Evening star., 1923-10-15
BY THE MARaUIsE DE roNTENoY.

BY THE MARaUISE DE FoNTENOY.
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 to in
j vestigate the perils in this connec-
ton of the leading public buildings
of London, and to recommend the
adoption OF the necessary safeguards.
It seems that while Buckingham Pal
ace has n very elaborate system or
fire alarms and fire-fightinG devices.
vet 1t has not single flreproof door,
or floor or wall, with the result
that, IL II were once to catch fire. the
flames would probably gut the entire
huge building with most of It's treas
ures and priceless archives. Buck
ingham Palace was built. In its pres
ent form, just about hundred years
ago and has always been considered
in the light of a white elephant ana
as distastefuI by the sovereigns who
have made their homes there. Queen
Victoria hated Buckingham Palace
stay there affected her health In
iuriously. Edward VII spent the
greater portion of his brief reign in
attempting to modernfze the palace
and to render II pleasing to the eye
and habitable. but without much sue
cess. while King George has, more
than once, expressed himself in favor
of converting the palace ana It's e1-
tensive grounds into building sites, at
a huge profit to the civil list, and
- A1 q HanGtnR-
ton Palace, after It had been sub
jected to elaborate repairs and ex-
tensions.
Royal and imperial palaces have, on
the whole, enjoyed 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 or
the capitals of the old world. In
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 1898, of which today
merely the gate house remains; the
Palace Of Iolyrood at Edinburgh
which was burned down by the SOL
diers of Oliver Cromwell, in the
seventeenth century; the Palace or
whitehall, which fell prey to the
flames in 1897, only the banquet hall
escaning destruction, and the Henry
VIII palace of st. James in 1909, when
oniy a small portion, including the
ga1eway. was saved, and in 1884 the
Royai palace of Westminster, as
signed by the crown to the use OF
parliament.
If the Tuilleries. where the kings
and emperors of France had held
their court, fell prey to the names
in 1871 IL was because II had been
sat on fire by those female furies or
the commune insurrection VINO were
known by tho name OF Petroleuses,
| while tho suburban Palace or et.
Cloud, the favorite home OF Empress
Eugenie. was reduced to ruins by the
German and French guns fired during
the siege of Paris, u little over half
century ago.
The royal palace at Stockholm
was burned down in 1897, when the
body of King Charles XI, 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 well nigh intact and
even undisturbed.
| The reigning house of Denmark
i! has been subjected TO heavy losses