CHIRAGAN PALACE BURNED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 5

CHIRAGAN PALACE BURNED.

■The Chiragan Palace, which contained tho Turkish House of Parliament, caught fire on the luoining of Jaunary 19, and the names, fanned- by'a strong south wind, rapidly destroyed the building.. The cause of .the outbreak is unknown, and an inquiry has been opened. Tho. general belief is : that it originated from a fault-in the electrical installation. There was no victim of only, one workman was injured. . , -. The' President, Ahmed fiiza, is.greatlj; grieved at the destruction of the palace, and there is indeed -n-idßspread consternation. The palace was built entirely of marble in the Arab style. It dates from 1572, and was designed by-an Armenian architect. It is said to hayo cost more than .£4,000,000 to construct,'though from the rather modost appearance of the building it-is difficult to understand how.such, an enormous sum could have been spent over it. • ■.. ... . ; Very little of the furniture and but few of the documents were saved, says a Renter telegram. Most of the salvage work was effected by sailors of the Embassy guardshipis, especially by those of the Eussian and American vessels, who were the first to arrive: , Practically all the archives of the Chamber of Deputies', in-. I eluding a number of important Bills itt course of-examination, and the. Budget estimates, were burnt. ■:. .; The Chiragan Palaca stands at the end of the maidan or square near the historic mosque of Saint Sop'hia. It is an unpretentious building, access to. which is gained by a small courtyard, and served for many'years'as a public office. The Chamber of Deputies-overlooked the maidan, and \vith its 'seats and desks .. looked like .a lecture hall -with two small/ galleries, one ''known as the royal box,' and the, other as tho public gallery.. ' " .The ;Chiragan Palaco lias interesting associations. Here tho first Ottoman Parliament mot. at the - - beginning of the reign of Abdul -Haiiml hero Abdul Hamid was' solemnly deposed by . resolution of tjie. National Assembly; here the revolutionists sought-last April to overthrow the Constitution and tp:nrarder the PreBident of tie Chamber; here the Sultan took tho oath of the Constitution, and here he opened- the. second session of hie Parliament on December U» ,