Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-08-26
AMIENs, "DIlAD CITY OF
PICARDY," COMING TO LIFE

OF about 100000, including 10000
refugees, fled before the crest of the
German offensive last spring is COM
ing to life again.
The menace of the invader Is gone
for the invader himself has been
chased back toward the Somme, and
now some Of the peaceful residents
who had been refugees for months
arc creeping back. Today street
otter street throughout the city was
entirely deserted, but here and there
the inevitable little old woman who
would not leave her home would
tome to her boom or shell splntered
doorway as horse drawn or motor We
nicle clattered through the thorough
fares.
These vehicles carried men some
times officers and soldiers of Great
Britain, France or the United States,
and sometimes civilians who have
lived for years in the now shadow Of
a city, on their way to mass in the
great cathedral Of Notre Dame, which
despite the damage from German
guns and bombs, retains the title of
the most beautiful in all France.
The service was to celebrate the
deliyeranca Of the city from the Ger
mans, and thanks we're given to the
allied arms which accomplished the
delivery
But the group gathered in the ca
lhedral itself showed that Amlens
was coming back to life, for in addi-
ton to the khaki and the horizon
blue OF the wounded British and
French soldiers, there was quite a
sprinkllns Of the darker shades of
civilian clothes. Most of those wear
ing the latter had returned to the
city since the enemy was thrown
back.
Before the altar surrounded with
red, white and blue flags of Great
Britain, France and the United
States, and with the assistance of a
choir formed of French soldiers, mass
vas celebrated. From the pulpit a
lrlest eloquently told his hearers,
sitting among sandbags and debris,
the history of tn cathedral.
The voices of the choristers, ac-
companied by the soft strains of the
organ and the yiolns played by SOL
eiers, carried not only throughout the
cathedral, but well into the streets
Of the manned city through the open
window spaces and holes torn in the
walls by explosives hurled by the
Germans.
The glass broken here dated back
to the fourteenth century, Fortu
rately much of the glass had been re
moved from the windows in time L
save il. The same is true of the
wonderful statuary, the famous
, jronze statues of the bishops datina
, lack to the thirteenth century and
. the large number of priceless paint
J ings and interior decorations. Only
enc OF the famous paintings was
damaged That was cut across the
center by debris sent flying through
. the cathedral when a German shell
came bursting through the splendid
roof
, Pieces of the projectle clipped the
columns of the ediflce and also the
old marble group of the holy family
which for some reason had not been
removed.
In the city itself the houses every
where show signs of the German
bombardment. Some windows are
. without glass. Some houses are
merely marked by shell contact
while others bear great Gaping holes
) In their sides, through which reveal
cd the interiors in some of which the
covers are still on the tables, pic
tures on the walls, and curtains flap
ping in the breeze At still other
, places there are oddly shaped chunks
, of masonry. splintered wood and fur
: nture heaped in piles These scenes
indicate where the German ayiatori
o. gunners found marks for their
missiles.
In one of the principal streets OF
tho city an old wagon, with one of Its
wheels off, lies turned up sideways
. on the sidewalk, while little furth-
er on is piled high with square blocks
Of stone from 4 demolished house,
The pigeons of which there used to
he many have gone, 1t seems they
evacuated the shell torn place at the
same time that the entire population
left It,
Amiens is still the dead city of
Picardy," and the emptiness of its
shops, buildings, dwellings, streets
ana markets has depressing effect.
But Amiens is coming to life again,
Thas was evident at mass in the ca
thedral fodav