The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-08-25
HEAVILY WOODED SLOPES OF
GREECE MADE NAKED BY
FLAMES.
SUMMER PALACE BURNS
King Constantine's villa Is Ash Heap
Ruler Saved by CorpOrals
HerOism.


forest of Tatoi, the pride of the late
King George of Greece. and the sum-
mer residence of his son, King Con.
stantine, is no more. The once heav-
lily wooded slopes of Mt. Parnes are
as naked today as those of Mt. Pen
telicon or any other of the Attic
hills. The tens of thousands of dol
lars spent in cultivating flourish
ing pine wood. as an example Of
what might be done with forestry in
barren Attica, have been burned up
rs completely as II the bank them
selves had been thrown in the fire.
The lives Of three officers, 1870 SOL
diers and an unknown number Of
shepherds and villagers have added
tragedy TO the disaster.
King Constantine's villa is heap
of ashes. Even the age-old pines
surrounding the grave of King
George were felled TO save the tomb
itself from dissertation. Only the
old kings palace, now the property
of the Dowager Queen Olga. remains,
saved by the fact that an open space
had been left about the building for
the sake of the view.
over a month of unprecedented
drouth in Greece and a consistent
mean temperature in the neighbor-
hood of 10 degrees in the shade has
turned the whole of Greece into a
basket of dried chips For fort
night before the fire at Tatoi reports
had been coming in from Missolon-
CHI, Patras, Megara and the forest
of Thebes, Kineta, Chalois, Camari-
"a, Trichonia, Names, Pyrgos. Agoul-
initsa and the Island of Scyros of
forest fires in which millions of trees
were being destroyed. The fire at
Megara and in the forest of Kineta
is still raging and is already greater
In extent than that at Tatoi.
II was only upon the morning of
the 14th, however. that the gener-
al plague spread to the vicinity OF
the capital. The fire is supposed
to have started near the ancient for
tress known as the Palaeokastro of
Katsimidi, in defile near the sum-
init of Mt. Parnes, only some four
miles as the wind blows from the
Chateau of Dekelia at Tatoi. In a
few hours the flames spread over an
advancing front of six miles and
were sweeping down the slopes of Mt.
Parnes, where Sophocles lies buried,
with. the royal summer place directly
in their path.
At once the order was given to re-
move the furniture of the royal villa
to Athens. The king himself, ac-
companied by the chief of his per
sonal bodyguard, Capt. Ellie Chrysos-
! paths, by Lieut.. Col. Dellaporta and
Lieut.. Kouloumopoulos, took auto
mobiles and went toward the advanc-
ing flames. Four regiments of in
fantry were ordered from Athens
and one from Chalcis to try to stoI
the fire, but the parched pines were
like finder and nothing could be
done. The acrid smoke obscured ev'
erything. sweeping in clouds even
to Athens. An entire company OF
infantry was surrounded by the fire
few escaped unscorched and some 20
burned beyond recognition.
The flames approached so rapidly
the place where King Constantine
and his three companies were sta
toned that the sovereign found his
retread cut Off, and was forced to
leap down some Is feet into gully
spraining his ankle so badly that il
was with the greatest difficulty thai
he was able to proceed further. Cor
poral Alexiadis came upon the mon
arch in this state and half carrying
him managed to get the king to 9
place of safety. King Constantine
has made the corporal knight of the
Order of the Savior for his hero
ism.
Meanwhile Col. Dallaporta, Capt
Chrysospathis and Lieut., Kouloumo
poulos, blinded by the smoke, were
unable to find their way out OF th'
forest. All three were burned alive
At five o'clock in the afternoon II
was deemed necessary for the queer
and her children to fee Tatoi fol
Athens. An hour and a half later
the king himself was forced to leave
after having given orders to cut tbs
trees around his fathers tomb, to is
olate II from the flames. BY nigh
the FIRE had cut the Northern Rail
way to Larissa and destroyed Tho
telephone and telegraph wires. The
whole sky to the north OF Athens wal
Z Redeemed by the flames, which rapid
ly approached Kephissia, seven and
half miles from Tatoi and only eigh