The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-11-14

BURNING OF THE OPERA-HoUsE OF PARIS
Ct.E1ous ISCIDENTs.--The following descrlp'
ton is given of the burning OF the Opera
House of Paris in the Paris correspondence
Of the London Telegraph Of October oV.
The writer, who lived opposite the opera,
was awakened ut 2 A. NJ. lie says:
rushed to the window, whence the hrst
glance seemed to corroborate my Original
fear that it was indeed the not yet completed
cdifce which had fallen apIemalure victim
to the DESTROYER Of all theatres For the q
oantic yilded groups on the summit OF the
pdifice glowed with rudy hue that bclo-
kened the near presence Of the tire-@od; but
strangest of strange phenomena, while these
colossal figures shone with a fearful glory
all about them was il almost absolute dark
ness. The forms seemed TO he floating dcWh
from the skies like the angels in one Of Mar
tins pictures. The upper stories OF the
Grand Hotel were marked by q thin sIreaE
of reflected light. but there was none OF Thai
ruddiuess in the sky which usually accom-
panieS large fire.
Once in the street and the corner Of the
Boulevard turned, there was no longer any
doubt of the direction in which the confii.
grafton lay, or Of its magnitude. Inc VINO
suddenly had yeered round to the east, ana
the air became all at once hlled with inc
Golden fire which is often made use o! IL
pvrotechuics. Looking along the Boulevard
des Italie1n, remarked that the high White
wall on the north side OF the Boulevard
Mcntmartre shone out of the comparative
darkness around, and that ! huge mass OF merry
smoke was being blown high above the GAZE
R,chc, The alarm was well founded, and
the Academic de Musiquc was indeed on
fire. The boulcvards were lncum bercd Dy
no crowd, and as we neared the Rue La
fave,te the broad roadway was absolutely
deserted We at first attributed this singu-
lar want of curiosity TO the rain OF IRE
| which tell at this point, which MADE II de-
cidedy unpleasant, if not dangerous, 10 con.
front The storm for the fragments That le!l
in broad and continuous stream were oil
large size, and they leaped from tro:to1r TO
roadway under, the pressure Of poWerlui
wind.
But it was not fear Of the fiery fragments
so much as dread Of being pressed into the
chain that kept the place so deserted. Every
now and then some rash curleMr would ven
ture too near, and ever and anon the ponce
would glide noisc!cssly to the corner OF some
thoroughfare, there form cOI00n, and catch
All idlcrs us i'll net. Tuen would occur
rush for i'll outlet, and the police would not
hesitate to trip up, knock DOWN, or seiZe "
main force any who tried to escape. AT an
| English tire the great difficulty IS TO Keep
people of; in France the difficulty is to get
them near and to make th"m WoIk. AL
every street abut,ing Oh the ire on ali four
sides it was the SAINT stoIV-thc police cailel
the people " nlGurais cit0yelS' for trying 10
avoid !eDdiug hand, and lhe people ran as
if for their lives whenever there was cham
to be formed to pass the buckets from the
water-pipe to tie engine. Livery minute
you beard the strange horn which calls The
1irpmen together, and every minute mile
bit Of an engine, looking ludicrouSly like a
garden watering-machne, was hurried along
By Il small posse OF ilremcn on foot.
There was, unhappiIy, a great lack OF
water, and the small jets, even when they
We're we'll directed, had no pcrccptiblc effect
on the blazing timber that cracked up.
throwing myriads Of sparks into the bright,
clear, cold air. From tie north side Of the
theatre, going down TO it from the Rue LII
i:,yctte, the effect was magnificent. The out
side wall was at this moment intact, but
through the upertureS where windows had
been the fire blazed behind Just like huge
furnace, the roaring OF the flames and the
crash of falling walls making up i scene Of
awful grandeur which shall never forget.
TO take another illustration from the theatre
itself, it reminded one Of the peep into Pan
dcmonium in the scene Of the Cross in
" Robert lie Diablc." The fire was dis.
covered at about II o'clock tonight in the
gal dercbe Of the theatre. There has been
no performance Tonight, but there has been
a rchearsal-the first of - Jeanne dare"
Ii is curions fact that the piece performed
at the last representation at this opera-house
was the "Prophete," which ends with 4 con-
tlagration.
The latest particulars in reference TO the
coutlagralion ut the Grand Opera state that
the chief portion OF the building, Including
the auditorium, the stage, The saloon, anu
the scenery warehouse, was totally burned
down. The greater portion OF tile walls on
one side have fallen in, and tho only parts
of The editice now uninjured are The "ard-
robes and the treasury, winch were on Inc
Rue Dro,u side. The adjoining houses have
no, suffered any damage. One life has been
lost. that of a fireman named Belief, who,
when his comrades were going TO the Bourse
station to obtain water, got astride on wall
near the Passage de lOpera to tear away
some combustible material. The wall,
already mined by the fire, gave way with him,
and he was precipttated from great height
into the flames, uttering as lie fell 4 piercing
cry.