Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1910 — GREAT FIRE AT BRUSSELS [ARTICLE]

GREAT FIRE AT BRUSSELS

Exposition Building and Most of Vai uable Contents Destroyed. A fire at Brussels which start ed In the Belgian section of the inter national exposition here destroyed the Belgian and English exhibits ant damaged all the other sections, includ Ing the American. The loss is esti mated at $100,000,000 During the progress of the fire th« exhibit of the diamond industry wa* burned and pillagers invaded the ruin* to hunt for the gems The police has tened to the scene and were about t< seise the looters when the cry was raised that the wild animals in Bostocks exhibit had escaped. There was a wild stampede and in the midst of the excitement the robbers got away with many gems. The fire spread to Avenue Solbosch, adjoining the exposition and forty private houses are on fire there. After the exposition buildings had been blazing for some time the firemen blew up a number of buildings with a view to checking the progress of the flames.

It Is learned that among the treasnres in the French section was Rodin's piece of scripture, "Femme Acroupie." There were also in the French section eight Goblin tapestries and hundreds of paintings by the old mastera