Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-05-13

Paris, May 6.-The newspapers with
Que exception described the disaster OF
the grand bazaar de charlie in sober
simple terms BETTING so appalling an
event. The catastrophe will always
be remembered as one OF the most fear
ful that ever befel o European city
Nothing comparable in the loss OF life
has ever occurred here except the fire
which destroyed the opera Cunlque in
1887. Singularly enough that disaster
happened the same mon II of the year.
and so persons We're burned 70 death
while 45 were officially registered as
missing.
In the aristocratic circles numberless
dinner parties and other functions
gayly opening the season have be, n
suddenly abandoned. 1t is now esti-
mated that 1900 persons were in the
building when the fire was discovered
about one-half of whom escaped un-
hurt. Some estimates place the num-
Der OF deaths at l43, Others at still
higher figure. The amount of admin
istratiGe negligence surrounding the
catastrophe is almost nconceivable
The structure was SO combustible that
many victims If not most of them
must have been burned alive without
sutfoca.lon. No sort OF inspection
seems to have been made in advance
by the authorities or by the perfect of
police. DR.. Nach,ei who directed the
ambulance work says that the number
of bodies found gives a very inadequate
idea OF the number of victims, as
dozens were burned completely to
ashes. President Faure has received
kilograms of coincidence from Queen
Victoria, Emperor Nicholas, Emperor
William, King Humbert and other
sovereigns all couched in terms OF the
deepest sympathy.
AS little by little the facts OF this last
calamity become known, it becomes
more and more awful. AS far as
learned at present there were more than
l25 lives lost in the fire and panic. ard
it is probable that there will prove TO be
100 more. The dead We're members Of
the most fashionable society of Paris
and were in the midst of a scene Of
charitable gaiety when their awful fate
overlook them All Paris is in mourn
ing. Many mansions have been
turned into temporary hospitals and are
filled with writhing and grooming suf-
ferers. over 1870 patients are being
cared for as far as known and many
have been taken into private homes,
! The unidentified bodies as well AS The
| jewels recovered from the debris have
been photographed by the Bertillon
method. The funeral service for the
victims has been fixed for the Cathe-
dral Notre Dame. President Faure
will attend, and Pere Richard will
probably otiiciate The cabinet has
decided to ask the chamber of deputies
for special credit to aid needy families.
! Investigation shows that there was
great carelessness and imprudesce in
! the principal arrangements for the
bazar.
Former United States ConsulGen-
eral Morse said: 1T was singularly
fortunate that there was only one
American victim. This indeed, was
| remarkable, because just now there Ia
an unusually large number of Amer
leans in Paris. They are generous sup
porters of such fetes ana, moreover
/ it gives them favorable opportunity
OF getting into close quarters with the
aristocracy and the many celebrities
of Paris" Mrs. Porges was the only
American victim. She was Miss Weis-
weller
The police announce that - corpses
have been positively identified. There
are 10 bodies still unidentified, among
which must be those of Confess De
Lupe and Nine. Ntot's second daugh-
ter. both Of whom are missing.