The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-09
ONE LIFE is LOST
BURNING OF THE THEATRE FRAN
CAIS, WITH MANY OF IT'S
RARE TREASURES
MILE. HENROIT ONLY VICTIM
ANOTHER ACTRESS ESCAPED IN
COSTUME, WITH THE AID OF
THE FIREMEN
VICTIMS MOTHER rs CRAzED

VAO4AM y MO4AEh Id ChALEU
Ran Bareheaded to the Theater
When She Heard the Alarm of
Fire, and Called DlstractedIy for
Her beautiful Young Daushter-
Burning of the Theater an-Act of
MaIeVOlence.
PARIS, March g. II p. m.-The Theater
Francois, the historical play house, the
home Of the world-famed Comedie Fran
caise, is now a mass of smoking ruins.
Only the outer walls are standing The
dome has collapsed, and the interior is
wreck. The magnificent ceiling. bear
Ing the allegoricM painting by MazerolIe,
the ceiling painting by De Bufe, the
younger, of Truth Enlightening the
World, which adorned the foyer, and a
numbar of other mural tableaux and
works of art, together with a portion of
the invaluable library of manuscript, per-
1shed in the flames. Practically all the
sculpture, however, was saved and re-
moved to the ministry of finance, which
faces the site of the theater on the Rue
de Rivoli. The priceless statue of Vol
taire, by Houdoin, one of the chief
beauties Of the foyer, escaped by being
enveloped in a pile of thick mattresses.
The only victim Of the fire, so far as is
known, was Mile Henroit, beautiful
young actress of nineteen, whose photo
graphs have been displayed in the shop
windows along the boulevards as a type
of beauty. She came of a theatrical
family, and her mother had been filing
an important role at the Theater An
tome.
1t was, however, only matter Of an
hour that saved Paris repetition of the
Opera Comique catastrophe, as a crowd
of women and children had already gath
cred at the doors, awaiting the opening
of the matinee, when the alarm was
raised. Had the performance begun, few
perh 3s would have escaped, owing to
the rapidity with which the flames
| spread, settling the fate of the building
| before the firemen could get to work.
ALARM GIVEN.
The staff Of the theater, actors and ac-
tresses, had arrived, the scene shifters
We're busily preparing the stage for the
matinee, when passersby perceived smoke
curling up from the windows near the
roof. The alarm was given, and men
rushed inside the building, shouting
fire. A general scramble ensued for the
doors, and it was thought that all had
escaped But it was. learned afterwards
that several persons in the upper stories.
including Mile. Henroit, had been for
gotten.
Meanwhile the fire department had
been summoned, but twenty minutes
elapsed before the first detachment ar
| rived, and then only handpumps were
brought. Finally steam pumps were
brought up and then it was found there
was no water
1t was 2:45 p. NJ, nearly three-quarters
of an hour after the alarm was raised,
before an adequate stream of water was
poured into the burning building, which
was by that time quite beyond help The
thick cloud of smoke which arose and
formed a heavy pail over the theater
acted as magnet to the Parisians, who
floclzed to the scene in crowds.
lie Francais is in fames," spread from
mouth to mouth, until the news had
reached every quarter, and nothing else
was dicussed, as the home of French
! classical drama had as much attraction
for Frenchmen as the capitol at Wash
ington has for Americans.
An immense crowd assembled at every
point from which a view could be OBJ
| tained. The crowds at first were order
| ly, but eventually the troops had to be
| summoned to keep the crowds back, as
| sist In saving the sculptures, paintings
! and other articles, which were being
hastily lowered from the windows and
heaped in the square, or being carried
! into the stores nearby. During the
confusion thieves cut several paintings
| from the frames, and got clear away. In
| one instance the police actually assisted
| them, under the impression that the
! thieves were workmen from the Coincide
| Francaise.
The actual cause of the outbreak has
not been determined, as the alarm came
from the outside, but the back Of the
stage was first consumed the scenery
| burning like tinder. Owing to a derange-
ment of machinery the fire curtain could
| not be lowered, and the auditorium was
soon a mass of flames.
MILE. HENROITs FATE.
Miles. Outlay and Henroit were on the
sixth story preparing for the matinee
Mile. Outlay said:
"I was nearly dressed when I smelled
smoke which entered under the door. /
pushed the do. wide open and found
utter darkness. The corridor was filled
with smoke which choked me. I rushed
along the corridor and reached window
where I shouted for help My cries were
heard below, and a fireman mounted q
ladder, tied a rope around me and low
cred me to the ground just in time, as I
could feel 1 was about to faint
Mile. Outlay was dressed in costume
ready for the performance
Mile Henroit's maid states that she
left the dressing room with her mistress,
but the latter completely lost her head,
and, instead Of descending, rushed up
stairs and sought refuge in another room,
where presumably, she was asphyxiated.
The firemen found Mile. Henroit lying on
the floor Only her face had been burned.
The body was carried out and placed in
an ambulance car, a dozen of which were
drawn UP in front of the door. Her face
was so much burned that she was un-
| recognizable The body was taken to the
morgue, where it was identified by M
Coauelin manager of the Comedie Fran
caise by the clothing. Meanwhile the
mother Of Mile. Henroit had rushed to
| the scene bareheaded, and calling wildly
cealed from her as long as possible, and
| when It was finally told to her she was
distracted with grief.
Mile Henroit's dresser was badly burn
| ed, but not seriously. Many of the fire
men were injured, chiefly by the sitting
fumes.