New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-08
RHEIMS UNDER FIRE
Richard Harding Davis Re-
plies to the German
Lieutenant.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: ! have just seen letter in
"The Times" from a correspondent in
the German trenches, outside of
Rheims. lie reports a statement made
to him by Lieutenant Wengler, of the
heavy artillery, who claims ne is the
officer who shelled the cathedral, at
which he fired two shots, and "only
two"
Wengler says, "The French observer
on the cathedral was first noticed on
September Is. The fellow con-
tinued on the job quite shamelessly
until the 18th. when aimed two shots
at the cathedral, and only two. No
more were needed TO dislodge him. One
from "A 15-centimctre howitzer struck
the top of the observation tower the
other. from 21-centimetre mortar,
hit the roof and set it on fire.
wanted to dslodge the observer with
the least possible damage to the fine
old cathedral. The French also
had d battery, placed about 100 yards
from the cathedral"
/ Editorially, "The Times" says such
statement may prove of value as
evidence" May ! also, as evidence,
tell what | saw? arrived at the ca
thedral at 3 o'clock on the afternoon
of the day Lieutenant Wengler says
he fired two shells, one OF which hit
the observation tower and one Of
which set fire to the roof. Up to the
hour Of 3, howitzer shells had passed
through the southern wall Of the cathe-
dral, killing two Of the German
wounded inside, had wrecked the Grand
Hotel, opposite the cathedral, knocked
down four houses Immediately facing
10 and in dozen places torn up i'm
mense holes in the cathedral square.
Twenty-four hours after Lieutenant
Wengler claims he ceased firing. shells
set fire to the roof and utterly wrecked
the chapel of the cathedral and the
archbishop's palace, which is joined to
the cathedral by a yard no wider than
Fifth av., and in the direction of the
German guns the two shells fired
by Lieutenant Wengler had already
wrecked all that part of the city sur
rounding the cathedral for a quarter
of a mile.
To get an idea Of the destruction,
suppose st. Patrick's Cathedral, on
Fifth av., TO be the Rheims Cathedral;
the Union Club and the Vanderbilt
houses, the chapel and archbishop's
palace, and all the buildings running
north from St. Patrick's Cathedral TO
Central Park and east and west TO
Madison av. and Sixth av. that part of
Rheims that was utterly wrecked. That
gives you some idea of the effective
ness Of Lieutenant Wengler's fire.
Father" he says, 81 cannot tell a
lie. | did it with only two shells"
The statement Of Lieutenant Wengler
that the French placed a battery 100
yards from the cathedral also is in
teresting. The cathedral stands in a
maze Of twisting, narrow lanes. From
no spot within a quarter of mile of
il could you drive a golf ball without
smashing a window 100 feet distant.
To place a battery of artillery 100
yards from the Rheims Cathedral with
the intent Of firing upon the German
position would be like placing a bat
terry in Wall ST. with the idea of she'll
ing Germans in The Bronx. Before
your shells reached the Brony you
first would have to destroy all of
northern New York.
Wengler says the only shells aimed at
the cathedral were fired by him on the
18th, and that after that date neither he
nor any other officer fired a shot. On
the 22d was in the cathedral. Il
was then being shelled was with
the Able Chinot, Gerald Morgan. Of
this city; Captain Granville Fortescue.
OF Washington, and on the steps of
the cathedral was Robert Bacon, our
eX-Ambassador to France.
The evidence" Of Lieutenant Weng-
Ter is question II veracity II lies
between him and these gentlemen.
am content to let il 60 at that.
RICHARD HARDING DAVIS.
New York. Jan z. 1915.