The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-05
Scores of Prominent People and
Society Leaders
Burned to Death in Yesterdays
Great Fire.
100 DEAD RECOVERED.
1t is Thought There Are 100
More in the Ruins.
$50 Injured Already Counted
and Little Yet Known.

Paris. May 5.-The burning of the
Charity bazar yesterday evening will
take its place as one of the great disas-
ters of history.
The managers of the bazar had ar
ranged the stalls so as to represent a
street of old Paris, and it was opened
yesterday.
The proceeds of the sales at each stall
were devoted to a separate charity. The
stalls were presided over by Nine. Few
r1er, the wife of General FeVrier, the
Marquis De L'Aigle, Nine. Macobs,
Barrone del La Lucette, the Marquise
de st. Michael, the Duchess Dues,
Nine. NignOtte, Barrone de St. ] dior,
the Comtesse de Zalynska, the Mar
quise lie Goustier, the Marquise OAR
gence, the Aarquise de Pitt, the Ouch
esse d'Alencon, a member of the Or
leans family; Nine. D'Arlu, Nine. BOis-
seauX, the Baroness F. De Secicler,
Nine. Mireau, the Marquise Costa de
Beauregard, her royal highness the
Duchesse de Vendome, the Marquise de
AIaisOn and the COmtesse de GreffuI,
nee La ROchefOucauld.
Mile de Flores presided over the re-
freshmen stand. These ladies were as
sisted by many equally well known So
ctety ladies. It is impossible as yet to
identify the victims.
The bazaar is a heap of smoking Gin
The bazar was 300 feet long and 1SO
wide and constructed almost entirely of
wood.
Admiral Besnard, the minister of
marine, arrived upon the scene shortly
after o'clock. Further details show
that before the fremen could arrive the
roof of the bazar crushed in, burying
numbers of those who had been unable
to make their egresS from the building.
Very soon after the alarm was given
assistance was hurried to the burning
baZar and effective help was rapidly
organized between the fremen and po-
Hcemen. Although a general alarm
was sent out with reasonable prompt
ness, the whole wooden structure was
blazing before the firemen could APP
proach. The roof and almost the
whole building collapsed, falling upon
the unfortunate people, many of whom
are supposed to have previously sue
cUmbed to sitting smoke. In spite of
the efforts of the firemen some time
elapsed before the charred bodies were
pulled from the massOf burning de-
bris.
In the meanwhile the pumps played
on the burning ruins. AS the work
progressed and the inquiries became
more numerous and pressing, it was
seen that the death rate would be much
higher than at first estimated. The
police officials say that they believe it
TO be certain that the number of deaths
will exceed 100
Among the injured are the Duchess
La Tore, Princess KOtchonbuy and
MeSdames 8IOr6au, Malezieux, Eugene,
Challemel, Recamier and st. Didier.
The missing who are supposed to be
dead include General Meunier, the
Warehouses de Gailifet, the Duchess
D'Alencon, the COuntesses de Maun
and St. Perier, the Warehouses de
Flores, the Viscountess HunOl HOlstein,
Baroness Mackan, wife of the leader of
rOyalists in the chamber of deputies,
and Nine Northumberland, her son and
two daughters.
One hundred corpses have been laid
out in Palais de IiIndustrie 1t is be
neved that another hundred are be
meath the ruins. The building was
erected in the himsiest manner, the
nudity of the scaffOlding inside being
concealed by tapestry hangings of the
most inflammable description. More
over, there was only one exit. The
bazar was in full swing when suddenly.
about 4 o'clock. the cry of fire came
from the kinetOgraph compartment.
The dead We're piled in heaps, and es-
pecially near the exit, where the
charred remains were five feet deep. In
some cases only the trunks remained,
with no vestige of clothing. The fire
men arrived at 6 and a company of in
fantry followed to clear the ruins. The
news spread like Wildfre All the
cabinet ministers in Paris went imme-
diately to the scene Hundreds of
eQuipageS Streamed along the Champs
Elysees, their occupants all anxious
and with tear stained faces inquiring
for their relatives.
About thirty were saved by Pere Am
brose and Pere BaiIli, who helped them
over the wall with a ladder to the
printing room of the newspaper La
CrOix. The staff of the Hotel du PalaiS
lent valuable assistance and saved $50
persons through a barred window
overlooking the bazar, where, while the
hotel employees were carrying away the
bodies, they saw three persons burned
to death.
Policemen, their hands covered, with
gloves, had been deputed by the project
of police to pick out the portions of re
mains and to wrap them in pieces of
cloth n @ lcf erred IN hi
lances to the Palace de L'Industrie. They
present a horrible spectacle of limbs
burned and twisted On all sides can
be seen the stretchers piled with mu-
tilated cOrpses, skulls split open and
brains exuding-
The Duchesse D'A1encon, sister of the |
Austrian empress, is among the in
jured, the list of whom includes the
Duchesse dues. the COmtesse Sa-
Vigny and Mile de La BOulaye. In the |
streets near the bazar were long lines
of sumptuOuS equipages.
Many of those returned empty: their |
owners were dead. The others were
seen moving off with their owners badly |
injured. The search in the debris con-
tinUed all night. 1t appears that the !
fire originated on the left side of the
bazaar. The illuminating apparatus of
the photograph exploded and set
fire to the Turkish curtains and hang
ings In a few moments the flames
spread along the whole side of the ba-
gar The public threw themselves in |
StinctiVely to the right or the building,
which backed on the high wall of an
adjoining edifice.
The bazar altogether had eight doors
one in front and one on the left side.
In the rear were four, like French win
dows, which We're especially reserved |
for the employees.
The crowd near the main entrance
tried to escape but those at the other
end not knowing of the doors reserved |
for the employees, found themselves hem
med in, in a eul de sac.
As the fire spread, the pressure on
the righf side where there vver,a M |