Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1919-05-02

II was walking along the track, "
he said, "and first came to one OF
Ole's feet, and then | came to a leg
and then / found a couple of arms,
and by and by ! came across Oles
head, and / began to think, My
Lord, something must have happen
ed TO Ole!" And 1t Is the truth that
while this was repeating itself ia
me one of the other navy men spoke
up "Gee," he said, something
must have happened to this town"
Half a dozen of us, who were
kindly enough directed by a French
officer, went to the Red Cross for
dinner. II was quite decent, but
dear heaven, II that was ONE OF their
postwar meals, / wonder what they
served during the war; never saw
such bread, and stuck a chunk in
my pocket for curiosity and souve-
mir; there did not seem any doubt
as to its inherent lasting qualities
even from generation to generation.
But several nights later when was
on the way home to La Rochelle l
got over-poweringly hungry along
about midnight, and so resurrected
1t from my pocket where 1t had re-
posed mingled in with a pair Of
socks and ate IT,
Our principal objective in Relms
was Of course the Cathedral, and
we set out for II thru the sadly silent
streets. The same utter ruin pre-
Nafled everywhere, only here 1t
seemed worse for the buildings were
so much larger, many OF them of
three stories. The bombardments
had opened them without mercy to
the public gaze. No need to wonder
longer about your neighbors wall
paper, whether 1t is OF good quality
upstairs as down; the roof and wall
are gone, look in and see. There
really Is no second floor for 1t has
disappeared as well as the roof. But
hanging crafty from a remnant, Is
a battered iron bedstead that will
never again have covering other
than the snow now sifted over IL.
Eager with curiosity and feeling
no doubt as did those who first dug
among the ruins of Pompeii, several
of the men entered the doorless
doorway of one of the lesser harmed
houses and roamed thru it. At the
moment was finding more of in
terest in the street and did not go
with them. Up on one of the win
dow lodges were half dozen flower
pots. One had been overturned and
broken. but the others had escaped,
altho not a window in the house re-
manned. Their owner must have
been gone for could not guess how
long, and the flowers would never
bloom again to greet him, or should
it be her? Perhaps they belonged
to some little child and there was
one pot that may possibly hold life;
the plant stalk was green as II it
were growing from a bulb. It would
be strange enough if it should be.
When the fellows reappeared they
brought with them as souvenirs a
lot of stamps of varying denomina-
tions that they had found. Then |
we went on. to the Cathedral
We came to 1t from the back,
and also on the right as one faces
with the Cathedral 1t is the side
which seems to me to be the worse
damaged. Its immense butteresses
and its own great solidity have
saved the walls from destruction but
the beauty of it seems hopelessly
ruined. The windows are gone and
what splinters of glass remain do
not make one complete design. The
stone tracery and carved ornamen-
tation which seems to me so much
richer and more delicate than that of
Notre Dame is crushed and broken;
the long delicate pillars which form
ed and supported the high, aspiring
arches aIe shattered, not all it is
true, but most. There is one such
on the tower on this side, which is
broken apart in two places; why the
middle portion between the two
breaks does not fall, l could not see.
II may be caught up and supported,
but it seems to be a curiousity of
equilibrium.
On this side workmen have al
ready begun to repair the damage.
How much 1t is intended to do
cannot say, but I presume their
work will be not much more than
10 block up and support what re-
mains, in order that the whole thing
does not crumble.
Also on the tower on this side I