The herald., 1897-05-07
ROYALIST
HECATOMB
Describes the Late Horror
at Paris
PAPERS REPR0ACH POLICE
FOR NEaLECTINa TO TAKE PRE-
CAUTION
PAPERS REPRoAcH POLICE
The Victims Besmeared With Blazing
Tar Dropping From the Roof,
Making Escape Impossible
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
NEW YORK, May GA Journal dis
patch from Paris says: There were
very few Americans present in the char
fly bazar at the time of the fire yester-
day, and these seem to have been es-
pecially favored by fortune. Mrs. Will
liam Astor left the bazar a quarter OF
an hour before the conflagration. Miss
Fame, sister of Frederick Fame, ar
American. residing in the Rue Prony
building when the fire broke out. Hel
escape was largely due to her inflrmity
She saw the fire and made her way to the
exit, being among the first to reach It.
Baroness De Delliere, formerly Mrs
Livermore, Of New York, also reached
the door among the first. Consul Morse
was passing near the Rue Jeana, riding
on a bicycle. when the cry of fire was
raised. He left the machine in the street
and devoted himself all might to assist
ing the firemen.
Mr.. Whitney of Boston, another volun-
teer fireman, who is living in Paris, also
assisted the firemen in the work of res
cue until daybreak.
When the Journal correspondent
reached the scene General Sursaier, mil
itary governor of Paris, with General
Feoriad, was rushing about distractedly,
calling for the Premier to send for my
men, from the Quai d'Orsay Barracks.
Look" he said to Harry Blunt. "this
American journalist will have a strange
tale to tell of municipal negligence. but
let us help"
The catastrophe was royalist heca-
tomb.
One mystery is now cleared up. The
victims were besmeared with flaming
tar and other infiammable compounds
dropping from the roof, and this is why
there was no prelude of asphyxia. The
fair flower of French wcmanhood was
singed like poultry by the licking flames,
and literally burned alive as we sobbed
and wrung our hands in powerless de-
spair.
Imagine a pile of skeletons, still
smoking, with no distinction of sex dis
cernible. teeth barred and grinning jaws
emitting that horrible smell which car
res back the memory to the Opera
Comique, which today is at the Palais
de r1ndustrie, and is not lessened by the
drench of acids.
Visitors to the salon caught it as they
went up the stately staircase to identify
what can only by fiction be called corpses
In the comparatively few instances OF
suffocation the features were placid,
those Of Mile. Jacquenot being almost
pleasant in her sudden sleep of death.
WHO is TO BLAME?
PARIS. May 6.-With the exception of
Socialist newspapers. the whole press
associates itself with that profound sor-
row which has overtaken the upper
classes of French society. The papers
point out that the responsibility for the
fearful fire in the charity bazaar must
be fixed. They reproach the prefecture
of police for not having taken the proper
precautions. The Government has or
dered all subsidized theaters to be closed
until Saturday as q mark of respect for
the dead.
To the list Of victims must be added the
names of Mile. de Chevily and Vicom-
tesse d'Avenal, who succumbed to their
injuries The report that the Countess
Castelaine, formerly Miss Anna Gould.
was among the missing, is pure inven-
ton. The Castelaines were not even
ir the vicinity of the fire. General Maui
rier, who was severely burned, died at
noon today. Other victims whose re-
mains have been identified, are Nine.
DeVilleneuve, Nine. Cordoet, Nine. Bin
koy, Nine. De Coussom, Nine. Montey,
Sister st. Claire, Dr. Rochel Maseruo.
Only five bodies remain unidentified.
1t is stated that Mile. de Il (name
not given in full according to the custom
of French newspapers,) the daughter OF
well-known colonel, visited the Due
de Vendome, the son of d'Alencon yes
terday, and repeated a conversation she
had with the Duchess d'Alencon just be-
fore the catastrophe. Mile. de L
spoke of the courageous conduct of her
royal highness after the fire broke out,
and continued: Il was talking to the
duchess in front of the stall where I
was assisting when I heard a cry of fire
and Immediately said to thd duchess,
,''Let us go, madame; come at once The
duchess replied, oh, not yet; let us give
. the visitors time to get outside
II saw the crowd rush for the exits and
the flames spreading around us, while
drops Of burning tar fell upon us. I
took the duchess by the waist and was
: dragging her away. I repeated, You
must come, madame
IT dragged her a few PAGES but with
a brusque movement she released her.
self, saying, NO no; will remain
"As I was suffocating and the flames
had already reached us I was compelled
to abandon her.
"She stood motionless, then took a
few steps toward her stall, her eyes
uplifted to heaven as though seeing
visions, and that was the last 1 saw Of
her,
The remains Of the Duchess d'Alencon
were placed in a coffin this afternoon
in the presence of Prince Louis and
Ferdinand of Bavaria, Baron Lambert
and Col. de Percival, who signed their
names on the sealed coffin. The Due de
Vendome, son of the deceased duchess.
was also present.
FEARFUL SCENES
NEW YORK, May GA dispatch to
the Herald from Paris says: The scene
on entering Porte Eight of the Palals de
P1ndustrie last night when the bodies
of victims of the'Rue Jean Goujon were
taken there was fearful beyond de-
scription.
;. There had been placed the charred
corpses Of what had been. few hours