Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-01-22

The burning to death of two thousand
women and children in the church in Santa
90, Chill, is the most terrible calamity Of
the kind we ever remember to have read Of
Hardly fifty Of the whole congregation es-
capped
The occasion was the closing exercises Of
the Feast Of the Conception, and was to have
been celebrated with unusual splendor, the
church being Illuminated with - .0OOl lights,
one Of which, a campheue lamp. burst. as is
supposed.
The FIRE commenced in a transparency that
represented the half-moon connected with the
pedestal Of the Virgin, and as the building WIS
covered with decorations composed Of tissue
gauze and painted canvass, the flames spread
with inconceivable rapidity over the face Of the
grand altar, mounting 10 the very roof In an
instant the crowded assembly WIS overwhelmed
with CONSERVATION. Those in the centre per-
ceived the progress Of the flames FIRST while those
nearer the doors, hoping the fire would be ex-
tinguished. were unwilling TO risk losing their
places The consequence was that those from
the centre, rushing to the doors, came in mass
upon those near the door-ways while vet seated
or kneelIng on the floor. The latter were unable
TO rise IN consequence, the former fell over them,
the next behind fell on these, and SO on, until
about the doors a wall Of human bodies entan-
gled IN one another's dresses. completely choked
up every avenue OF escape into the street. The
IRE meanwhile was progressing overhead a. if
through finder. The parafene lamps fell from
aloit, discharg1ng their iniammable contents on
the Inflated victims, wrapping them in instant
in flames.
in:a moment the gorgeous church was a sea Of
flame. Help WAS all but impossible; a Hercules
might have strained his strength in vain to pull
one from the serried mass Of frenziei wretches.
who pllei one above another, as they climbed |
over each other TO reach the air, wildly fasten- /
Ell the grip Of death upon any one escaping in /
order that they might be dragged out with them. /
Some few were saved by the superhuman efforts /
Of those from the outside; but soon the mass Of 1
shrieking victims before the doors had become so
compact that no strength OF man was able to .
break 1t, and in the efforts arms were actually |
torn from their sockets
The struggle within must have been fearful.
since those who were saved were dragged out
completely naked, and many have since del
Now followed the most terrific scene mortal eve
has ever witnessed. In brief half-hour from
the breaking out Of the fire the whole interior of
the church was lake Of fame, rising far above
the heads of the shrieking sufferers, while the
hundreds of bodies massed immovably together.
burned like SO many blocks Of wood.
The fire, imprisoned by the immense thickness
Of the walls. had deyoured every thing combust-
ble by 10 O'Clock; leaving only closely packed
crowds Of calcined, distorted forms wearing the
eariul expression Of the last pang, the CHASTITY
phalanx or black statues, twisted in every vari-
'ty Of agony. stretching out their arms as If i'm
1lUrInn nd hon Of Al. l. I
'hoked up the door, multitudes with their lower
'arts entirely untouched, and some all a shane
ess mass, but with arm or foot unscathed
The belfry had fallen, and so had much of
he roof, while the walls were standing And
low imagination fails to depict the horrors of the
occasion. Where Just before had been gathered
he elite of the city, the female portion of the
most refined families Of the land, nothing remain
but lifeless bodies, blackened and charred in
cath; some piled up in all imaginable confu-
ion, some in rows yet kneeling some with the
eads burned off, others with limbs consumed.
Ihlle the rest of the body had not suffered even
lesion Thus matrons and
laidens. their servants and children. had per-
he'd in a common ruin
10 some houses not a soul returned AIothers
18th families ofdaughters had disappeared. Hus-
ands vainly sought from street to street and
ouse TO house their wives, brothers their sisters
nd parents their children.
Seventeen hundred names have been publisb-
OF persons missing, and the remains Of more ,
IAN two thousand have been borne to the GEN. !
cry. These, in some isolated cases. have
'en recognized; but the overwhelming mass
i've been perfectly undistnguishable For four
'ys crowd Of laborers was at work extracting
e remains; and nearly two hundred cart loads n
I've been carried to the cemetery. Fifty men Y
IRE there employed opening an immense exca- r
ZION TO receive them; number that proved TO !
Insufficient, and had to be augmented. The z
e occurred on Tuesday evening; aud on Satur- ;.
y evening the fearful task had not been fully
mpeted. a
Perhaps never in any land has calamity so
re and unmitigated, so sudden and awful. so
artreading and hOrrifying been recorded.
The church was about entirely filed with wo-
n and children. Of the best families in Santi cl
D. As in this church the sexes we're separa-
by an iron grating, what few men were y"
re mostly all escaped. \
l he papers arc very strong in condemnation q
the priests for their part in this sad, sad cat
rophe; and if the half be true that is stated
severest condemnation is richly deserved c.
~ are charged with imprudence in the decor tn