Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/428

 direction, and rendering it more easy to judge of the extent of the disaster.

The conflagration of the upper portions of the pavilions of the Tuileries presented the most terrible spectacle that can well be imagined. The flames could be plainly perceived, and every instant immense columns of sparks rose high in the air, falling like a volcanic eruption on the surrounding quarters. From the neighborhood of Montmartre the fire could be distinctly seen, extending and reaching the gallery which connects the Pavilion Maison with the Louvre; and at that terrible moment it seemed inevitable that the depôt of such immense and wonderful treasures, once lost never to be replaced, would also become a prey to the flames. The conflagration of the Palais-Royal confounded its light with that of the Tuileries gallery.

Looking towards the right in the direction of the Place-de-la-Concorde, a long line of fire denoted the position of the Ministry of Finance, which had continued since Monday to pour forth columns of reddened smoke. In the obscurity this immense furnace, from which gigantic flames leaped forth, mingled with bright sparks from the masses of burning paper, presented a terrible picture, contrasting with the dark clouds that hung like a pall over the doomed houses of the Rue Royale. On the left, towards Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, the Palace of Justice, the Central Markets, and the Hotel de Ville, were all in flames.

Soon this immense zone, from the Place-de-la-Concorde to the Hotel de Ville, was veiled in smoke, from which jets of flame shot forth here and there, indicating the situation of the different conflagrations.

Beyond this first line, new columns of fire might be seen rising from the left bank of the Seine, announcing continually new disasters. The Conseil d'Etat, the Pal