DETAILS OF THE CONFLAGRATIONS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12587, 17 August 1910, Page 5

DETAILS OF THE CONFLAGRATIONS.

A TERRIBLE NIGHT

Received August 10, 11.55 p.m. BRUSSELS, August 16

Tho British section, which was the principal one of the Exhibition, was completely destroyed.

The French wins court perished in y minutes.

The Dutch and Spanish sections were seriously damaged, but others suffered less. '■'■.".

Priceless pictures in a, separate building were unharmed1..

A safe containing 140,000 francs^ of tho Exhibition's takings has been recovered from among the charred and twisted masses of ironwork. .

Denies and minarets have been reduced to broken, masonry.

Troops are preventing further looting. ■

Tho fir© spread with, terrifying rapidity.

There were, frequent deafening reports of explosions of chemicals. The fire invaded the menagerie, and eight gendarmes with rifles.were ordered to shoot, but tho order was countermand ed for fear they' might shoot the croAyd.

The. elephants, white'asses,-and monkeys were' freed cand ©scaped, but the lions, tigers, and others were bm-nt. The .firemen were prompt, but in many houses there was no water service. The people of Brussels .were in pitiable anxioty throughout the-night. ... . . Thowv-siro rumon-vu that. Muldreds of people are dead. . Lloyds do not believe.^the less will exceed half a.million,. white the total insurance is a ■million. • -..