New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-16
EXPOSITION TO REOPEN
Belgium Will Wait to Clear
Destroyed Sections.
ENGLISH LOSSES HEAVY
Many of the Valuable Paintings
and Tapestries Saved by
Officials.

Brussels, Aug. 13.-Tt will take many
days to place the Belgian exposition in
q. fit condition for reopening. although a
large majority of the buildings are still
intact. The known loss caused by the
fire which swept through the White
City Yesterday is between $4,000 900
and S10000.0O0. This is chiefly confined
to the Belgian and British sections, but
the damage by smoke and water has
been general and will add materially
to the total loss.
The American section escaped the fire.
The art exhibit was in a building two
miles distant from the flames
The French loss is confined to the
building in which foods were displayed
and the pavilion of the City of Paris,
containing industrial exhibits and models
from the schools of art
The recovery of valuable collections of
Jewels helped to reduce the first est
mate of loss The magnificent collec-
ton of precious stones, owned by Bel
gians. and valued at 100000, was IN
earthed from the ruins. unframed
There was considerable pillaging. after
and during the course of the fire, and
thieves made a heavy haul. Gendarmes
caught a number of the Iooters who had
in their possession scores Of rings and
bracelets from the French jewel ex-
hibit
It Is believed that Parliament will vote
extra credits for the purpose of clearing
away the ruins and constructing new
buildings.
The ruins of the burned sections are
still smoking. though all danger of a
renewal Of the fire is past At meeting
early to-day the executive committee
decided TO close the grounds for a few
days in order to clear away the ruins OF
the destroyed sections. The exposition
then will be reopened-
It is impossible to give exact losses in
the fire which wiped out last night sec
tons of the fairylike architecture and
caused the loss of two lives and the
injury of thirty persons, but the damage
will run into millions OF francs.
The entire Belgian and British sec
tons; the whole kernesse of Brussels.
the Coney Island Of the exposition, with
its water chUtes, toboggan slides and
other special entertainments: and every
thing west of the Avenue des Nations
we're destroyed. but by heroic work of
the fremen and troops in the early hours
Of the morning and their use Of dynamite
in blowing up buildings in the path Of
the flames, the fire was checked.
Practically everything in the Ameri-
can. Danish. Russian, Norwegian, Aus
TRAN. japanese, Turkish and Swiss sec
tons was saved Only the facades Of
the Italian and Spanish sections and
about third Of the entire French
section. the latter containing a valuable
art collection, Were burned.
The most valuable art treasures. which
had been loaned to the exposition or had
been acquired by it, including eight
thousand valuable gobelin tapestries, a
large exhibition of jewelry, many paint
ings. marbles and ancient furniture
were removed by the police, firemen and
employees beyond the reach Of the flames
and the pillaging criminals who at
tempted TO take advantage of the dis
aster.
The reproduction of the house of Ru-
bens at Antwerp. the official pavilion of
the city Of Antwerp, containing master
pieces of Flemish art of the Rubens
period, collected from the galleries of
the world. was not even scorched by the
flames.
In the Belgian and British sections
the flames spread with such extraordi-
nary rapidity that nothing was saved
except the plan Of the coming interna-
tional exposition at Turin, in 1911. a
strong gale carried the conf1agration
through the kermesse, which contained
a Sunday crowd of nearly one hundred
thousand, a I such speed that it is con-
sidered miracle that the panicstricken
masses escaped with SO few casualties.
The British loss is very heavy. 1t in
cludes Tudor panels from the Toronto
Museum. Morlaix tapestries and furni-
ture from the collections of Bernard
More. on which he refused to set any
price. They were insured for $500 600.
Most of the French dressmakers' exposi-
tons, which we're insured for millions
were saved.
A few of the wild beasts in the mena-
gerie. escaping suffocation in the flames
which drove back the soldiers and at
tendants endeavoring to put them out Of
their misery. were shot by the troops
who found them covering in fright in
various parts of the grounds.
HTIGF WALL, RURIES LABORERS