WING COLLAPSES

Hokitika Guardian, 24 December 1931, Page 5

WING COLLAPSES

IN VATICAN LIBRARY POPE’S NARROW ESCAPE. LITERARY TREASURES LOST. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY', December 22. A press telegram from Rome reports that the ■entire night wing of 'tlie Vatican Library, which was built in the year 1588, crashed late this afternoon, following upon the collapse of the roof top. Fv.rtum.tcly, a, gre.,t p rt of the Library staff as well as a number of workmen who had been engaged in effecting repairs, -had left the Library’ shortly before the collapse, but it : is still uncertain whether there have been any casualties. All of the available Fire Brigades in the City of Rome rushed to the assistance of the Vatican Fire Brigade, which were . overwhelmed by the task set them. The section of the Library Building involved constitutes about one-quarter of the whole Library, and it is estimated that about ten thousand volumes have been buried aihong the debris—some of them of great value. „ TWO FLOORS GIVE WAY. FOUR PERSONS BURIED. ROME, December 22; The. Pope, who was formerly the Herd Librarian tof the Vatican Library, had just left the Library a few minutes 'before the fall of the structure. The Pope escaped possible death by only ten minutes/ v When he was told of the occurrence he sank to his knees in prayer. He had been visiting the workmen. An alarm was received by the workmen when they heard fierce crackling noises. They jumped to the lower scaffold, and thence jumped to the ground.

It is believed that the pairs had weakened the foundation of the right wing. Th#crash itself was due to the collapse of three of the central pillars of the roof, the fall of which involved two floors. The contents were hurled to the ground. Three workmen who were employed on the. upper roof, and Doctor Vattasso who were- engaged in the Research Room below, are missing. It is believed that they were buried in the debris. . The Pope is deeply concerned over their fate. He urged that every effort be made to extricate the victims. * The walls of the building are still standing, thus resulting in the saving of some famous masterpieces. FATE ,OF LIBRARY TREASURES. MANUSCRIPTS AND PORCELAIN. ROME, December 22. Among the thousands of volumes buried when the Vatican Library wing collapsed, some are of great value. They include among other precious manuscripts, the letters received from Martin Luther in reply to Pope Leo the Tenth’s first warning to Luther on his heresies. It is hoped that the majority will be recovered. The other treasures include a copy of King Henry the Eighth’s Tract against Martin Luther, which won him and his successors the title of “Defender of the Faith.’’ The fact that the walls of the right wing remain standing means the saving of the famous frescoes by the pupils of Giulo Romano 'in the upper ’•oom, known as “‘The Room of One Hundred Days.” There were also on the shelves of the Room over twenty thousand volumes of manuscripts, but many pieces of porcelain, which were sifts from royalties to the .Popes, have been destroyed, including the Sevres Font at which the Prince Imperial was christened, and which the Emperor Napoleon the Third presented to Pope Pius the Ninth, who was the Prince 'lmperial’s godfather. DEATH OF DOCTOR. ROME-, December 22. At the Vatican Library rescue and salvage efforts were continued all night. On hearing a faint cry. the searchers recovered Doctor Vattasso, who, however, died while en route to the hospital.