The Oskaloosa herald., 1910-08-18
BRUSSELS SHOW
] WILL Be REOPENED
Fair Closes Until Fire Debris Can
Be Cleared.
aasr7 - .
Loss IS OVER ESTIMATED
evER-EsTIMATED
Valuable Paintings and Other Art
Treasures Are Saved From Flames
THAT Destroyed Many
I&igs Buildings.


Brussels, Ang, 16.--The, executive
committee OF the Belgian exposition
which was partly destroyed by FIRE
entailing damages amounting to mil
lions, decided to close 1t for a few
days In order to clear away the ruins
OF the destroyed sections. The expo.
sition win then be reopened.
The ruins OF the burned sections are
still smoking, though all danger of a
renewal of the fire is past.
1t is impossible today to estimate
/, closely the damage caused by the fire
that wiped out the fairy-hke struc-
lures and caused two deaths and thirty
injuries.
The losses, however, will not be 20
great as was at first believed, when
during the excitement of the confla-
grafton they were estimated roughly
at 500. 200, 900.
Flames Checked by Dynamite.
The entire Belgian and British sec
lions; the whole Kermesse OF Brussels,
the Coney island of the exposition,
with water chutes, toboggan slides
and other special entertainments, and
everything west Of the Avenue des
Nations, were destroyed, but by he
roic work OF the firemen and troops
In the early hours of the morning, and
the 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
trian, Japanese, Turkish and Swiss
sections was saved. Only the facades
Of the Italian and Spanish sections
and about one-third Of the entire
French section, the latter containing
q valuable art collection, were burned.
Art Treasures Escape.
Fortunately the most valuable art
treasures, which had been loaned to
the exposition or acquired by 1t, in
Guiding 5000 valuable Gobelin tapes
tries, a large exhibition of jewelry and
many paintings. marbles and ancient
furniture, were removed by the po-
lice, f1remen and exposition employees
beyond the reach of the flames and
the pilIaging criminals who attempted
to take advantage of the disaster.
4 The reproduction of the. house OF
Rubens at Antwerp, the oficiaI pa
yilion OF the city of Antwerp, contain |
ing masterpieces of Flemish art of the |
Rubens period. collected from the gal |
leries Of the world, was not scorched |
even by the flames. ~f
In the Belgian and British sections !
the flames spread with such extraor-
binary rapidity That nothing was saved |
except the plan of the coming interna- |
tionaI exposition at Turin, Italy, In |
1911. A strong gale carried the con- |
Migration through the Kermesse. !
damned with Sunday crowd of near |
iy 100000 at the time of the outbreak,
with such speed that it is considered |
a miracle that the panic-stricken |
masses were gotten out with a loss !
no greater than two killed and thirty
injured.
British Loss Heavy.
The British loss is very heavy. II .
includes Tudor panelings from the To- |
ronlO museum, costly Morlaix tapes |
tries and priceless furniture from the !
collections of Bernard More, on which |
be refused to set any price. They
were insured for 100000. Most of !
the French dressmakers' exposition. |
which were insured for millions, were
saved. 4
I A few of the wild beasts in the me-
nagerie, which escaped suffocation in |
the flames as they drove back the sol. |
diers and attendants endeayoring to |
put them out Of their misery, were |
shot down by the troops, who found |
them covering in fright in various |
parts of the grounds.
The exposition managers announce
that in spite Of the confagration and !
the destruction of SO many features /
OF the fair they hope that the exposi-
4 Tar, x..fTT T..