Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1858-02-10
DESTRUCTIVE Esre !
The Catholic College and Catholic
Church Destroyed

1t becomes our painful duty to nuonnce to
our readers that the Catholic College in this
town the Catholic Church, and the residence Of
the priest, were destroyed by fire on Saturday
night last.
The alarm was given about ii o'clock, at
which time the college was discovered TO be
on fire, and in a very short space Of time this
large and beautiful building, which had just
received the last finishing strokes of the bulls.
der, was in ruins. No accident occurred, but
owing to the hurry of the scholars to escape
the flames, many of them we learn, lost all
except their night clothes. {f}: -9Ht2a:f :
1t is supposed that the fire arose ID some
manner from the chimney. That il was solely
accidental there is no questiop-one of those
accidents which often toccar in spite of the
greatest vigilance! The church could have
been easily saved, and matybe the college also.
had there been an engine and a good supply Of
water. u 1850
We believe Tint all the Tvtaiipables Of the
church, and a gfeat deal of furniture, &c,
we're saved, but in a damaged state, of course.
Our citizens worked with a great deal Of alae :
rity, doing in fact all that men could do. to ar
rest the destroying element, and to preserve
all that could be removed from within its reach.
Nothing at all scarcely was saved from the
college building. All the beds and bedding
about eleven hundred dollars worth of books
and in fact everything almost was destroyed,
the teachers even lost their watches. After the
fire the boys were properly taken care Of by
our citizens, and their wants supplied. Thus
in the space of ha ( an hour all the proceeds
of the energy and industry Of several years of
the presiding priest and principal of the eol~
lege, Mr.. CHAMBosT, were swept of in flames
and blown away into smoke 1t was a sad
sight, TO stand and witness the steaIthy pace of
the fry element in its progress, without hav-
ing the means of arresting it, and we trust
that this last terrible example arising from the
want of a good engine, will not be allowed to
go unheeded; but that the public spirit of our
cfIlZetS VIII AZ 0Hce Oe aFeuSSu, anu Dc KEPT
aroused uaiil 6dr.town is well supplied with
every Advantage to master that most terrible
Of enemies lwSlch our homes and v~'flGdIgg99ss have
to contend #tfitth4!-FIRE. May 4 long time elalpse
before Wei are again called upon to chronicle
SO terrible a disaster as The one above record
ea.1ft.5' hitS't'@ ;'t' ~ 49,.
The entire loss IS Es ssscko1haesd al j. about $55,,
900. 1t IS to Be, hoped, however. that through
the public spirit Of oiur, citizens, The present
ruins will soon be replaced BY ediices eqpalifj
not superior to those destroyed The ,Messrs,
CHAMBosT, we learn, win not allow a day, of
idleness to intervene, ia consequence of this
misfortune, but that. in the honse that still re-
mains, there school will continue, on. as if no-
thing bad happened, until better accommodate
tons can once more be .Obtaipeds They5fee
that they have made every sacrifice in the past
for the public good, and shall do. the same for
the future.