e,
The government, It is said, has de-
cided to address note of protest to
all the powers.
LONDON, Sept. 19.-The famous
cathedral of Notre Dame at Rheims
has been hit eight times b. German
shells during the three days bonn
bardment of the town, according to
the Evening News correspondent,
who viewed the fighting from the
cathedral tower on Friday.
Directly the shells began to hit
the cathedral In the morning." says
the correspondent, some German
wounded were brought in from the
hospital nearby and laid on straw in
the nave while Able Andrieux and
Red Cross nurse pluckily went up
to the tower and hung out two Ge-
neva flags.
Thinks Shell Stray One.
II believe shell. which hit the
building while / was there was a
stray shot, for the German guns
could hardly miss so huge a mass,
towering as II does above the town,
II they really wished to reach It,.
But the houses close by we're not so
spared. Shell after shell came
whistling towards us and smashed
into the houses, one OF them just
across the cathedral square.
Under the cold, drifting rain clouds
one whole semi-circle OF the horizon
edged by the heights, on which the Ger
man batteries were mounted three miles
away. was nothing but an inferno Of
bursting shells Those from the Germans
landed anywhere within the space of a
square mile
where They Fall.
Sometimes II was Just outside the town
they fell trying to find the French
troops lying there in the trenches while
waiting to go forward 10 attack the hills
when their artillery had prepared the
way; sometimes 1t was on the wool comb
ing mills of an English company, whose
four chimney stacks made them con
spicuous mark; sometimes 1t was right in
the heart of the town itself.
once one OF them, screaming abom-
inably, crashed through the transept roof
Of the other end OF the cathedral. /
never shall forget the note OF Mortified
surprise and indignation that burst from
the old sacrlstan as a shell smashed a
hole in a tall house close before our
eyes. That's my house he shouted as
II the German gunners three miles away
could hear his protest.
Face Remains UhBlOyed.
"Then his voice dropped to q key OF
bitter grief 'Ah! The misery Of H. was
all he said, and his face remained un-
moved, for none Of the little groups OF
priests and cathedral officials showed
fear or emotion.
You must remember we have had
three days OF this said one OF them.
THE church Of st. Remi, the most
ancient ecclesiastical building in Rheims.
| received two shells"
| According TO this correspondent. few ci-
villains were killed because virtually
every one was under ground for three
days The great champagne cellars
we're made scenes OF refuge. A CORES
pondent visited the coadiutor bishop Of
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