The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-03-19
France Fears Air
Raid Damage TO
Great Cathedral
By WAVERLEY LEWIS ROOT
United Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Staff Correspondent
CHARTERS, France. Mar. 10.
(UP)-The towers of the famous
cathedral of this little city of the
Beauce overlook a great military
aviation field beyond the River
Eure and the vista is disquieting.
The proximity of the cathedral
and airdrome worries inhabitants
of this town. Throughout the land
there is q consciousness of Char
tres, comparable as an architec-
tural monument to the ParthenOn
OF st. Peters. The airfield Will be
target for enemy bombs when
the war Europe fears actually ma
terializes. All of the bombs may
not fall on the aviation field.
Even with the example of the
bombardment of the cathedral of
Rheims before them, inhabitantS
of Charities are loath to believe
that any aviator deliberately
would drop bomb on the cathed-
raj itself, thus threatening the
finest early Gothic Spire in
France which adorns the southern
side of the main facade. or the
finest late Gothic spire in France
which occupies its northern an
Gle. But no direct hit would be
necessary 10 destroy a treasure
even greater than that of the body !
of the cathedral itself, because |
there is literally nothing like it /
anywhere else, with one minor eX- !
ceptiOn. the 18th century glass
which is the unique glory of the !
cathedral.
GLASS NOT DUPLICATED
Except for few paneS at BOur-
ges. there is no 13th-eentury glass
in France except the tremendous
wealth constituted by the 81 win
hOwS of Charities which still hold
their old glass. whose beauty mol
efn science has never been able to
duplicate. The glass is priceless
literally, for there is no standard
by which il can be compared. 1t
is Except for those fragments at
BourgeS) all there is in the world.
Experts estimate that an ordi-
nary bomb exploding $50 meters
from the cathedral will Shatter
every one of those irreplaceable
windows. The aviation field Is
only 1900 meters away. The
chances that any intensive bom-
bardment of the airfield will blow
in the cathedral'S windows are
thus good.
Alarmed by this prospect, the
Committee for the Preservation OF :
French Art engaged Achille Car :
Iier. an expert, to work out a plan ,
for the diSmantIing of the WIN
lows of ChartreS and storing
hem safely away within an hour
the time it would take bomb
ng plane. reported as it crossed
he frontier to reach Charities.
PROBATION TO BE COSTLY
earlier has worked out his plan.
but il win cost $4,000. As all
must be made in adj
vance. and the French govern
nent is not likely to pay until the
emergency has arrived, there l.
he danger that the plan might
'ail.
During the World War, it Was
decided TO take out and store the
windows of the cathedral. The
york required five months. This
aae delay of five monthS-or
wen five days. or five hours
night prove disastrous.
CARRIERS plan provides for the
beforehand of demount-
,ble metal scaffolding of which
no piece: will be too large TO be
carried by a single man, to be
bought and kept permanently at
The Cathedral, while dispositions
win also be made in advance for
setting it into place. This will
cost $4,000.
Also to be provided will be
metal eases wooden ones were
used for the windows of Amiens
cathedral during the last war, and
ZONE windows were lost when the
.ases caught fire), with compart-
nents of lighter metal to fit the
different sections of the window.
rhe compartment will be hoisted
INTO the scaffolding, the window
,anels placed in them, and then
owered TO be put into the heavier
,uter case. This will cost another
1000.
JOB REQUIRES $40 MEN
= A crew Of $40 men, to be Sc
eeted from non-mobihzable men
IF the city, rehearsed in the job
will be repaired to
lake down the windows. Prelim-
mary work viii have to be done
ut once, to make it possible for
the panels TO be removed instant