Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-11-14
Given Only Forty-eight
Hours to Remove Val
liable Collections.
FAMOUS JEWELS SAFE


PARIS, oct 25-Many conflicting
reports have been published of the
circumstances under which the art
treasures of Paris We're placed in
safety while the Germans were ap-
preaching the capital. Albert Dali
mier under-secretary for fine arts,
now gives the exact details in an in
terview published here.
"As early as August" Mr. Dalimier
says, 81 had considered with my col
leagues that measures to be taken to
save our art treasures from the
eventuality of the German invasion.
We did not want to alarm the public
by taking such steps before they be-
came absolutely imperative. II was
only when Won Kluck approached
Paris with remarkable rapidity that
we decided to act, and we were
obliged to act quickly. They gave
me forty-eight hours to pack up the
rarest objects of our collection and
send them out of Paris by railroad.
to be sheltered in an important city
of the south of France. The task
was arduous and delicate. The most
insignificant incident might compro-
mise the operation hOpelessly and
the rapidity with which we neces
sarily acted inevitably developed soma II
nervousness. In a very short time
we established list Of no canvasses
that we considered 1t necessary TO
put into place of safety. Only 25O
pictures were removed from the
museums in 1870 during the siege of
Paris; comparatively our task was
far greater Some experts declared
that 1t was impossible in view Of
the mobilization of the greater part
or the personnel of the museums. but
we were determined to make the
maximum effort All the furniture
moving houses in Paris were called
upon by telephone to send every
available moving van Immediately
and the removal of the pictures and
statuary began at once. The Venus
de MILO, which weighs three tons pa.
us the greatest trouble after which
the most delicate operations were the
paGkihg and removal Of the precious
objects and furniture of the Gallery
or Apollo at the Louvre
Removal of Diamonds.
"As for the Crown diamonds Their
| removal was delicate task that
Henri Marcel, director of tbe National
Museums, and myself decided that we
could not delegate to anyone. Pro-
curing an ordinary leather satchel
| we placed the diamonds in II and leit
for the railroad station at nightfaI.
| The situation was disquicting. for a
number of reasons The station wa,
crowded, the streets full Of people
hurrying out Of Paris before the ap-
/ reaching army.
I'VE dined at the buffet Of the rail
road station-very poorly. because the
responsibility of the safety of those
jewels spoiled our appetites. 1t
seemed to both Of us that the eyes OF
| every person in the restaurant wels
fixed upon that leather bag. and it
occurred to us what a simple matter
1t would be for an all-designiug au-
uacious person to make a consiae,.
| able haul that evening in the confu-
sion Of the exodus. We succeeded in
getting places in the train. crowded
| to overflowing with panicky passen-
gers When we arrived at o1r
! journeys end, we were not at the end
! Of our troubles with those famous
! jewels. 1t was almost impossible 10
| find safe in which to put them We
| had been proceeded, it seemed, by
! cyeIy owner Of pearl necklace in
! Paris and all the boxes of the only
safe deposit places in the city We're
! already filled. We finally found an
empty drawer In the safe of brantI
# a Partisan bank, and It is there the
| jewels OF the crown have been IN
| safe keeping ever since, always under
the watchful eye Of men from the Flno
| Arts, men detailed by the bank. anI
all Of them supervised by private de-
! teCtyes
Guarding the Art.
"The watch over the paintings an,
| objects OF art is an even more inn
| portant affair. They filled scores OF
moving vans assembled in large
| courtyard where there were formerly
shoe shops, locksmtths and small
| tradespeople Of all sorts, who gave up
| their Establishments in order to con-
| tribute TO the safety OF the national
art treasures All of the doors lead
| ing to the court We're sealed up, bars
| placed on all windows. fire fighting
apparatus installed, and constantly,
day and night, the entire block around
this court was patrolled by terri
torials with fixed bayonets
"In addition the art treasures Of
the Louvre and other Paris museums,
such as the Luxembourg and Cluny,
the chateauX OF Fontainebleau and
Ccmpiegne were stripped Of every
thing that was movable, and the
greater part Of the art treasures OF
Arras nave also been saved"