The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-07-24
CITY OF RHEIMS
soon Be RUINS
HOME OF GREAT CATHEDRAL Is
MELTING TO HEAPS UNDER
WANT0N SHELL FIRE.
POPULATION SHR|NKS
Whenever Germans Are Defeated In
Any Engagement They Turn Guns
On Former Beautiful City and Bonn
bard II From Revenge and Hate.

French Front, Juyl 4.-(Corespond.
ence OF Associated Press)-Rheims is
whiting. The big cathedral city Of the
Champagne district has the appearance
of hollow she'll which has collapsed
in parts and Is rapidly subsiding into a
shapeless mass.
Not only the cathedral. but all the
public buildings and private dwelling
houses have suffered terribly in the last
half year from the raging vengeance of
the German gunners, who have turned
rain of shells to the stricken city
whenever their armies have been de-
feated at any point of the front These
defeats have been so frequent. either on
small or large scale since the allied
offensive began this year that the city
has rarely passed more than two or
three days without undergoing severe
bombardment.
The extent of the undeserved punish
ment may be gathered from the figures
relating the number of shells of all cali.
bres poured into the streets and on the
cathedral during a single fortnight from
June Is to June 2s. The total being
those two dates no fewer than 1862
Only Five Thousand Left.
There are only five thousand left out
of a peace time population of about
$4,000. Among them are a goodly pro.
portion Of women and children. Some
of the younger women have continued
their work throughout, many of them
being employed in the champagne eel.
lars where during the day they are
comparatively safe from the German
| fire.
School still is being carried on, the
classes being held below the street sur
face; and the municipal government
also is conducted in the bowels Of the
earth. where the city fathers meet TO
discuss relief measures.
A visit to Cardinal Tucon, archbishop
of Rheims, who has never for a moment
| thought Of deserting his post near the
cathedral, found him in very confident
spirits and in full belief that the allied
victory was assured. He referred in
| the course of the conversation to the
great help he had received from Am
erica and from the other allies. He
said: ''Dhe entry OF America into the
war will surely hasten the defeat Of
the Germans, who in the name of their
'kutur' have done so much harm to
civilization.
Flock Suffers Much.
my flock has suffered much over
100000 Of the people of my archdiocese
still are in the hands OF the Germans.
and many OF the others have taken
refuge in various parts Of the country,
driven from their homes before the in
vaders. With the help placed at my dis.
posal by Americans and other sympa.
thizers have been able TO relieve much
distress. but there still IS much to do"
In the cathedral in recent months
/ great change has taken place. Great
gaping holes show In the roof. All the
ancient stained glass has fallen out In
millions OF fragments onto the stone
floors as consequence OF shell eXplo-
sions In and around the buildings;
| statues Of saints are calcined and crum-
bled: frequent craters show in floors:
all woodwork has succumbed to the
flames and at any moment a big shell
may cause the whole structure to col.
lapse.
Nearly seven hundred shells have hit
the buildings. one Of them-a 12.inch
proiectile-did not explode and Il now
stands on its base beside one OF the pill.
lars Of the nave.