The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-01-25

Monday Morning, January 25, 1864.


:
The Great Calamity in Chill.
WHY THE VICTIMS WE'RE NOT SAVED.
The Providence Journal publishes letter
received by Mr.. w. A. Pearce, of that city,
from his father, resident in Santiago, Chili.
who witnessed the recent appalling catastro-
phe by which more than two thousand human
beings were burned to death. The writer
says
Il hear you asking why were those suffer-
ers not rescued? Yes, why were they not
rescued? Ny heart sickens within me at
the question. Those determined. stupid ig-
noramuses OF policemen Fifty foreigners.
had they been allowed to work, and TO work
in their own way, could and would have res
cued nearly or quite the whole mass. But no:
as is always the case here on an alarm of fire.
the police place a sentry upon every avenue
leading to the fire. They have, as YOU know.
no fire engines except some two or three old
Gordon pumps. l fought my way past the
police one entire square, by wrestling guns
and sabers from their hands, knocking them
out OF my way and being knocked in return,
until was overpowered by numbers aud com
PEELED to retreat. and all within hearing of the
most heartrending lamentations that ever
sounded on human ears. Aud nearly every
foreigner Jared similar to myself. was kept
back. Mr.. Demilow u the gas works, re-
ceived bayonet wound at the fire while In
Lhe act OF rescuing young lady that he rec
ogni1ed, Miss Larren. He had fought his
way in company with one of the workmen at
the gas works to the church. and battered
down side or private door. and saw Miss
I.arren. she at the same time recognized him
and called on him TO save her. He could not
enter In consequence Of a sheet of flame be-
tween them, He reached his cane to her
which she grasped with both hands, when Nc
and his friend attemp ed TO drag her through
the flames, but she was so surrounded aud
hemmed in with the dead aud dying, that her
strength was not sufficient They abandoned
this method and went in pursuit OF some other
means to rescue her, aud returned again aud
on presenting themselves with the means OF
saving her at the door, The police ordered
them back, and not needing the order, he
lDemilowl was bayoneted. His friends wres-
ted the guns from the police, knocked him
senseless to the ground, and made a second
attempt TO save the poor girl. But the time
lost in dispute with the police was a life lost
with her. This is only one OF many similar
scenes.
Your brother Charles battered dosr down
on Gale Banders, or flag street, entered and
found In a small ante room, some thirty fe-
males and all living, but like so many statues,
perfectly unconscious. He was compelled to
{ Ike many OF them In his arms and carry them
into the street and saved them all. Mr.. Me-
Eggs and III. Keith fought their way through
police and reached The church at late lonr.
and when the tower was falling all about
them succeeded in saving several. Mr.. NJ.
saw woman still alive under crowd then
dead. She recognized him and called to him.
axsx. G<x.lts .,I-, II
ed through the fire TO her and pushed several
of the dead from her, then attempted TO lift
her from among the dead, but they were so
firmly wedged In about her and on her he had
to abandon that. He then procured lasso.
fastened II about her waist, and The united
strength of eight men could not extricate her
from her companions, and they had to leave
her and such cries for help as no christian
heart could endure, neither can language de-
scribe.
The scene at the church the following day
was revolving, heart distressing, that ever
was witnessed since the world was created
There wern the poor unfortunate dead In all
stages Of consumption, the greater portion of
them naked. But few could be recognized
by their surviving friends. The police order
ed on the peones or laborers 10 remove the
dead. Those demonds-worse than devils
damned-commenced their work with as
much hllarity as you ever saw school children
enter on some pleasure excursion. The dead
were pulled about and pulled apart as one
would pull apart tangled brushwood You
could see two or more peones pulling on a
limb OF some one buried under the Others. until
the limb was pulled from the body. Then
they would have apeon rejoice and howl OF
exultiou, and commence at another.
The dead were actually separated with
crowbars and picks. Limbs heads and fra u