r
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 facade, 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