The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1897-05-15
THE PARIS HORROR
TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE PERISH AND
As MANY MORE INJURED.

City Plunged Into Deepest Mourning by
the Appalling Catastrophe - Social
Leaders OF France and Europe Num-
bersd With the Missing-Of Those
Who Escaped Many Had Their Cloth
ing Burned on.
PARIS. May b.-The terrible fire at
Grand Bazaar de Charlie, erected for
the annual charity fair, Of which all
the most prominent society ladies Of
Paris are patronessss, has thrown the
French capital into mourning. The
confagration, which broke out in the
Kinematograph booth, near the stall of
the Duchess Dues, while from 1900
10 1900 people were present, is believed
to have caused the loss of over 300
lives,
As this dispatch is sent, Ill charred
corpses have been recovered, together
with 10 portions Of bodies, the identity
Of which may never be established.
/ The building in which the bazaar was
held was temporary structure which
burned Like tinder, and the fimsy dec
orations aided in the rapid spread Of
J the fire. The flames licked most of
those who escaped, and dresses were
burned from the backs Of their wear.
ers, who
Tore or Their Blazing Hats
na they rushed from the building, their
heads singed to the roots Of their hair.
The clothing not burned. of was. liter
. ALLY torn Of. The cyies from within
were cries never to be forgotten for III.
'tsnsity of anguish. The firemen
,oourageously let themselves down from
houses roundabout, but their efforts
were too often fruitless. Holes were
broken through the walls by navvies
who happened to be working near.
L appears that the fire originated on
the left side Of the bazaar. The illum-
mating apparatus Of the kinemetograpa
exploded and set fire to the Turkish
curtains and hangings. In few mo-
ments the flames spread along the
whole side of the bazaar. The public
threw themselves instinctively to the
right side of tho building, which
backed on the high wall of an adjoin-
inp edifice. The bazaar altogether had
eight doors, three in front and one on
the left side. In the rear were four,
like French windows, which were
snecially reserved for the employees.
The crowd near the main entrance
were able to escape, but those at the
other end, not knowing of the doors
reserved for the employees, found them.
selves hemmed in.
Victims Crushed to Death.
Az the fire spread the pressure on the
right side, where there were no exits,
kent steadily increasing. Here num-
her of victims were crushed to death.
Suddenly, above the roar of the flames,
were heard cries Of terror and despair
ing appeals for help from the rear,
where the unfortunates were being
burned alive. The fire made furious
headway. Cries of despair arose out
sids in the Avenue Montaigne, the
Place Alma and the Rue, Francaise,
adjacent streets. In all these thor
ourhfsres there was a veritable fight
of maddened people, mostly women
without skirts, petticoats or hats, their
feet naked and their clothing either
burned of or torn of. -.,E
The amount of administrative negli.
rence surrounding the catastrophe is
almost uncomfortable. The structure
was so combustible that many Of the
victims, il not most Of them, must
have been burned alive without suffo-
cation. No sort Of inspection seems to
have been made in advance by the
municipal or police authorities or BY
,eect of police.