Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-15
Fire Sweeps Through the
Exposition at |! Brussels |';|'
Buildings Burn Like TInder--
The Flremen Helpless.
100000 People On Grounds. -.Two
kIIIsd...$i 90, 000, 900 Loss.

/
| the Worlds Fair, as the Belgians have
called their 1910 exposition, Is tonight a
mass Of flames and smouldering ruins.
| 4 spark, falling into infiammable ma
terial in the telegraph building. burst
| up in flames, driven by high wind.
swept rapidly in all directions. Soon
| the Belgian, English and French sec
| tions were destroyed. The firemen and
detachments of soldiers, called quickly
en- the scene, found themselves banned
| by the veritable gale, which carried
the burning embers to all parts OF the
ground.
To the left of the main Duilolns
across the picturesque roofs ana spires
of "Bruexelles' kermesse." was q BEL
gian Coney Island with water cnutes'
| toboggan slides and scores OF sue
shows. This place was alive Win sun
day crowds and before they couid De
gotten out with any semblance OF oruet
| the kermesse was af1re. the crowns
became panic stricken. and men, "o-
men and children fought madly TO es-
cane. The exists became choKed "l'n
tho STRUGGLING masses and men useu
| their fists to clear the pathway. Many
| ware trampled under foot and oaoiy
| injured. ..o.
| An engine corps from Antwerp attempt
cd to dynamite the bridge of the french
| section in the hope Of checking the nre'
hu+ the flames leaped across ana Ell
| gu,fed the Italian, Russian, Austrlan'
| Iananese. Chinese and Norwegian build
| ings Forty houses on the Avenue Sol
| bosch adjoining the exposition. were de-
stroved. At the time of the outbreak
|
lating in the grounds and the kermesse
| Troops were ordered out ana came a.
donble-uuick to aid the police in clearing
| the great grounds.
This was accomplished in fair order,
except within the limits of the kermesse,
| where the vast crowds became entahsleu
| in an almost inextricable mass, ngntlne
| desperately to find an escape from the
flames which swept viciousiy tnroush
the tinder-like structures
Soon the enormous facade tumbled In
| ruins. Considering the rapidity OF the
| condensation, the small loss OF Ire is
| marvellous So far as is known up TO a
! late hour tonight, only two are dead. me
| injured, as officially announced, numper
80, but probably many hundreds received
| minor hurts.
| AZ the flames reached the menagerie 1t
! was decided to shoot the beasts, but the
heat drove back the soldiers and the AMI
mails were left to their fate. The multi
J tude of people were driven back to sate
| distance and watched the thrilling spec
| tacle of the destruction of the white
| City. Tongues Of fire mounted high into
the heavens and flaming embers were
carried off by the wind and fell upon the
residences beyond. setting them on fire.
| The loss in the Exposition fire is esti-
mated at 5OO,OOOOOO francs (s10O.0oo.ooo).
The fire was finally gotten under
control The Belgian and English
sections are in ruins, while all the
| other sections, including the Amerl-
| can were partly destroyed
| Bands of thieves engaged in pillage,
and a soldier was stabbed while at
tempting to arrest three men who n"
found rifiing a jewelry exhibit.
| The aggregate loss will be enormous
The diamond exhibitors are heavy
| sufferers.
| Many jewel exhibitors were unln-
| sured. In the French art section the
| priceless painting and scripture were
| ruined as were the rich treasures in
| the English, Belgian, Persian and
| Turkish sections. All the archives
we're burned and it will be impossible
| TO confer medals and diplomas.
| The fire was due to a short circuit
| In addition to the panic that prevailed
in the Kermesse there were several
| minor panics at other points within
the grounds and women and children
were crushed down in the rush. Some
of the wild animals escaped from their
| cages and added terror to the scene
II is believed that several of them are
| still at large.
| Relgium's White City stood near the
| end of the Avenue Louise. the fashion
able park drive which on the east side OF
Brussels leads out to the beautiful De La
! Cambre. The national building, that of
the Belgian section, rose majestically on
a slight elevation, facing the main en-
! trance. A magnificent quadrilateral Of
gardens was surrounded by the four con-
cessions of France German Holland
and Italy The Italian pavilion was built
after the Renaissanio style of the 14th
century The German section was group
ed around the main pavilion. Eight large
halls were devoted to exhibits Of railroad
|
and education. The Netherlands section
included an elevated roadbed.
One of the most striking features of the
French section was the Palace of Agri-
culture and Horticulture. special pavil-
ions being devoted to Tunis, Madagascar,
! Algeria, West Africa and Indo-China
! The Spanish pavilion offered remark
| able reproduction of the Alhambra palace
at Granada. The Court Of Lions and sew
eral of the ruins of state were represent
| ed, in which the Spanish government ex-
| hibited some Of its national treasures
such as tapestries. paintings. armors and
| jewels of the former royal families.
An interesting feature of the fair was
| the House Of Rubens, which was the Of
fetal pavilion Il Antwerp Besides rep
| resentative exhibits of all branches of To-
cal activity. the pavilion contained
retrospective exhibition of Flemish art of
the Rubens period. It was announced
some time before the opening Of the ex-
position that many of the leading muse
| ums Of the world would contribute mas
terpieces in their possession.