Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-01-30

Der with grand illumin alton The correspon.
dent of the New York Times narrates the bis.
tory Of the fatal illumination Of last month as
follows:
This year determined to ontshiue oil for.
mer exhibitions, lie made arrangements to
adotn The church with garands of flowers,
colossal statues, and with an unprecedented
number Of lights He was vaiuly remon
strated With by the Archbishop aud Others
in authority, who reluctantly gave their
consent TO the display. The church was
filled with the devont all dav, and toward
night n continuous stream Of human beings,
almost exclusively women, poured into the
church until every avenue was densely
packed and the steps of the church aud
far out into the plaza were filled with a
hushed and kucelug crowd
THE do0rs uere then all closed, save the
main entrance, for the double purpose of
preventing The confusion occasioned by late
comers and of making the voice of the
preacher more distinctly heard. AT a little
before seven, the assistants begon lighting
UP the church aud were Just finishing the
grand altar, the rest Of The building being
fully illuminated with thousands of lamps,
most of them of parafne OIL when from q
transparent crescent, ut the foot of the
statue of the Virgin burst forth jet of
fame.
The attendant endeavored to extinguish
it with his poncho, but the inhamable liq
uid penetrated the fabric and ouly increased
the danger. In moment the flames daried
up the garlands Of artificial flowers TO the
roof, the immense cupola caught fire and
the lamps suspended from the roof by strings
dropped and exploded among the densely
packed mass of women kneeling beneath
Dartng along the wooden ceiling, already
heated to the dryness Of tinder, The flames
ran Ike Kissing serpents the whole length
of the church and rolled down In huge bl
lows upon the compact crowd, that had
ins,inciively sought the main entrance
During the first few moments Of surprise
and terror shrieks OF sorrow for the destruc.
tion of their beloved church resoundt
through the slles of the building; but
when, rushing to the various outlets, all
were found closed save one, and that one
impossible, loud screams of horror burst
from the despairing multitude. For few
moments the heart piercing cries of per-
ishlng women were increasing: they gradu.
ally grew fainter and fainter, aud soon an
awful silence regned within that horrible
furnace, broken ouly 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 faces
elevated in prayer to Him before whose
throne they were rapidly fastening, Others
with eyes eagerly strained aud hands out.
stretched towards the outer air, imploriug
that assistance that it was impossible tc
give; mothers claspirg their little one:
close and seeking 10 shield their darling,
from the flames already blistering their owl
despairing features; children cling ng il
the frerzy Of despair to those who woulC
have gladly died for them, but could only
die with them.
Tie news spread rapidly through the
j city, aud in an Incredibly short space o.
time, our Minister, Mr.. Nelson, Dr.. Sill
i sey, American Consul at Valpo, Henry
Meiggs aud his nephew, Henry NJ Keith
w Eaton, George Cotton, Z. 4. Pierce
5 aud number of other Americans, wer,
upon the spot hewug down doors anC
rushing into the flames to drag out he few
whose proximity 10 the doors rendered II
possible to reach them. Don Claudio
MauIerola, Don Cusodio Gallo, aud ID
E Antonio Gallo and number OF Cnilians
t also aided in the good work, but the ma
jo,ity Of the by ISLANDERS, parulyzed 10y th
D fearful sight, stood oof, while the foreign
. ers, at the most imminent risk of life, drag
u ged out ,be living, the manned, aud th
u dead, until the falling ,imbeis aud ruin c
fire from above extlnguished eveiy hope 4
u saving another victim. The most han
l. bredth escapes tesifed to he herosm {
;, these noble spirits, who unapaled b
the fearful scene hin the church, ney
J. er ceased their exeftlous, until il was bu
u too evident that not one soul remaDet
alive of oil that multitude
; Tue rescue $ approaching too near th'
denSr mass Of vlcums, We're lime aud agaii
o lied by the outstre,cbed hands OF num oers
? anu ouly saved by their own desperat
r struggles, aided by their companions frnn
D behind. But who could iuhsland the i'm
ploriug gestures Of those who upon the yer
I threshold of salvation saw fearful an
agonizing death swiftly approaching? Ii
e side the church, and within few steps ,
I the main door fronting upon the plnZ |, wa
group Of prehaps two hnudred, from th
e., wbitehaired and venerable woman 10 the il
T. fant Of tender years. On the right han
II kuelt beautiful girl of some seventee
e years, as yet untouched by the eager fame
Is that poured down from above, and by be
side her sister aud mother. locked in eac
others's arms, ,seithin the reach of those will
OUT, who ever aud auOu dashed reckess
h through the scorchng doorway aud lurt flee
le ually grasped the cloIhiug OF limbs Of II
g nearest. Writhing with terror, the ho
- rible group swayed to aud fro. the weukt
"a gradually sinking forward and falling. nevt
to rise again, while The stronger battle
10 with desperate energy to reach the savin
IT. hands that struggled Ms desperately to reac
y them But ell was 10 vain, aud in an av
L. fully brief space OF time the wsll of haU
d became impossible the entire floor OF u
ID church was q sea of fire, fed by The clotl
:" ing of the victims and Intensified by th
q dropping lamps The roof fell in; the to'
\. ers followed; and the belfry, with an aV
ful crash fell across the doorway. buryin
20 tha scorehad and hiSsinu hOuleS OF tho,