Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-06
THE PARIS DISASTER.
FUNCTIONS OF A GAYLY-OPENiNG
SEASON CANCELLED.
NINETY.POUR CORpSES IDENTIFIED.
Among Them Is That of the Duchess
d'AIencon-One American Victim
A. New York Lndy's Narrow Es-
cape.
cape.

papers, WITHOUT eActpllOH, ueoSii iDc '"S
disaster at the Grand Bazaar de Charlie
In the sober and simple terms beftting
so appalling an event. The catastrophe
will always be remembered as one OF the
most fearful that ever befell a European
city. Nothing comparable to 1t in loss
of life has ever occurred here, except
the fire which destroyed the Opera Conf
que In 1887. Singuarly enough, that
disaster happened in the same month OF
the year, and eighty persons were burned
TO death, while forty-flvc were officially
registered as missing.
In aristocratic circles the numberless
dinner parties and other functions Of
gayly-opening season have been aban-
doned
1t is now estimated that there were In
the neghborhood of l,20O persons in the
building when the fire was discovered.
about one half of whom escaped unhurt.
Some estimates place the number OF dead
at 1i3, others at still higher figure.
The amount of administrat tive negli-
gence surrounding the catastrophe is al
most inconceivable. The structure was
so combustble that many victims, If not
most of them, were buried alive. without
suffocation. No sort Of inspection seems
to have been made in advance by the
municipal police authorities or by the
prefect of police.
AN AMERICANS NARROW ESCAPE.
Mrs. +. B. Gilmour of New York. had
a narrow escape. She had consented to
ct a nf
Costa Beauregard. She left the Hotel
Terminus, where she was staying, about
half-past /. accompanying the Vicom-
tesse Savigny. The sale was going well
when suddenly her maid cried:
Madame. sauvez vous. VOLTA lie feu."
(Madame, save yourself. There's a fire.
Mrs. Gilmour, with wonderful presence
of mind. rushed toward the main en-
trance, but seeing the danger of being
trampled TO death, she ran back to the
rear of the building, where she saw
window that opened in the wall, through
which she soon reached the street
Mgr. Clari, the Papal Nuncio, who had
attended to pronounce his blessing upon
the bazaar, says he was talking TO the
DuG0eSSe u
O'Clock. He adds:
BLIND CHILDREN BURNED.
Around me was a group of blind chill
dren. Several of these must have per-
ished. My heart is bleeding to think OF
all those poor creatures. 1t is too horri-
BILE to speak Of. My nerves are in terri
BILE state"
DIR. Nachtel, who has directed the
ambulance work, says the number OF
bodies found gives very inadequate idea
of the number of victims, as dozens were
burned completely to ashes.
The Vicomte Dams identified his wife's
body by a piece Of hair-cloth which she
wore next to her skin, as a member OF
the third order of st. Francis
NJ Jean Raffaelli, the painter, says:
"AIy daughter had the mark Of heel
stamped into her back. She was
trampled in the heap at the door, near
the main entrance. Her mother tried
to pull her from the blazing fire, but she
said: 1t is useless; save yourself, as l
shall die in any case Her mother re-
piled: Il shall not leave you. / will take
YOU or stay and die with YOU Both
escaped. though severely injured"
The Able Marriott says that the Com
tesse Villenue returned to search for her
two daughters, failed to find them, and
perished herself.
POLICE EXCUSE.
NJ Lepine. the perfect of police, who
is severely censured for lack of proper
supervision of the preparatory arrange
ments, says in excuse that the patrons
and patronesses Of the bazaar were Re
actionists, and he feared that If he med
died with their programme they would
say he was trying to suppress a Roman
Catholic enterprise.
NJ. Faure' has received kilograms of
coincidence from Queen Victoria. the En-
peror Nicholas, the Emperor William,
King Humbert, and other sovereigns, al!
couched in terms of the deepest sympa-
thy.
The body of the Duchess D'Alencon
has been identified The Secretary of
the Prefecture, accompanied by the maid
of the Duchess, and footman belonging
to the household of the Duke, examined
the rows of bodies. Two servants stop
ped before a blackened and mutilated
corpse. They declared that 1t was the
body Of their mistress, and also sent for
the dentist of the Duchess. The latter,
after examining the corpse for half an
hour, declared it was that of the Duchess.
MOTHERS TERRIBLE CASE.
Terrible scenes continue to be enacted
at the Palaise de rIndustrie. This after
noon the mother OF 4-year-old child.
Alfred David, one Of the victims, arrived
for the purpose of taking the body away
with her. 1t was decided however. that
II was inadvisable 10 show her the ghast-
ly remains Of her child. When this
news was communicated TO the unfortu-
nate mother, in a paroxysm of grief. she
tried TO force her way into the mortuary
haE. screaming: II will see my child"
II was found necessary TO forcibly remove
the poor woman, whose case Is one of
the most distressing. 1t appears that
Nine. David lost her husband month
ago. and 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 Bertillon
method, and the funeral services Of the
victims has been fixed for the Cathedral
of Notre Dame. NJ. Faure will attend,
and Pere Richard will probably officiate.
At to-nights session OF the Cabinet 1t
was decided to ask the Chamber OF Depu-