Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-01-26
The Tragedy in Chill.

The Tragedy in Chill
DEATH OF TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED PERSONS.
Letters from Santiago, Chill, to the New York
Times, furnish the following particulars OF the
terrible tragedy in that city
1t has been the custom lof the past five years
to celebrate the " month OF Mary with great
zeal and pomp, in the Church OF the Compania
OF Jesuit Church, situated at the corner OF the
street Of that name ann Bandera street, and
fronting the plazaela Of la Cympnia The GU
rate having organized a religious association,
known as the " Daughters Of Mary has held
annual services during said month, winding up
upon the 8th with grand illumination OF the
Church and sermon IN the evening, az which
all the members were earnestly enueated to be
present,
This year, determined to outshne all former
exhibitions, he made arrangements to ad.gn the
church with garands Oh flowers, colossal stat.
utes, AMI with an unprecedented number Of
lights He was yainly demonstrated with by
the Archbishop aud others in authority, who
reluctantly gave their consent TO the display
The church was filled with the dey0ut all day
and towards nlghliall q continuous stream Of
human beings almost exclusively women. cured
into the church until every avenue was dcnsely
packed, AMI tho steps Of the church aud lar out
into the plaza were filled with a hushed and
kneeIiDg crowd.
The doors oere nm closed, save the main en-.
trance, for the double purpose OF preventing
the confusion occasiyned by late c.mers and o.
making the voice OF the preacher more distinctly
heard At a little before seven the assistants
began lighting Up the church, and were just
finishing the grand altar, the rest Of the build
ing bong fully illuminated with thousands Of
lamps, most OF them of parafne oil, when, from
transparent crescent, at the foot Of the statue
of the Virgin, burst forth JET Of lame. The
attendant endeayored to extinguish it with his
poncho, but the inaammablo liquid penetrated
the fabric and only increased the danger.
In moment the flames dartsd up the gar
lands Of artificial flowers TO the roof the i'm
mense cupOla caught fire, and the hmIs sus-
pended from the rool by strings dropped aud ex-
ploded amongst the deusely packed mass Of
women kneeling beneath. Daruug along the
wooden ceiling, already heated to the dfynets
oil finder, the flames ran like hissiDg serpenls
the whole length Of the church, and rolled down
in huge pillows upon the compact crowd that
had instinctiye!y sought the main entrance.
During the first few moments OF surprise aud
terror, shrleks OF sorrow i0- the destruction OF
their beloved church resounded through the
aisles Of the buildings but when, rushing to the
various outlets, ali were found closed save one,
and that one impossible, loud screams Of horror
burst from Ihs despsirng multitude,
For a few moments the heart piercing cries OF
peIishing women were Increasing they gradu-
ally grew fainter and fainter, and soon an awful
silence reigned within that horrible furnace,
broken only by the angry roar OF the flames, or
the crash of falling towers. BY the lurid glare
within could be seen hundreds OF human forms,
some with :aces elevated in prayer TO Him before
whose throne they were rapidly Fastening, 9th.
ers with eyes eagerly strained and hands cut
stretched toward the outer air, importing that
assistance that il vas impossible to give moth.
ers clasping their little ones close and seeking
TO shield their darlings from the aames already
clustering their own dcspairing iea ures chill
dren cllnging in the frenzy Of despair to those
who would have gladly died for them but could
only die with them.
Inside the church and within few steps Of
the main door fronting upon the plaza, was a
group Of perhaps two hundred from the white
haired and venerable women u the infant of ten,
der years. On the right hand knelt beautiful
girl Of some seventeen years, as yet untouched
by the eager flames that poured down from
above, and by her side her sister and mother
locked in each others arm, iplthiR me reach OF
those without, who ever and anon dashed reek,
lessly through the scorchlng doorway, and in.
taectually grasped the clothing or limbs OF the
nearest. Wrlthing with terror, the horrible
group swayed TO and fro, the weaker gra iualy
sinking forward and falling, never to rise again
while the stronger battled with desperate energy
to reach the saving hands that struggled as DIES.
perately to reach them,
But all was in vain, and in an awfully briel
space Of time the wall of flame became lmpassa.
bic; the entire door OF the church was a sea of
fire, fed by the clothing of the victims aud inten-
'lfed by the dropping lamps, The roof fell in,
the towers followed, and the beliry with an
awful crash, fell across tho doorway, buryng
the scorched and kissing bodies OF those whose
suffering ives over.
The scene without the church was heart-rend.
ing, The streets were filled with the dead and
dying, and hundreds rushed lrantc4lly 10 an
fro, calling upon the names of loved ones; some
snelt In the streets to pray, some were carried
of by their friends, rayng in their grief, while
some, distracted at the thought of wife or child
perishng, rushed frantioally into the church
and were seen no more
Hundreds were taken to the hospitals aud 10
the neighboring private houses. All the physl.
clans OF the city were upon the spot, minister
ing to the injured. AT midnight the flames,
spent for want OF material to feed upon, had
lowered, aud by morning had entirely ceased
The spectacle by the glazing light of day, was
indescribably horrible, Tlco thousand corpses,
in every Stage of carboniaton from black ened
clnder to tho slightest scorch, lay in heaps
around the several exit doors, the last struggle
painfully sible in the eager position the out.
stretched hands, the staring eyeballs. The up.
per portions of the bodies were, with few ex.
eeptions, disfeured beyond recogntion-the
lower extremlIies were scarcely touched by the
flames.
The officiating priests, although as heavily
lncumbered as the woman with clothing, succeed.
cd IN escaping, wiihoW angt exception, and
the same paper which published to day a list oil
over 1000 rieiims ehOa names are unkno,pa
gives also list Of church ornaments and plate
rescued, valued at thousands of dollars f,om