The Washington times., 1914-09-21


set on fire in several places by the
pombardment of the German guns sta
Toned on heights four miles away. |
when the first shell struck the cathe- |
dral none would believe it was not a |
stray shot. AS the Hotel de Vile. Of
Louvain was spared, so. the French !
believed would the German gunneTs |
direct their fire away from the Rheims |
cathedral. But soon after the first
she'll struck there was another. 1t |
crashed into a century-od wall and
tore a great hole. Then the fires Of hell
oroke over this house of God.
German wounded had been housed in
he cathedral. and it was supposed to
% protected by the Red Cross flag.
Rut Frenchmen saved the lives of the
Germans as their feIiow-c0untryr1en di
rected their fire upon the Gothic pile.
Soon Blazing Inferno.
About one end of the cathedral. wnere
repairs were being made. was consider
able scaffolding. This was the first 20
take fire. 1t spread to the roof, and
burning embers began to drop down
upon the straw-covercd floor. The straw
hGd been spread when the cathedral
was converted into 4 hospital, and the
interior was soon a roaring inferno.
Despite the danger from bursting
tDellSs TeSlutnIS OF lIil'@tInS NGnIuFSu III
the open, alternating -le curses called
down upon the Germans with prayers
that the bombar rdment might cease anj
the cathedral vet be spared. But spires
came crashing down while long tongues
~ flames licked their way along old
massive beams of carved wood. Where
the fest of worshiDer5 had trod for
centuries. flames leaped and age-old
stones rolled from their places
About the cathedral shells sCrecChed
and went crashing into other buildings.
The Hotel de Vile. the subprefeCt.ra,
End the museum were ablaze and tot
iering to destruction. But high above
all, leare5 the flames of the cathedral.
Could Have Been Spared, Claim.
The famous structure stood in bold
relief and was in plain view of the
German gunne-s had they chosen to
spare it. The .ierman wounded. car
-icd first to the museum, were moved a
second time when the destruction of
this building began Bit oy bit. the
story Of the outraEing of Rheims is be-
. ing received. FrenChmcn say that this
story is hacker than that of LoUl ain
The destruction Of the cathedral of
Rheims is the greatest loss from an his
toriCal and artistic sense Of the present
war. Begun on the site of an earlier
church erected by Robert de Courcy,
n 1872. ana continued at intervals down
to the fifteenth century. it has been de-
scrIhed as the most perfect example
IN grandeur and grace Of Gothic style
IN existence
Beautiful Rose Window.
The west front, which was begun
about 124l-42. is said to Le the most
beautiful structure produced during the
Middle Ages. with its deeply recessed
triple portal and the wonderful rose
NlnCOW that sUrmOUntS il
This window. more than forty feet IN
diameter was reported in cable dis
patches yesterday as having been de-
stroyed By a shell.
II was in the cathedral Of Rheims that
the successive Kings of France from
Philip II to Charles ! were crowned. and
IL waS there tha' the Maid of OTlea rs.
after her victorious Ca-err, stood, ban
ner in hand. before the great altas and
Eaw the coronation Of Charles VII
which marked the tulniimont Of her
. vision After kn@elnE u.Iore the mon
arch whom she had placed on the
'rrnne. she begged tho gentle king to
ALLOW her to return to Hor fOCks.
The elaborate richness If the UP
tUrc its stained glass, and statuaTy are
rot surpassed in any existing structure
IT, the north transept over the sa-
cris'y was 4 clock said 10 have been the
olcest moving piece Of horoloey IN
existence
Among the priceless cathedral treas
U~es were some wonderful church plat"
. the early centuries. relipuaries con
raining 2 thorn Of the hDlS crown. IN"
tkuii o. - Remy. and countless tapes
tries, some datng from the hfteenth
GerrUry.
Tn a chapel attached TO the vesrry WAS
:ar'. collection Of z. man and
medieN'd sculpture. IudId'rR the "a
nous sarCophagus uf Joyiuus. the Ro-
man prefect "f Rheims. who was con-
Verted TO christianity in ST.
Is a Double Chapel.
The archbishops paiacc also reported
as destroyed i q double rhapcl dating
from about l23" There The monal,hs
Of France were honored at their cor0-
nations. and Joan Of Arc lodged there
when she came to Rheims 10 crown
Charles VII
The palace adjoins the cathedral. and
about d quarter Of mile 10 the south
west is the Church Of ST. Jacques, also
reported destroyed or seriously damaged
in the uomba rGmcnt Save for its an
'iquity. dating from the twelfth CEN
turv. St. JaCgnes possesses little in
terest, all the valuable church aniiqui-
tics of Rheims having been collected In
the cathedral
interest is that Of 81. Remy, but no
mention of its fate is made thus far. II
stands on the extreme eastern edge OF
the city and was founded by Clovis and
ClOthilda on the spot where Clovis was
baptized. The walls of the nave of 81.
RCmy date from the tenth century.
The Hotel de Vile, or city hall. also
said TO have been ruined or badly dam
aged by shellfire, was commenced in
1927, but not completed until the pres
snt century.
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