The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-05-08
Mss HOGAN.s STORY.

Miss Hogan, of New York city, who was
with the Duchesse d Alencon when the fatal
cry of tire was heard gives the following
account of the affair:
PARIS, May 5.-Among those saved from
the great fire was well-known New York
lady, Miss Hogan, relative of Mayer Strong
called upon this young lady and she gave
me her story, which is especially interesting
from two points of view; first, because it is an
intelligent narrative of the fire, and second,
because she was with the Duchesse d'Alen-
con in the latter's last moments.
Miss Hogan told me she went to the illfated
bazaar on Tuesday at The personal request OF
the Duchesse d Alencon. She arrived at the
bazaar at about halfpast o clock.
Miss Hogan said the building was of wooaz
about two eentimeters thick. The material
had been used in the exposition of 1889, and
was, in consequence, as dry as match.
The exterior portions of the stalls, repre-
senting shops in old Paris, were of linen
painted over with turpentne and filed be-
tween the surfaces with papier mache.
''How many entrances were thereY |
asked In reply Miss Hogan said that to her
knowledge there was only one. Half the peo-
pie she knew never dreamed of more than one
entrance, and this was only natural to suppose
from the cards which were given to Miss
Hogan and others and which only referred to
Nos. Is and II Rue Jean Gouion.
To pass through the door of the bazaar one
had to mount about five steps and then turn
three steps to the right. As far as Miss Ho-
gan saw it was like tent made of linen.
When she arrived at the bazar the Duchesse
d Alencon seemed to be in great spirits.
About twenty-five minutes past o clock the
Duchesse said to Miss Hogan that the bazaar
was working spendidly and that she had sold
almost everything in her booth. The Ouch
esse was rather tired and said she would sit
down.
just as she said that there was a scream of
fire Miss Hogan described the fire as a
sheet of flame, which travelled with the rapid
itv of lightning along the ceiling from one end
of the building to the other. The flame was
lust like that which one would see if sheet
of paper were to be saturated with petroleum
and then ignited.
There was a terrific pane. The Due d Allen
con Immediately jumped on a table and CRED,
Don't crowd; there's plenty OF time to es-
| cape.
Miss Hogan did not share this opinion, be-
cause the fire had enveloped everything.
| There was this peculiar feature about the fire,
that the ceiling, being in flames. kept con-
stantly dropping III small pieces and these
burning pieces falling on the ladies hats ana
| shoulders enveloped them in flames. MOI
only was this so, but the falling pieces OF
burning ceiling ignited the sides of the bazar.
| That screaming crowd Of women ran like SO
many poor creatures in burning cage, with
| fire descending on them and fire on all sides
| of them like great walls of flame.
Now came in the question OF the door Nc
one in the crowd, with a few exceptions, knew
! of any door or means of exit save the MAN
one into the Rue Jean Goujon As II with
instructive movement, all rushed to this door.
| Miss Hogan was thrust violently aside
| against the partition. and when she staggered
| to her feet and got to the door the women IN
| front of her were panc-stricken crowd thai
| had fallen down headlong. Thus those IN the
rear keeping constantly pushing ahead, lei
| over those already down, creating horrible
| screaming, PROSTATE mass of burning human
| beings.
A valet pulled Miss Hogan out of the pile
of women and she had only just time to ge
| to the opposite side of the street when the
whole top of the building fell in with a crash
| Nor was this the only horror, for the hool
| which was of wood and raised about one metre
| from the ground, also gave way. 1t lnust have
| fallen through about five minutes after the
| fire commenced and the mass of struggling
women left in the building were now in the
pit.
A more horrible position OF things could
not be imagined and Miss Hogan considers
| that if it had been the express design to con
struct an ingenious trap in which to destroy
woman kind nothing could possibly have sue
| ceeded better.