Evening star., 1923-10-15
Home of British Kings Believed
Likely Prey of Conflagration
BY THE MARauIsE DE FoNTENol'

By THE MARQTISE DE FONTENoI.
To what extent Buckingham Palace,
the principal London residence OF
King George and Queen Mary, is eX-
posed to the danger of fire may be
gathered from the publication of
report of the royal commission which
was appointed some time ago 10 in
vestigate the perils in this connec-
tion Of the leading public buildings
of London, and to recommend the
adoption of the necessary safeguards.
1t seems that while Buckingham Pal
ace has a very elaborate system OF
fire alarms and fire-fightfng devices,
vet it has not a single fireproof door.
or floor or wall with the result
that. IL IL were once to catch fire, the
flames would probably gut the entire
huge building with most of its treas
ures and priceless archives. Buck
ingham Palace was built, in it's pres
ent form. just about hundred years
ago and has always been considered
in the light OF a white elephant and
as distasteful by the sovereigns VINO
have made their homes there. queen
Victoria hated Buckingham Palace
and declared that even the brlefest
stay there affected her health in
iuriously. Edward VII spent the
greater portion of his brief reign in
attempting to moderniZe the palace
and to render il pleasing to the eye
and habitab BILE. but without much sue
cess, while King George has, more
than once. expressed himself in favor
of converting the palace and its eS-
tensive grounds into building sites. al
huge profit TO the civil list, and
the transfer of his abode to Hensing-
ton Palace. after 1t had been sub
iected to elaborate repairs and ex-
tensions.
Royal and imperial palaces have. on
the whole. enjoyed a considerable
amount of immunity from fire, not
only in the present, but also In the
past. This is not only the case In
Great Britain, but also in most OF
the capitals of the old world. III
Great Britain only five royal palaces
have been destroyed by fire since the
Norman conquest, near a thousand
years ago, namely. the Palace OF
Richmond, in 1893. Of which today
merely the gate house remains: the
Palace OF Holyrood at Edinburgh
which was burned down by the SOL
diers of oliver Cromwell. in the
seventeenth century; the Palace OF
Whitehall, which fell a. prey TO- the
flames In 1897. only the banquet nan
escaping destruction, and the henry
VIII Palace OF st. James in 1909. Wnen
only a small portion, including the
gateway, was saved. and in 1884 the
Royal Palace of Westminster. as
signed by the crown to the use OF
parliament.
If the Tuilleries, where the, kings
and emperors of France had heto
their court, fell a prey to the names
in 1871 il was because IL had been
set on fire by those female furies OF
1 the commune insurrection VINO were
known by the name of "Petroleuses,
while the suburban Palace OF 81.
Cloud, the favorite home of Empress
Eugene, was reduced to ruins by the
German and French guns fired during
the siege of Paris, little over halr
century ago.
was burned down In 1897, when the
body of King Charles X1, which was
living in state, was almost consumed
| in the flames. The present palace
was built on the foundations OF the
old palace, which. In turn, had been
preceded by Viking stronghold. SO
| that the huge maze of subterranean
| vaults, dating back 1000 years. some
of them still awaiting exploration,
have remained we'll nigh intact and
even undisturbed.
The reigning house of Denmark
has beepa subjected to heavy losses