Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-29
SHELLS KILL
A NEWSPAPER
The Rheims Courier de la Cham
pagne Demolished by the
Boche, While the Cathe-
dral Stands
By HENRI BAZIN

stao Correspondent 70 the Evenino Ledger
W France.
PARIS, June s.
T HAVE had an interview IN Paris with
lM Claude Hulloy editor and owner Of
the Courier de la Champagne OF Rheims,
the oldest and most important newspaper
in the cathedral city. II has Just ceased
publication; to be exact, upon May 10. AT
an early hour Of the morning, long before
daylight, a German ESQ she'll struck full
upon the building and blew It, hand press
and all, TO kingdom come. II also killed
two Of the staff Of five that had not yet left
for their homes The issue OF May 10 had
Just left the building. The hour was 80 in
the morning NJ Hulloy had left an hour
before.
THE Courier de la Champagne" said NJ
Hulloy has recorded daily the number OF
September. 1914; recorded Il faithfully,
and flashed the news to every paper in
France while It had a telegraphlc service.
I'VE had been an eight-page paper before
the war. Our last issues we're printed upon
small pedal press because our presses had
been entirely put out Of commission some
time since. Labor 70 repair them was busy
in the trenches We had had in the last
seven months an issue in smaller than
quarto-size sheet printed on both sides. Its
entire contents consisted Of the commun-
iques as issued by the French and British
Governments, a record Of the shells that
had fallen upon the cathedral, another Of
other shells that had fallen elsewhere in
Rheims, a daily list Of civilians killed and
wounded, the number Of houses set on fire
by incendiary shells and few scraps, ver-
table scraps, of local news.
Reduced in Size Five Times
During the last thirty-two months we
had reduced our size fve times We have
worked for seventeen months without tel
ephone, without a wlre without news from
outside correspondents. Our rotaries had
long since been stopped for lack Of an elec-
trio motor, and our lnotypes had long been
silent for lack Of gas. We had been edited,
reported, made up and printed by five men,
two old employees who had set type by hand
before the day Of the linotype, two boys
and myself
AT the beginning Of the war our stan
consisted of eighty-two persons. We had
never missed an issue in our eighty years OF
existence, even during the elght-day Ger
man occupation of September, 1914, nor the
German occupation of 1870, when my father
was editor.
with mobilization, our force was auto
matically reduced to fifteen. Eleven Of
these were, including myself, men too old to
be mobiized and four too young Eight OF
these had been killed while at work since
February, 1916 Now, with the two addi-
tional we have a total of ten dead at their
duty. not counting the death of more than
forty in uniform.
within the last seven months I have
been editor, manager, printer, assistant
makeup man and reporter rolled into one.
During 1915 and 1916 we moved twice, the
first time because our building was in d.
rect line Of the fire upon the cathedral.
with infinite difficulty and Issuing a hand
printed paper for six days we moved our
plant to another address. Within fort
night our presses were rendered useless
and the building partially destroyed by
German shells. Then we moved to a third
address, whence we printed our paper by
hand until last Tuesday. Were l able to
secure another hand press of the minimum
essential size l would set 1t up in Rheims
and go right back to the job But l can
not for n few weeks, as one will have to be
imported. When it arrives we will re-
commence.