Official Report Made by Whitney Warren to the French Government, Sept.
28.
On Friday, Sept. 25, I received word from the embassy that the French
Government had made arrangements to take me to Rheims in order that I
might make a report on general conditions and especially upon the
cathedral. So at 8 o'clock the next morning I started off with two
automobiles under the escort of Capt. Henri Charbonnel, accompanied by
two soldiers; one automobile, conducted by Mr. Hall of New York,
containing Major Morton Henry, Major Cosby, and Lieut. Boyd of the
embassy.
We followed the route direct to Meaux, then to La Ferte-sur-Jouarre,
from there to Château-Thierry, where we picked up a third automobile
containing Capt. Perrin, with authority from Gen. Joffre to conduct us
anywhere we chose to go, providing it was safe.
From there to Epernay, where we had luncheon, and then to
Chalons-sur-Marne, where was stationed the chef d'etat-major. There they
told us it was possible to go to Rheims, although the bombardment had
been rather severe the day before. So we turned northwest and proceeded
to Rheims, passing by Conde-sur-Marne and Verzy. Here we passed many
troops, who, although fagged, seemed to be in very good condition, and
we arrived at Rheims at 4:30, proceeding directly to the cathedral,
where I remained until dark, talking and visiting the monument with the
Curé Landrieux and the Abbé Thinot, who had been in charge of the
cathedral from the commencement.
The next day I was again at the cathedral, from 7:30 in the morning
until 4:30 in the afternoon, visiting it in every particular,
endeavoring to realize the damage done, whether intentionally inflicted
or not. The following is as near as I am able to ascertain the different
phases of the bombardment:
Four Bombs on First Day.
On Sept. 4, when the Germans first entered Rheims, there was a first
bombardment by their guns, interpreted by the Germans themselves as
either a mistake or caused by the jealousy of some corps not allowed
that privilege. Four bombs fell upon the cathedral--one on the north
transept--doing but little damage, however.
On Sept. 14 and 15, after the Germans had evacuated the city and the
French had entered, the bombardment recommenced, but without touching
the cathedral. On Sept. 17 two bombs struck, one on the apse and the
other on the north transept.
On the 18th the cathedral was again hit on the southern flying
buttresses and on the roof, killing a gendarme and several German
wounded.
On Sept. 19 the cathedral was fairly riddled by bombs during the entire
day, and at about 3:45 the scaffolding surrounding the north tower
caught fire. This fire lasted about one hour, and during that time two
further bombs struck the roof, setting it also on fire. The curé claims
that one of these bombs must have been incendiary, otherwise it would be
impossible to explain the extraordinary quickness with which the fire
spread throughout the roof timbers.
The fire from the scaffolding descended until it reached the north door
of the main façade, which caught rapidly, burned through and
communicated to the straw with which the floor of the cathedral was
covered. This straw had been ordered on Sept. 12 by the German Commander
in order to prepare the cathedral to receive 3,000 German wounded but
the evacuation of the city by the Germans had prevented the cathedral
being used for that purpose.
When the French came back the straw was gathered together with the
intention of removing it, but on the 17th the French General ordered it
to be re-spread, the flag of the Red Cross hoisted on the north tower
and the German wounded placed there, in the hopes that this might save
the cathedral.
As I have said, on Sept. 19 the straw caught from the fire originating
in the scaffold, burning through the doors and destroying what was known
as the very fine wooden tambours, or vestibules, surrounding these doors
on the inside, and also calcinating the extraordinary stone sculptures
decorating the entire interior of this western wall. These sculptures
were peculiar to Rheims, being in high, full relief and cut out of the
mass of the stone itself instead of being applied. This is one of the
irreparable destructions occasioned.
All the wonderful glass of the nave is absolutely gone; that of the apse
still exists, though greatly damaged.
Decorative Motifs Lost.
The fire on the outside calcinated the greater part of the façade, the
north tower and the entire clerestory, with the flying buttresses and
the turret crowning each of them. This stone, as far as its surface is
concerned, is irreparably damaged and when touched detaches itself;
consequently all decorative motifs wherever the flames reached are lost.
The tresor was saved at the commencement of the fire by the priests and
the tapestries for which Rheims is so greatly renowned had been
fortunately removed before. Half the stalls have been destroyed. The
organ is intact and several crucifixes and pictures in the apse are
untouched.
That anything remains of the monument is owing to the strong
construction of what might be called the carcass of the cathedral and, I
am firmly convinced, through no desire on the part of the bombarding
forces to spare this monument. The walls and vaults are of a robustness
which can resist even modern implements of destruction, for even on
Sept. 24, when the bombardment was again taken up, three bombs landed on
the cathedral, but the vaults resisted absolutely, not even being
perforated.
Had the Cathedral of Amiens received the same punishment, because of the
lightness of its construction the vaults would undoubtedly have given
way, the flying buttresses would have crushed in the walls and nothing
would have remained but a mass of crumbled stone, with the exception of
perhaps the ruins of the towers. If anything therefore remains of Rheims
Cathedral it is due, as I have already said, to the robustness of its
construction and not to any desire on the part of those bombarding it to
spare it from utter destruction.
The monument, about which no troops were massed, towers above the rest
of the town; to avoid it, in view of the uselessness of destroying it
and because it was serving as a hospital, would have been an easy
matter. The entire quarter of the city situated between it and the enemy
is destroyed, including the Episcopal Palace, which contained the
Archaeological Museum, the Episcopal Chapel, and what was known as the
"Apartment of the Kings." This quarter also contained the principal
commercial houses.
"Blind Rage" Causes Attack.
It would seem that the only explanation which can be offered was blind
rage upon the part of the besieging army.
There are two monuments of almost equal importance to the world which
are in jeopardy of the same fate as the Cathedral of Rheims, viz., the
Cathedrals of Noyon and Laon. That these will be respected is to be
hoped, in spite of the ruthless and miserable attempt to reduce the
glorious monuments of Rheims to ruins.
On Friday, Sept. 25, the Germans further shelled the Abbey of Rémy at
Rheims, one shell exploding in the interior and destroying an immense
quantity of glass. The civil hospital, which occupies the cloisters of
St. Rémy, received as its quota nine bombs, one of which killed four of
the patients in the beds, and another one of the attendants. Needless to
say that over this building also were flying flags of the Red Cross.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, I spent about two hours on top of the north tower
of the cathedral, behind the parapets, where I could not be seen,
watching the bombardment of the French forces, which was going on in the
suburbs of the town, situated at about two kilometers from my point of
vantage. It was most interesting, the precision with which the German
shells arrived in groups of six at intervals of, I should say, three to
five minutes. The French troops were all wonderfully covered so that
they could not be seen, their guns being concealed under straw or beet
leaves, according to the character of the ground upon which the battery
was established.
No smoke came from their guns, their powder being absolutely smokeless,
and yet the Germans seemed to have located them very thoroughly and kept
up a continual bombardment, their shells landing repeatedly over the
same place, seemingly, without any deviation whatever.