The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-06
DUCHESS D'ALENcoN FOUND
Grewsomc Remains Rccognired nv
Servants. and Identity Fully
Established by n Dentixt--wax a
sister OF the Empress of Austria
Gen. Meunier Among the Lost-
Mrs. Porges the Only American
Victim-vivid Description by an
Eye-Witnes~, Who Saw People
Burn Like Torches.

the sober and simple terms befitting so
appalling an event. The catastrophe al
ways will be remembered as one OF tha
most fearful which ever befeli a Eu-
ropean city. Nothing comparable In loss
of life has ever occurred here except the
fire which destroyed the Opera Comique
in 1887. Singularly enough that disaster
happened in the same month of the year.
and eighty persons were burned TO DEATH
while forty-five were officially reported as
missing.
In aristocratic circles dinner parties and
other functions of a gaily opening season
have been suddenly abandoned
II is now estimated that there were
about LOO persons in the building when
the fire was discovered. about one-half of
whom escaped unhurt. Some estimates
place the number of dead at las. others at
still higher figure.
The amount of administrative negli-
gence surrounding the catastrophe Is al
most inconceiyable. The structure was
so combustible that many of the victims.
IL not most of them, might have been
burned alive, without suffocation. No
sort of inspection seems to have been
made in advance.
DR.. Nachtel. who has directed the am
bulance work. says that the number OF
bodies gives very inadequate idea of the
number of victims. as dozens were burn
ed completely to ashes.
NJ. Lepine. the prefect of police. who Is
severely censured for lack OF proper SUI
peTvision of the preparatory arrange
ments, says In excuse that the patrons
and patronesses of the bazaar were re-
actionists and he feared II he meddled I'm
their programme that they would say
he was trying TO suppr ess a Roman Cath
Ollie enterprise.
M Faure has received kilograms OF
condolences from Queen Victoria. Emper-
or Nicholas. Emperor William. King
Hunlbert and other sovereigns, all couch
ed in terms OF the deepest sympathy.
At O'Clock this evening the police an
nounced that ninety-four corpses had
been identified. Among them are the
Duchess a dAlencon, Mime. Zeurrier. wife
OF one of the most prominent generals in
the French army: Nine. Wierned. wife
of Gen. Wierned: Mime. Chevals, wife OF
Gen. Chevals: Mime. Flores, wife of the
Spanish consul: Nine. Hockier. wife OF
a prominent Russian baSner. and Gen.
Meunier. Several sisters of charity are
among the dead and injured.
The Duches d'Alencon, one or the dead.
was a sister OF the empress of Austria
and Of the wife of Prince Ferdinand OF
Orleans. She was the Duchess OF Bava-
ria, and was born In 1868. Her daughter.
the Princess Louise, Is married to Prince
Aiphonse OF Bavaria. and her son. Prince
Phillipe. is the husband OF the Princess
Henrietta OF Belgium The former queen
of Naples Is also a sister of the duchess.
The duchess possessed great wealth ard
was one OF the most prominent ladies or
France.
Further particulars regarding the find
ing of the remains Of the Duchess q 'Alen-
con show that the secretary of the pre-
lecture, accompanied by the maid on the
duchess and a footman belonging TO the
household of the duke. examined the two
rows of bodies. The two servants stop
ped before a blackened and mutiiated
corpse whose abdomen was torn open.
They declared that IL was the remains OF
their mistress, and also sent for the dem
tist of the duchess. The latter. after ex-
amining the corpse for half an hour, de-
clared that IL was not that of the duchess
lie claimed there was tooth too many
in the head but the servants insisted.
whereupon the dentist and two doctors op-
Grated upon the jaw. and the dentist was
finally able to identify the remains.
The mother OF a 4-year-old child. Alfred
David one OF the victims. arrived at tho
Paiais during the day TO take the body
away. II was decided. however. that IL
was inadvisabie TO show her the CHASTITY
remains of her child. When this news
was communicated TO the unfortunate
mother. in a paroxysm OF grief she tried
to force her way into the mortuary hail.
screaming ST will see my child IL was
found necessary to forciblv remove the
poor woman, whose case Is one OF tho
most distressing. II appears that Nine.
David lost her husband month ago, ara
that her only other child died a fortnight
ago.
The unidentified bodies, as well as the
Jewels recovered from the debris. have
been photographed by the Bertilton meth
cd.
The funeral service of the victims has
been fixed for the Cathedral OF Notre
Dame. NJ Faure will attend and Pere
Richard Will probably officiate.
At tonight's session of the cabinet II was
decided to ask the chamber OF deputies
for special credit I'm aid Of the needy
families.
The minister Of justice communicated TO
his colleagues the result of his inquiries
into the cause Of the fire. He reports that
there was great careiessness and impru-
denee In the arrangement of the bazaar.
As far as can be- learned. there is only
one American victim Mrs. Porges. There
are still forty-six bodies not identified, in
addition 10 a mass of heads, limbs etc.
Linen belonging TO a body recovered IL
marked 1t Near"
Among the last TO escape from the burn
ing building was baroness DeRuter. for
rneriy Miss Beatrice Potter, OF Phiadel-
pha.
Former United States Consul General
Morss said TO a reporter of the Associated
Press:
"It was singularly fortunate that there
was only one American victim. This was
indAed remarkable. because just now there
Is an unusually large number OF Americans
In Paris They were generous supporters
OF such fetes as the Grand bazaar des
Charitie which gave them fayorabie OPP
portunify Of getting into close quarters
with the aristocracy and many OF tbs
celebrities OF Paris
Mrs. Porges was a Miss Weisweiiler.
Her daughter accompanied ner 10 the Da-
zaar. and escaped uninjured.
Mrs. r. =. Gilmour. or New YORK, hdn
narrow escape. She had consented 10 aet
as a saleswomau at the stall OF Nine
Costa Beauregard She left the Hotel Ter
minus where she was stopping. az l:3
o'clock accompanying the Vieomtess
sayigny The sale was going well. when
suddenly her maid cried. Madame, save
yourself; there In fire.
II rushed TO the main entrance. said
Mrs. Gilmour. "buf seeing the danger oi
being trampled 10 death. ran back 70 tns
rear OF the building where l saw win
dow. through which / soon reached tho
street"
Mgr. Clari, the papal nuncior who haa
attended 20 pronounce his blessing upon
the bazaar. says he was talking 20 tns
Duchess Il Aleucon AT. $50 O'Clock. re
adds: Around me was a group OF blonde
children. Several OF these must have per-