The indicator., 1897-05-08
AWFUL FIRE INPARlS.
OVER A HUNDRED BURNED
A Charitable BaGasr Consumed """'
IsCrow,i.d with fashionahi" """'"
Only one Exit and Scores Are Ir""r'""
Under Foot Hooking the Doorway
The Roof F.IIinn Pew Minutr- insur-
inr Instant Death TO ~ Great Number.

The Roof f'li In u re" "i""''N
ing Instant Death toa Great Numb'r'
Paris. MAY Fire broke ont ut i y.
III. to-day in n crowded chnrlihpie VA
zaar in the Rue Jcaii-Goujon, at which
the Duchess d't'zzes aud other wen
known patroncsscs were present.
More than one hundred persons wcf"
burned 10 death and fully two hun
dred injured.
The panic which followed the alarm
of fire was terrible.
There was "A rush for the exits ana
the weaker persons Were borne doWh
and trampled upon.
The intlnmmablc nature of the build
ing and contents caused the flames TO
spread with great rapidlty and in
very short time the bazaar was mass
of flames.
\ policeman who was on duty nj the
doors of the bazaar says that from
| 800 to 500 people were in the build
ing when the fire broke out He adds
that the alarm caused n general panic,
followed 10y terrible rush for the
doors, which We're soon cholicd with
people, thus preventing the escape of
many who might otherwise have been
saved. The strong tramplcd upon the
weak, the Young crushed the old 10
the floor, IIcartrcnding cries of fear
arose on all sides, soon followed by
the shricks of agony rs the flames
swept onward behind the crowds
struggling for the doors.
The building in which the fire broke
out was temporary Structur" ut
wood. l5O 10y 200 feet in dimensions.
The flames were first discovered above
the stall occupied 10y the Duchess
a. 'Zzcs. and while the place was
denscly crowded. Tile hazanr is an
annual function, presided over by thr
leaders of Partisan society.
As might he supposed, many of the
ladies connected with the bazaar
We're of the nriStocracy or of the
wealthy class. and a large number Of
these pVrshrd
Very soon after the alarm was given
assistance hurried 10 the burning ha-
ZHnr. and effective help was rapidly
organized by the liremen and police
men. Although Il general alarm was
sent out with reasonable promptness,
the whole wooden structure was blnZ-
Ing before The tlrcmeu could approach.
The roof and almost the whole build
ing collapsed, falling upon the unfoT-
tuua1e people, many of whom are sup.
posed to have previously succumbed
To the sitting smoke.
'rh" correspondent OF the Associated
Press has had au interview with Miss
Elsie Bushbeck. OF Philadelphia. who
with the Misses Hawthorne and Bush.
beck, was one of the few who escaped
although not unscathcd. Miss Bush
beck said:
Il was Il Salcswoman at booth No
10. near the place where the fire orig
mated. | arrived nt ten minutes past
four with my friends. We stopped lC
look around the bnzaar and stopped NJ
Il lottery wheel, where won buncl
of asparagus. Just then, happening
To turn around. | called my friends
attention To flicker in the corner oi
the wall, about fifteen yards AWAY
Hardly had | done so when Il gentle
man behind me cried Fire ladies
hasten out and pushed me toward the
door rather roughly. but fortunately
for me.
AS this was my second experience
under such circumstances, | advised
my two friends to raise their skirts in
the front, SO they would not stumble
over them.
first of the three steps leading out OF
the building. Turning my head to look
back. ! saw the whole place in flames
AT my left caught II glimpse OF
an old lady emerging from an adja
cent door, ana saw her stumble OF
her skirts. The next instant quit,
twenty persons piled on top of her.
crossed the street and turned round
to face The fire. but already the heat
was so intense it scorched me and
was obliged 10 raise my hands to pro
tect my face. When the roof fell in
with II terrific crash certainly not
more than five minutes had elapsed
from the first warning. such was til.
| intensity of the heat that | saw !:
iireman's jacket ignited and severa
of the horses Were badly snged. Out
of the pile of persons who fell near tn,
| door none We're saved. All were
burned in II moment. OF the four nuns
| at my booth. two We're saved and on,
| of the three blind girls who were on
| gagged there. The visitors were foI
the most part ladies, gorgeously
| dressed"
Words would fail To describe tn,
| horror of the scene at the raIais Il,
| Lindustric. where the bodies are cN
| posed on the side next to the Avcnu,
| Ranton, in Il portion of the huildm.
now in course of demolition. Here. il
| Il large room, rudcly covered witt
rough rlnn;s, the bodies ns they nr
| rive from the ambulancos are hein.
| placed in three long rows. Here /,
"Ncmpliiicd death by fire with all II,
| horrors, bodies completely nude, limb,
| twisted in the writings of agony
some still having shrcds of clothing
which assist recognition in spite o
horrible Disagreement, bones visibl,
through ire-catcu flesh. some mcrt
skeletons or grinning skulls blackcnc,
| with smoke.
| At $50 p. m. only six bodies hay,
been recognized with certainty.
| The wounded are now known I.
number $50 Madame Flores. wifi
of the Spanish consul. expired at TIN
| Hospital iieniion. where are sevcrn
others injured. VI. Faurc has visitc,
the hospital and the rnlas de LIN
dusiric, to pay his respects to III
| dead.
| Al midnight ll6 bodies had bcci
recovered. and many more are in tn
ruins.
| TARIFF BILL REPORTED,