The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-05-05

| mead. An eye witness describes the
scene as follows
THE women mostly wore light cos
tunes and those who escaped from the
furnace We're screaming '.Fire.'' Help
| The faces of many of them were covered
with blood. From time to time children
ran out OF the burning building crying
| Tor their mothers. A numberSof women
of the poorer class standing in the crowd
| at the risk of burning themselves, tore
the flaming clothing from the persons of
the ladies as the latter dashed in terror
| through the streets.
The bazaar at that moment was moth
ing more or less than a huge brazier. AS
the heat was unbearable we made our
way to some vacant ground between the
| bazaar and the Convent of the Rue Bay
ard and Joined a handful of workmen who
were trying to rescue people from the
flames by means of "a ladder too short to
| avail much
While the work of the rescue was in
| progress heartrending cries from the rear
attracted us. Two women who had just
escaped from the flames were lying writh-
ing on the ground just beyond the mar
| gin of the fire We darted in their direc-
ton and as we neared them pieces of
heads and we were unable to reach the
unfortunates, who were then burning like
| torches. They had ceased to stir and
they soon entirely disappeared in the
] flames and the witnesses of this awful
! scene groaned and wept.
The awful drama was then at it's
height. In the midst of kissing, cracking
| flames we heard the shrieks of the vic
1 R,,+ !,
Seeing the hopelessness of saving the
bazaar, the firemen turned their atten-
ton to the adjoining Convent, up the
walls of which the flames were leaping.
I'm few moments the bazaar collaps-
ed with frightful crash, enveloping the
vicinity in flaming debris
'I was then able to approach it. On
all sides were the bodies of lately ele-
| CANT people, many of them stretched on
| their backs, with arms extended as
| though appealing for help.
"Others were still burning, their bodies
| emitting a cracking sound and sicken-
| ing odor.
lowing to the heat we were unable to
give the remains the attention which
would have permitted their relatives to
identify them.
"The space in which we were standing
was speedily invaded by despairing crowds
of relatives, some of whom had to be
/ forcibly prevented from leaping into the
flames. 1t was impossible to find those
whom they sought in the heap of shriv-
elled limbs, twisted bodies and blackened,
grinning faces
| The bazaar was situated opposite the
Rothschild's stables. Gamard a groom
in the employ of the Rothschilds. wit
messed the whole scene, he says
''At twenty minutes past four yester-
day afternoon l saw the Comtesse de
Reese rushing into the street from the
bazaar shouting fire. 1 looked up and
saw nothing but a little smoke rising
from the roof of the structure and could
not think why the woman was in such
fright. When, suddenly, 1 heard
confused murnur deepening into a roar.
Then the roof of the bazaar burst into
flames like a box of matches. Instantly
there was terrible rush of people, like a
wave, into the street. Fearful terror was
depicted on each face Some of them
had their hair burning and the clothing
of others was scorched.
There was such crush from the in
side of the building to the door that ten
women fell in a heap on the pavement
and those following piled on top of them.
crushing and bruising the helpless ones.
The women shrieked with agony.
Il rushed out and tried to lift some of
them up; but was driven back by the
frenzied crowd following. Many of them
threw themselves on the ground and
rolled over and over or from side to side
in their attempts to stife the flames.
"One lady reached the street in safety
and then noting that her child was lost.
she forced her way back, biting and
scratching like a mad creature and sue
ceeded in re-entering the furnace in
search of her darling. She never again
emerged.
Men with their hair and boards in
flames came out among the women.
General Meunier, with his clothes
abfaze and in great agony, rushed into
the courtyard in front of the stables and
plunged into trough of water.
Forty persons sought refuge in Baron
Rothschild's house. Ladies with their
dresses in flames rolled upon the stones Of
the court yard uttering frightful shrieks
L fetched hose and turned water on
the burning people and SO saved several
OF them from being roasted alive. I also
assisted several women who were almost
naked, their clothing having been burned
or torn off their bodies, in reachine tba
Hospital Beaujon. Later 1 informed the
hremen and Baron Rothschild's steward
of this
According to my estimate barely five
minutes elapsed between the time / went
to the hospital and the time 1 returned
when the bazaar was no longer in exis-
tence."
Later this afternoon, a long SUPPLEMENT
tary list of the dead had been issned
Many Of the identifcations, however. are
not positive. 1t includes the Duchessa
de st. Didier and many of the nobility In
cluding several men,
SO far as can be learned there is on1v
one American victim, a Miss Parkes. or
Carkes. The correspondent Of The Asso-
ciated Press is making inquiries on the
subject.
There are still 46 bodies which have NOT
been identified, in addition to a mass Of
heads, Inns, etc.
Linen belonging to a body recovered
is marked, Il. T. Noar."
Every moment, during the mornine the
crowds in and about the PaIais de i
Industrie increased and the number of
people anxious to obtain tidings of miss
ing relatives or friends became greater
Priests accompanied each group of