BIG BLAZE AT AN EXHIBITION

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 880, 18 August 1910, Page 3

BIG BLAZE AT AN EXHIBITION

BRUSSELLS, August 15. A disastrous fire occurred at the Brussells Exhibition. The outbreak is aM(ributed either to the fireworks or to the short circuit of an electric wire. It began at nine o’clock at night in the Belgian section and the facade on the eastern side was soon ablaze. The flames spread with extraordinary rapidity, aided by the wax mannequins of the Brussels dressmakers. The Belgian section was soon an unbroken sheet of flame, and thence the fire spread to the British division, both sections being consumed in fifty minutes, including the GrinlingGibbous carvings, and the Morlaix tapestries, priceless furniture, and the Bradford tableaux showing the worsted industry. Only documents were saved before the cry of “Saupe qui pent” (Let him save himself who can) was raised. The high wind caused the sparks to scatter everywhere, and the French, Danish, Russian, Norwegian, Spanish, Austrian, Japanese and Chinese sections were soon involved. The whole of the left side of the Avenue des Nations, and also forty bouses in the Avenue Solbosh adjoining the Exhibition, were destroyed.

Sappers finally blew up the building with melinite. The machinery hall is still threatened. Numerous thefts are reported. An Apache stabbed a soldier who was arresting him. Fortunately the public are excluded from the buildings after six o’clock, but the grounds were filled with enormous crowds watching the fireworks. There was considerable panic among the spectators, the worst being in the section of the grounds showing a reproduction of ‘'Old Brussels.” Here the hurrying crowd became bewildered in the maze of old streets, which were totally destroyed. It is reported that two people were killed, and thirty injured. The animals at Bostock’s show escaped, and were afterwards shot. The fire originated through a short circuit in an illuminated device at the entrance to the Belgian section. Sparks fell on to some splendid needlework and artificial silk exhibits. Large portions of the Belgian and British sections and the French alimentation court were wholly destroyed. Very few of Bostock’s animals w«te lost. The British loss is chiefly old furniture from Kensington Museum, specimens of porcelain, unique furniture from private collections, reproductions of British plate and many pottery and textile exhibits. The British loss in within ,£IOO,OOO. The French newspapers exaggerate the entire loss to a million francs. There was no loss of life, but 25 persons were injured. The Exhibition remains open, Brussels, August 16. The British section, which was the principal one of the Exhibition, was completely destroyed. The French wine court perished in eight minutes. The Dutch and Spanish sections were seriously damaged, but others suffered less. Priceless pictures, which were hung in a separate building, were unharmed. A safe containing 140,000 francs of the Exhibition’s takings has been recovered from among the charred remains of twisted masses of ironwork. Domes and minarets have been reduced to broken masonry. Troops are preventing further looting. The fire spread with terrifying rapidity, and there were frequent deafening reports of explosions of chemicals. The fire invaded Bostock’s menagerie, and eight gendarmes with rifles were ordered to shoot, but the order was countermanded for fear they might shoot the crowd. The elephants, white asses, and monkeys were freed and escaped, but the Hons, tigers, and others were burnt. The firemen were prompt, but in many houses there was no water service. The people of Brussels were in pitiable anxiety throughout the night. There are rumours that hundreds of people are dead. Lloyds do not believe the loss will exceed half a million, while the total insurance is a million.