New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-16
THE GREAT PARIS FIRE
FRESH DETAILS OF THE DISASTER AT
THE CHARITY BAZAAR.

BRAVERY OF THE DUCHEssE DALENCON-
CONDEMNATION OF THE AUTHORITIES.
Not for many year has Paris been 50 stricken
It twelve days ago by the IRE AT the
Charity Bazaar. The whole city was Literally
thrown into mourning I'm the streets. said the cor
respondent Of The London Times, writlh6 the
day after the catastrophe. 1.-The habituaI ain mas ue
cidedly diminished and people speak In lower tones
1t is II passers by were conversng III church OF
at the side Of grave. and 1t Is. indeed by the
side of the graves which are TO be dug during tho
next few days that the life Of the great city has
been lived since the terrible disaster OF yesterday.
Throughout those quarters OF the city reachhs
from the Porte Dauphine the Porte Ma'ilot ana
the Trocadero TO the Faubourg b. Honore. the
Cours la Refine and the Faubourg st. German. arc
to be seen at a hundred doorways small groups
speaking with hushed voices and remaining as II
motioness at the thresholds OF tho homes which
directly indirectly are now In mourning. Ihese
two hundred Victims dead dying. injured or Forever
mutilated, have thrown into mourning probably
thousand families which are tho widest known, the
most hospitabo, and upon whom trade IN the great
city mos. depends-those families indeed. which
are tho most indispensable for the normal life OF
tho public, for the animation or the streets ana
for the brliancy OF assemblies and all social func-
tons On the posters Of the Opera. the Opera
Comioue the Coincide FRANCHISE. and the Odeon,
broad white band has been pasted bearing the word
'relache' and throughout the fashionable quarters
numberless evening parties-for 1t is the height OF
the season here-have been postponed"
HOUSES OF MOURNING.
Continuing his mournful chronicle the next day
N. same writer said II have passed from ono
houae NJ mourning to another, and for me, as for
all those who had friends In the crowd which the
flames surprised the charity bazaar cruel disap-
pointments in store. In tho majority OF cases
injuries which seemed comparatively slight sud-
denly became mortal, and those whom one had
thought to find in improved health have succumbed
10 mysterious complications which have surprised
and baffied the physicians art. Thus toward !
o'clock I called at the house Of General Meuner
and. full OF hope asked how the patient was got
ting on to-day. He has just expired was the
reply.
death Is painful indeed He was soldier at twenty
wears of age and during his fortyhve years OF ser
vice he had been constantly exposed TO the most
terrible dangers He had seen death on the battle
field moving down around him the half OF his COM
rades and subordinates. He had three horses Killed
under him In a single battle. In the Crmean war
ne was mentioned more than once In general orders
for his courage At Solferino no remained on his
feet in tho midst Of 300 soldiers who had fallen all
round him. At Sedan his horse fell twice. and no
was almost the only officer OF his battalion VINO
came out alive. And a few months later myself
saw him commanding In the midst OF the hottest
Arrangement and leading on his soldiers with a
smile Then, for long years afterward, he COM
manded the infantry division OF Bayonne, ana when
finally he obliged at the age OF sxty-fve TO re-
tire II was at the head Of the Retired Officers Club
that he continued to devote his life wholly to the
army He was a retired General OF Division and
Grand officer of the Legion OF Honor yet this man
who had faced death on twenty battlefelds dies
from fire at charity bazaar.
Going further on to the house OF NJ Dutreun
Senator for Mayenne. to ask whether his daugh-
ter had returned. I met coffin which had Just
entered tho gateway. 1t contained the body OF his
daughter Again. at the Com.e de- Chevillys
learned that the bodies OF his two daughters had
been discovered; and thus. prolongng my sad Pill
grImage almost everywhere where 1 expected to
stll find hope found 1t destroyed by death. And
now, while the list of tho dead iensthens' the
mournful procession Of funerals Is about to COM
mence The first OF these Is close to where live;
II IL the funeral of Mile. Antoinette do Mandat-
Grancey, which is fixed for tomorrow NJ dc
Mandat-Grancey who has passionate admra-
ton for tho English navy and has published able
works on the English and their institutions. has
many friends across tho Channel. and the numer-
QUO messages of coincidence which coming to
him thence show what sympathy Is felt for him.
For two days stream OF grieving friends mas
been Offering Baron do Grancey the expression OF
their coincidence
TALES OF EYE-WITNESSES.
1Iorrowing narratives abound Of those who mar
rowlv escaped from the burning building, and Of
those who personally observed the disaster from
short distance. How the Duchesse dAencon died
has already been told. Nine. landau. who was
near her. adds this detail:
"rhe Duchesse whose whole anxiety was to save
,, a,rIs around her calmly replied: Go fast be-
fore us: 20 out fast. Do not trouble about me: l
shall leave last These were certainly the Prin-
cess's last words.
Wr,e Cheneviere. wife Of a novelist and one OF
the stall-keepers. says:
"r was a, the refreshment stall when l suddenly
..rd a cry OF Fire. Some members OF the COM
,,.a who were present said: Gently ladies': do not
hurry. You have plenty OF time In spite OF this
everybody even before seeing the Names rushed
toward the doors, pushing and trampiins on each
other in their haste 10 get out first did like other
,oople-I rushed to the door on the right leading to
the Rue Jean Goujon. Turning round | perceived
tho eames which were invading the building like
h,,r-icane Of fire | hurried much as | could
struggling desperately. think was three minutes
IN reaching IT, When got there II was on IRE, and
the flames struck my right ear and my hair. which
by provldental chance which cannot explain did
catch fire.
.'To reach that door. which for me was deliver
once 7 must have trodden on corpses or on the dy-
ing at their las; gasp. but In my alarm / perceived
nothirg yielding moreover 10 the terrible pressure
of people crowdlng behind me. once at the opening
OF the door 1 thought myself saved. but at that mo-
men; fell into the street had simply fallen from
the ton Of the heaving mass OF dying and injured
stretched at the foot OF the steps. tried to rise
hut in vain ] was a prisoner, hemmed In up to my
waist in this human wave. AT last by supreme
effort and assisted by the occupants u the adJOln-
ing houses. | succeeded In extrcatlng myself. ana
in a few minutes found myself In the court or
M 20 Rue Jean Goujon. occupied by l!very-stabie-
keeper where there were already nearly Nifty In
,r-ed who were receiving every attention. At that
moment the fire was lis height. Many persons
vino had Ike me. mlraculousy escaped death.
wanted in spite Of their injuries to go back into
the fire where they had left relative or friend
We were prevented by being shut up in court
where the injured carefully attended to-"
Not even or my dcathbed," says a est. James,
Gazette" correspondent, 'am likely TO forget the
awful spectacle OF these days OF horror. When
the panic In the Hotel du Paiais subsidized Just to
tear myself away from the grasp OF the numberless