Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-01-27
$500 PERSONS ROASTED IN CHURCH.


trophy which occurred in the Jesuit church
at Santiago, Chill, on the evening of the
9Th, has for long time startled the world.
The order of "the daughters of Mary"
were celebrating the anniversary Of 1.-The
immaculate conception" by grand relig.
ious ceremonies: the church was bril-
liantly decorated and Illuminated, and
crowded with nearly three thousand eager
devotees, chiefly women and including
most of the elite of the city. We quote
from letter to the New York Times:
This year, determined to outshine all
former exhibitions, the curate, Ugarte,
made arrangements to adorn the church
with garlands of flowers, colossal statues,
and with an unprecedented number of
lights. He was vainly demonstrated
with by the archbishop and others in au-
thority, who reluctantly gave their consent
to the display. The church was filled
with the devout all day, and towards
nightfall a continuous stream of human
beings, almost exclusively women, poured
into the church until every avenue was
densely packed, and the steps of the church
and far out into the plaza were filed
with hushed and kneeling crowd. The
doors were then all closed, save the main
entrance, for the double purpose of pre-
venting the confusion occasioned by late
comers and of making the voice of the
preacher more distinctly heard. At a
little before seven, the assistants began
lighting up the church and were just fin
ishing the grand altar, the rest of the
building being fully illuminated with
twenty thousand lights, mostly camphene,
in long festoons of colored globes, blazed
the church into hall of fire. But the
performance had not yet begun when,
from transparent crescent, at the foot
of the statue Of the Virgin, burst forth
jet of fame. The attendeut endeav-
ored to extinguish it with his poncho,
but the infamable liquid penetrated the
fabric and only increased the danger. In
a moment the flames dartcd up the gar.
lands of artificial flowers to the roof, the
immence cupola caught fire and the lamps
suspended from the roof by strings drop.
ped and exploded among the densely
packed mass of women kneeling beneath.
Dartng along the wooden ceiling, already
heated to the dryness of finder, the flames
ran like Kissing serpents the whole length
of the church and rolled down in huge
billows upon the compact crowd, that had
instinctively sought the main entrance.
During the first few moments of surprise
an 'te ror shrek sof sorrow for the destruc
tion of their beloved church rcsoundeC
through the aisles of the building; but
when, rushing to the various outlets, al
were found closed save one, and that on,
impossible. loud screams Of horror burs
from the despairing multitude. For ;
few moments the heart piercing cries o
perishing women were increasing they
gradually grew fainter and fainter, anC
soon an awful silence reigned within cha
horrible furnace. broken only by the an
cry roar of the flames, or the crash o
: falling towers. By the lurid glare within
could be seen hundreds of human forms
some with faces elevated in prayer to Hin
before whose throne they were rapid,
fastening others with eyes eagerl,
{ strained and hands outstretched toward
the outer air, imploring that assistanc
that it was impossible to give; mother
/ clasping their little ones close and seek
ing to shield their darlings from the fame
, already clustering their own despairin
features children clinging in the frenz
. of despair to those who would have glad
ly died for them, but could only die witt
: them. g 8 "a fl 81.
1t was maddening-the screaming am
e wringing of hands for help as the re
? morsless flames came on and then. Will
some already dead with fright wer
Q burned in ghastly indifference, others i
/. their horrible agony-some in prayer
a were tearing their hair and batterin
s their faces. Women, seized in the Gu
D braces of the flames, were seen to upde,