Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/352

 of the Louvre, and it was time that every effort should be made to save it.

M. Barbet de Jouy caused the delegates of the Artistic Federation then in the Louvre to be seized. Iron chains were placed across the gates to prevent the entrance of the Federals into the court, they having already stolen the keys.

Unhappily the flames attacked the Library, where, notwithstanding the efforts of the guardians, the fire was not extinguished until after the arrival of the Division Vergé, when the firemen, aided by a company of engineers, finally mastered the conflagration.

Thus, with the exception of the Library, the rich collections contained in the Louvre have been saved. The building itself has suffered some damage from shells, all of which, however, can be easily repaired. The fire in the Tuileries continued to smoulder for several days.

After gaining possession of the barricade of the Rue Royale, a portion of the troops of General Douay advanced along the Boulevard de la Madeleine, where they took possession of the barricade in the Rue Luxembourg after four hours' hard fighting. The Maison Giroux was occupied in force, and the surrounding houses suffered severely in consequence. Over sixty dead were left upon the ground after this engagement.

While this success was being achieved by the soldiers of General Douay, the troops on the Boulevards Haussmann and Malesherbes advanced to attack the strong barricades on the Place de l'Opera and Chaussée d'Antin, preparatory to an assault on the Place Vendôme.

The first of these barricades, which commanded the Boulevard des Capucines, and the Rues Auber and Halévy, was guarded by the 117th battalion of National Guards. The attack was begun about noon, and conducted on both