THE CHAMBER OF HORRORS.

Shannon News, 15 May 1925, Page 4

THE CHAMBER OF HORRORS.

In the Chamber of Horrors, Vaqmer, Peace, Crippen, Thompson, and Bywaters were still untouched, but they were within an ace of destruction by water when the salvage men arrived. Other 'murderers' stood round, and water was lapping across the threshold of the chamber. DownsLair.s Royal coaches were hastily protected from water, but upstairs the finest private collection of Napoleonic relics in the world was destroyed. There are three carriages used by Napoleon— the Milan, St; Helena, and Waterloo vehicles. The last was used by Buonaparte during his last campaigns in Russia, Germany and Belgium. His coronation robes, his toilet case, and telescope, as .well as the bed on which he died at St. Helena, were among the destroyed relics.

This v,as the crowning joy of t the whole museum, and of course is irreplaceable. The present representive of the Tussaud family is Mr. John Theordore Tussaud, great-grandson of the foundress of the Exhibition, who was born in 1859. Mr. Tussaud, of cause, is feeling deeply what he speaks of as a great tragedy, though the loss of the wax models is not so vital ac that of the Napoleon relics, for they/have the original mouldings and they can be recast. A great number of original dresses have been destroyed, but accurate descriptions are possessed of these and they can bo copied without much trouble. "I do not know what will happen," he said. "Mme. Tussaud's is now run by a company under the terms of the will of my father. Before any decisions can be made as to the future, the directers will have to meet."