Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-02-03
AWFUL DISASTER IN CHILL.

An awful disaster occurred in Santiago the CAPT.
tai Of Chill, on the 9th of Decemo.r. The Imulac-
uate Conception was being celebrated in the church
Of the Jesuils. 1t MAS about o'clock in the even
ing, aud the crescent of light (gas) that formed the
pedestal for the Virgin Mary fired the wood upon
which it rested, and the flames sprung wildly over
the building. There were ten Thousand persons in
the church. The suddenness Of the fire .was awfuk
The dense mass Of women frightened ont Of their
senses numbers faintng, and all entangled by their
long swelling dresses, rushed as those who knew
that death at their heels to the one door, which
soon became cboked up Fire was everywhere. &
Streaming along the wooden ceiling it flung the
camphene lamps, hung 10 rows there, among the
struggling women.
In moment the gorgeous church was seq Of
fame Michael Angelo s.fearful picture of hell as
there but exceeded. Help was all but impossible
Hercules might have strained his strength in vain
to pull one rou, the serred mass of fenxied wretch
es who piled one above another.as they climbed
over TO reach the air, wildly fastening the grip of
death upon any one escaping in order that they
might be dragged out with them. Women seized
in the embEaee'of the flames were seen to underg,
transformation as though by an optical delusion-
first dazzling bright then horribly lean and shrunk
up, then black statues rgidly fixed in q, writhing
attitude The fire, Imprisoned by the immense
thickness Of the walls, had devoured everything
comhushble BY 10 O'Clock, and then, defying the
sckening STENCIL people came to look for their lost
ones The silence, after the piercing. screams of
, the burning we're hushed in death, was horrible
1t was the silence of the grave, unbroken but by
the bitter wall or faintng cry. Ocer tho thousand
souls had leaped through that ordeal Of FIRE to the
judgment seat of God. = - -
The writer referring to the fire, handles the cler
gy in the most severe manner. and says the popula
tion of Santiago fred with INDISPENSABLE indig-
nation at the monstreus conduct of the priests,
holding them guilty of the death Of all these VIC
tins, and particularly the monntebank Ugarte, the
inventor Of the virgins Postotice !" imposture
which reqdired countless number Of lights paste
board scenery, &c.
When the fire broke cut they blocked up the
door Of the sacristy to devote themselves more un.
| disturbedly to saving. their "giuIcracks" They
saved gilt image, some wooden saints, chalicss,
and q. great deal of sacred mating After saw.
ing their trash they fed away, except one priest,
who favored the agonlzed victims with his absolu.
ton ,+5- a.s-t. i. -
More. than Ave hundHd persons of the highest
cast persisted; the greater part young girls Between
fifteen and twenty years Of age. One mother per.
ished with her five daughters. Two-thirds Of the
| victims we're servants. Several lhonses have been
noticed BY the police as enpty, because all thar
inmates have persisted
The latest information Is that seventeen hundred
bodies have been r.cognizsd. Three thousand, q,
least we're in the budding snd 1t is not yet known
wmany have escaped.-Rieh Eeaminef?!
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