Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-01-30
MISCELLANEOUS.
FROM SOUTH AMERICA.
THE TERRIBLE CALAMITY IN CHILE.
The Bnrni,as of Two Thousand
Women and Children in the
Cathedral Of Santiago.
INDIGNATION AGAINST THE CHILEAN
CLERGY.
Details Of tho Catastrophe.


Details Of tho Catastrophe.
! One of the most horrible calamtie5 that
has ever fallen upon any people occurred in
the city of Santiago, the capital of the Re-
public of Chill, ON the night Of the 9Th Of
| December last
The Church Of the Jesuits, in which was
being celebrated the immaculate Conception
of the Virgin, was destroyed by fire, and
with it were burned and sutiocatsd over two
thousand women and children.
One eau hardly realize the terrible catas-
| trophe that has fallen upon the people of
Chill. Whole families have been swept
away in an instant as it were, and there is
hardly home in Santiago that has not been
thrown into the depths Of woe.
The battlefield mas its horrors but they
are the incidents OF war In this case it has
been women and children who have been
destroyed, and none were able to render
them any aid. Husbands, brothers, and
fathers have had to stand by and witness
wives, sisters, and children perish in the
flames, and not be able to render them as
sistance. l give you the full account from
the Nercur.0 del jdpir of the i7th ut.,
which has all the details also, some remarks
from that paper concerning the catastrophe,
all of which are Of deep interest
| One Of those awful yisitations which from
time &c time afilict nations with eternal
mourning tOak place on Tuesday, December
s, at the festival of the immaculate Concep-
tion. in what was the Church of the Jesuits
IN the capital. A magnificent temple redu-
ccd to ashes, hundreds of dear lives sacriti-
ced, the whole city weeping its lost ones
such is the picture Santiago offers US since
| the fatal night, the anniversary of anothe
mortal catastrnphe--the battle of Longsmilla.
! On the commemoration of the immaculate
Conception, the last OF the festivities OF the
month OF Mary, the most popular and ire-
quented Of all our solemnities thousands of
fair devotecs thrunged to the last per.or-
nance, which was to eclipse all that bad
preceded At six in the evening the spa
cious steps and part of the open place before
the church swarmed with ladies in wells,
tranticaly struggling to enter a temple
where not one more could be made room
for.
4 few minutes before seven, and when
the religious performance was about to COM
mence, they were still lighting the last lights
in the chanccl, when the portable gas in the
half moon OF canvas and wood that formed
the pedestal of colossal image of the Nir-
gin Mary began TO burn one of the extremi-
ties OF that apparatus. Some one rushed on
the rising i!aIue and succeeded in smothering
it, but b. d fatal rebound the the gas, com
pressed 10y the effort, burst out with re-
doubled vigor at the other extremity of the
false halt-moon. Immediately fierce flame
rushed up. The persons who thronged the
cbancel flew towards the sacriSty crying
water water" whilst the women, who filled
the nave arose in tumultuous confusion
screaming for-hclp.
The fIe spread with wonderful rapidity
to the yercdOa of wood and hangings, and
thence, attracted 10y the current of air that
always circulates between the upper board
ing and the roof, rolled through the church.
In IA few moments all overhead was a mass
, Of flames. In the meantime the men bad
succeeded in escaping, for in this church
the sexes were separated by an iron grating,
and the women had iied as far as the middle
of the church in state of the most terrible
confusion. But the head-lOng hurry, the
tainting, the obstruction oi the bcll-shaped
dresses, and the frantic eagerness 10 gain
the street, formed an impenetrable hsyrier
before the two doors, which, by a culpahle
imprudencc, gave access to the free air only
towards the open space in front and the
small court of the west side of the church.
That obstacle was the barrier of death.
And now what appeared most horrible
was that, seeing the salvation of lives within
reach of our arms, it was impossible to save
even one of the victims piled one upon
another on the very threshold.
Hardly had the noble men who devoted
themselves to save lives At the peril of their
own, seized lay the a,nls or the clothes u
PROSTATE form, than the other women, mad
with terr)r from the nearness of the fire,
clutched the victim about to be saved, and
in some cases, dragged those who came TO
, help them into that fiery vortex.
II Was almost impossible to extricate even
one from that heap of despairing wrctchcs
and undo that ghastly not. But the fire
accomplished that which butiled man. and
the passage into the doomed church was not
cleared until that impenetrable phalanx OF
precious, beautiful life, Was Il handful of
clnders.
At midnight the smoking ruins of the
fatal temple, so soon silent chanel hnuse,
was visited. and by the light of a lantern
every slip showed TO the appalled, gaze fear
ful group of carbonized corpses that pre-
served still the supplioating or despairing
attitude OF their rightfu marlyrdom.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS.
In another account from the same paper
is found more Of the sickeniug details and
fuller particulars, ! give /: entire;
A dreadful visitation has fallen upon Us,
Truly this Is day of trouble and rebuke
for blasphemy. The voice OF lamentation Is
heard all over the hand the bitter weeping
Of fathers, husbands, brothers, and lovers,
Tor lbose Who were the ioy and mightness
oI their life, thai Tuinsrs 10 be epmloTled
because they sre not Hundreds Of young
girls, only yesterday radiant and beautiful
Ia the luxuTlahi bloom OF the fresh, hopeful
spring of lile, arc to-day ealclned, hideons
eorpses, horrible, loalhsome 10 the sight,
Impossible 10 bo reengnixed.
/ The 9th ol DecelabfT was great triumph
7 foF the clergy 0i the Church OF the Jesulls
VA santiago An snlhuslasll, audience hlled
! every nook. Theirs were HaFdly any mea
l lheTs but three Thousand women, eompTis'
ms the i"Nef vt the beauty and fashion oI
ihe capital, were a the lees VI the eecleslss'
sle,, ,siy mAny against ths slll of fathers
and hnsbaRds, bni that 0l eearse. 0nly
shared ipglh the powfl and might ~ lhe
unspel. Nsseg had saeh pygeleshny bssn
sea hrigfe lwenty lhDusaAa hglla, mosill
rapphege, in laag lssiaons sal,Fs,i
glolies, tlsfed, The Fhnnh lnta hall VI Do.
hat Us psslslnsses hsd W, fel bsgun,
shsa lll cIesf at n lls u TIA fnll III ltLa