The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-02-24
a FIFTFEN MIIIIoN ERE.

THE ROYAL P~ANTECHNICoN DEsTEoTED-AN
mREPARABLE LOSS OF THE TREASURES OF
THE LDEsr ENGLISH FAMILIES.
Taylor's pantechnicon and furniture
in Belgravia, London, covering
an acre of ground, was burned on Friday
evening. The fire broke out at p. NJ, and
ragged until midnight. Then the hre was
only stopped by engineers demolishing
walls. preventing its progress The build
ing alone was insured for Sl,OO0.OtO.
The total loss, including the contents
of the burned structure, consisting OF pic
lures, mirrors, five hundred carriages, and a
vast amount of other goods OF various kinds,
is estimated at SIS, 00O,O 900. Five houses and
several large stables adjacent were partially
destroyed. There were a number OF aocl-
dents, and two firemen were killed. Inc
fire attracted an immense and unruly crowd,
and it became necessary to call out the mill
tary to preserve order. The Royal Pantech-
nicon Company was organized In 1888, ana
was similar to our Security and Trust Com
panies. The building itself was an inn
posing block, eight stories high, fronting
HYDE park. and in the immediate nelghDor
hood of the palatial residences OF Baron
Rothschild, the duke of Wellington, Sir
Robert Peel and others. The trent walls
were of granite, elegantly ~sculptured. The
building cost one million pounds sterling.
The basement which is lined with iron, was
carefully guarded by watchmen; while each
safe had an iron grating before it. Here
were locked up the valuable s~ilverware OF
the old families of Finland, who rarely used
it except on state occasions. These price
less collections were carefully numbered,
the company giving bonds for their safe
keeping. and charging according TO the val
uatfon of the property. The first floor wa;
MAGNIFICENT ART GALLERY,
n which were deposited the rarest pictures
of the Turner, Reynolds, and other gal
leries. Persons going out of town also lef
their private collections of pictures here TO
safe keeping. Besides these were glass case
filled with costly jewelry and valuable collec
tions of coins. Admittance to the psntech
nicon could be obtained only from a deposi
: tor or a director. In the rear of the first foo
were collections of equipages, mostly O
foreign make, which were considered s
costly that the owners feared to trust then
on their own premises. On the floors ABOVE
a besides several art galleries and marbles
were endless collections of costly furniture
. requiring constant care n attention t
r keep in order. The p~lantecnicon was ais
r used for the safe keeping of landed titles
II. mortgages, and other valuable papers, tn
: company sometimes advancing none
3 on the collaterals deposited. Every da
; during the London season rows {
: building while their occupants were viewin
e the collections inside. 1t was said that tn
; young aristocracy who visited the pantecf
L nicon, were often shocked to find that mel
: shop-keepers possessed more wealth tina
themselves. The company owned a larg
; number of vans and carts, and en-
; ployed nearly a thousand persons.
$ also owned it's own railroad car
which were so constructed that they coul
be run on to a large six horse truck, thu
= doing away with the necessity of unpacl
ing. The company was generally emplo,
v ed by families to move their household goo'
4 in all parts of the country. 1t had brand
/ offices in all the principle cities of Great BIZ
S tain. The destruction of the building wi
: involve heavy losses of rare family pictur'
D and plate.