The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-05
AN APPALLING CALAMITY.
Scenes Described by IN Correspond
ent of u L0ndO Paper.

LONDON, May 5-The Paris correspond
ent of the Daily News says: THE flames
licked most of those who escaped, and
dresses were burned from the backs of their
wearers, who tore off their blazing hats as
they rushed for the street, their heads
singed to the roots of the hair. The cloth
ing not burned off was literally torn off.
No painter ever imagined a last judgment
so appalling. One girl who ran through
the streets skirtless to tell her mother of
her safety, had charge of the wooden
horses in the bazaar. 1t is impossible to
say how many children were on them at
the time or how many persisted.
THE flames rose to a fearful height. The
fire brigade came quickly, but what could
be done? The blockade in front of the
burning mass was simply frightful and the
hose was compelled to play over the heads
of the multitude. The scorched people
cried for the firemen to souse them, which
they did. The cries from within were cries
never to be forgotten for intensity of
anguish. The firemen courageously let
themselves down from houses round about,
but their efforts were too often tru1t!eSS.
Holes were broken through the walls by
naVVies, who happened TO be working near.
There was one awful procession OF sixty
cOrpSeS on the stretcherS formed with the
handles of spades and plckaNes with green
canvas. l heard the project OF police say
IlldL lullN lllIGG lCQ pei Oli hCAC iAlio-
sing. The whole center OF the town forgot
to dine, and the crowd in the vicinity was
like that in the Place de L'Concorde on
Sept. 4, 1870.
"The Duchesse D ozes and her daughter
had stalls near the great door. They eS-
capped easily, the former unframed and the
latter but slightly injured. Henry Blount,
the promoter of the bazaar, had his beard
burned off. The report that La Marchale
MacMahOn was in the fire is not true, and
| now hear that General FeVrier escaped
with only burns on the head and hands,
mer President Grevy, and Nine. La Boul-
aye, and the DuChesse DAlencon, who, too
much exhausted to go home, sat for a long
time in a lodge unable to say who she was.
Il am told by a survivor that the panic
helped to spread the fire. Ladies whose
clothes We're ablaze ran wildly about ig-
hitting the inflammable surroundings. They
had the strength that cycling and athletics
give, but lost their heads. Still it is hard
TO keep ones head when ones clothing is
on fire. The voluminous sleeves, cheap lace
and light trimmings now worn on hats and
corsages solicited, so to speak, the flames.
Baron Reille behaved extremely well,
keeping a passage open near the door,
I a. crowds are still present
at the scene Of the disaster where the work
men have already begun TO build a high
palisade around the ruins. During the
evening NJ. Hanotaux visited the scene and
SummOne the project of police, who took
the names of all the inmates of the Hotel
du Palais, with a view, probably, OF re-
warding them for the rescue effected
through the barred windows. The landlady
of the hotel sat for hours at the windows
looking at the scene beneath and recount
ing incidents TO visitors.
"At the Palais De Industries the police
men, parading With torches that spread
smoke and the smell of rosin. give the in
terror the semblance of a huge cavern,
where everything is blurred and indistinct.
In this center is a caldron of pitch ablaze.
hung like a gypsy kettle. From time to
time a lamp bearer dips his torch In the
caldron, making it smoke with renewed
energy. Ghostly figures are moving slowly
around the corpses. Reporters are taking
notes. In the center is a huge pile Of cof-
fms. When a body is identified it is i'm
mediately placed in one of these and sent
home, mans with hands folded on their
breasts, following with the weeping rela-
tives.
This bremen found a box containing about
10000 ran and a lot OF money melted by