New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-01-18
IAN AWFUL DISASTER IN Chill.
Conaagration Of the Church Of the
Jesuits in Santiago.
Nearly Two Thousand Per.
SONS Burned to Death.
FULL AND TERRIBLE PARTICULARS.
Noble Conduct of the United States
Minister and Other Citizens
Of the United States.
Excitement Among the People OF
santiago.
Demolition Of the Church Demanded By
the People and Decreed by
the Government.
Excitement Among the People OF
Santiago.
Correspondence Between the United
States Minister and the Cos.
eminent Of Chill.
From THE Valparaiso Mercury, Dec. II.

From THE Valparaiso Mercury, Dee II.
A catastrophe gigantic, horrible, nnexamp'ed
in the annals Of country and perhaps Of the world,
hes absorbed every ones mind for many days past
We viii use the utmost brevity In relating tho eal6ms
| ity TO our foreign readers
Ever since the newly.inyented mystery Of the I'm.
macuiate Conception OF Mary declared at Rome, ia
1851 the church Of the Company formerly tcongng TO
the Jcsas had become the focus Of devotion OF vast
Ssterlood calei the Daughters Of Mary, in Which,
payment OF SO much year almost all the Soncn Of oar
| capitol were enrolled.
Every year from the 9Th of November TO tic sth ot
Decomer the day Of the Immaculste roncepion, lasted
splendid festival IA which orchestral mec, singing
and astonishing prodieaIity Of incense, OF lights o
liquid gas, wax, and oyey luminous comls,iDc in e
world gtered and farcd IN evey part in TIE coccs.
night tle chuich bleed wi;l sea OF dlDe aad rrr-
teIed with clouds Of muslin and gsD1e drape,5es IL
could only be lighted up in time by beginning In the
iacs o. .ae ate 5no a zoe wo,S o. s,ns
lc5s they thought Of adopting hydrogen ges hut the
engineers plan, though corVenicnt and ssfc was re-
ieoted.
| priest nimed Ugarte, whose mind mariolatry ha6
married. for liz OWE, headed thai >i.erhcod from the
beginning. and WORKED his way down 10 such depth
Of superstition that oe q his ist eSrav,gances was
ths Daughters Of Mary might CORES pond with the
Virgin in writing. At the entrance Of tue temple the
Virgins letter box constantly Open aud there per-
Of Ioanst i.h deposited in sealed letters theiI
wishes and their praycrs. Every "Wednesday that
letter box az eternity was placed before the high asr
and Cgagc. WHO acted pOstrisn between IL. Mother
OF God and her daughters exhibited to tho divinity
those Off fngscf course keeping that singular CORE
spoEieace TO himself
lh mount, bank got mp religions raile for the
fyo. otthe Irgnn recent instance two prizes being
drawn by.a ,kcptical Minister OF site and "a woman
whose character was hot dubious. Tho old times 81
PAGAN .doa;ry had resGSctated ia The center OF exsg
Ths church Of the Company, built in the latter half
Of the seventeenth ceatuy possesscd aspaeous nave
hu. roof that dated only roli fifteen years ago ri
painted timber The only door OF csy access the
congregation the principal one In tho center the
small Dc leading into the ases beins opened esy
hallway AID obsucted by Wear the high asJ
there IS little door communicating With tae slcrsiy.
A few minutes before In the evening az 1asse-y
tie eth Of December more than 5000 women and lev
hundred men knelt in that church craaned 10 overflow
ing. Hove that did not prevent compact mass Of
Glatcs from attempting to .ght their way IN ron the
steps because it the last Eight OF the Month Of
Mary and could bear to lose the closing sermon
of tne priest UCarte who always succeeded y his oE
ctlg declam atoms in drowning ia tear that piece 20
soon 10 DC > Of fire. Then Ella surre me Apostolic
Nuucio ana iavoTe Of Plus IX. the io.ndsr OF The
American college at Rome. 70 preach also. IL
said tact Cgate wounded in his feelings "a chaplain q
the "iJaugh;eIs OF Mercy because Lug. ulTe Lad
told him tlat tic ihmations Of his church could net
ba compared with What he had IN Rome. etciaiUec
with enthusiasm: Il will give hin, when he comes 70
ureach, such an illumination as be world has neye;
scon.n Nobody can deny that tsartc Las A.ps h.s
word
Indeed the lighting OF all the lamps sud candle had
on TIE III alter set on FIRE lis woodwork and wrapped
in flame kind of tabernacle wholly COMPOSED o. can.
vas pasteboard and wood. In less than Two minutes
the lter, about ~ yards hgn ana ~ pgoau Was a. In.
eAtingIisl. be bonnie.
The ADVANCE OF tie fire was perhaps even more rapid
than the panic OF the audience. When rne ire nsc
Town from the altar to the roof The whole tocA OF de-
voices rus he'd ~ tac principal door. Those near the
lateral DOORS were ablo q escape of the rst alarm;
Others and particularly the men, gained tGe little door
~ tne sacrist aad lastly those near tie cnot
/ al
cling TO get in. and indeed part OF which dht yet in
even in face Of the fire. stimulated cy the dsers OF
getting "A good place, which this occasion ms9rt a
good place to die In. Then, the fames having cryFt
along the whole roof and consequently released th;
smps OF oil and liquid gas from the coInces TO Which
they were strung, rain OF liquid blue nre poured
down upon the entanged throngs below.
4 new and horrible connagrltion broke oyt then
In that dense living mass appalling the strigh'ed laH
with nictureg tensOld more awful Than iroso Nhsnh
the Cataoc imagination hns lahored 10 give NJ idea ~
The orures OF tie damned. In less than qnorter cs
an hour two thousand human beings had peg1shed-ln.
GLIDING many children, but very few mer.
| Although many heroic men performed prooigios oi
dariu, ara strength in tearing from the DEATH
grasp o. tie paIaiX o. death that clicked the doorn
sonc cases literally tearing OF their arms without be-
inc alie 10 oXtrcae thetho number OF tire saved ~
TINS means falls short Of fifty More than live hundred
lDclsous of our highest society have perished-lho
Ir.e-i ser palt Young girls OF ntcf to twenty years
One ra.te hes pe.i.hed with her daughters. Two
tlii's,, 4n H'Ctr wcst servant. al there arc many
aoasc, N wi,IG !pt one has ,scai . Several houses
gave hCel noted ~ the police IS -lnpi! peSalh" az
iue ilhablteGts aaYe pcr.sled.
i.e pUole sink ri nothing BAT 10 victims and fleI
ohstuuies All with one voice .uand the denobtloe
of the runoGs walls of the fatal temple and the oeIinS
| OF a monument TO the dear memory OF the martyrs
The municipal body solicited this by the medium oi
on the 18TH ard the Government Is resolved
on conplisnce. Resistance is threatened the pa %
the clergy but such eSAperatng and indeccrous folly
would Rbly call forth general rising ot the pope
lhe past fortnight has produced no other
worth cLioicng. and even II ~ had they NoeId nos
seem deserving Of mention IL this hight OF heavy An
| guish. ,,,
During the last week the tribunals and the Goycrh-
mcnt itself have suspended their abors. :,
The people oniy weep and their public critters ocuid
only otter tears 10 the nations mourning. 80
| SANTIAGO Dec. H. 1901
Before o'clock In the afternoon the hour appoiten
IN net,ton the President OF tho RepuDlc Iof no oe
IIiiion of the ais Of the church oi the COMPANY
numerous ami select meeting OK all the sosis oassS
had collected il the open space IN roh' W ',' &
Tho decree OF demolition having Deen siSN'a y A'
Excellence Don Gdiiermo Malta sscehaeu " ,ne
per story of tie Congress House Inc IT,, ~
the people reading the decree pfo on TX
hours before, and calling for rae ~, n's
which was enthusiastically given " 'N' "A
IT,, nr.eee,ed then 20 protest in the naue a
r.,ieion and humanity ogsinst those who attempted "
lon,7fy IA sacrilegions tho peoples longing lot tns
,a, n,on 10 wreak It's revenge on u.s." Ne aduee
snrer,titioa tries ish ana goad the ignoraht peI
ami - tho rabblo into violence; Dnt Its ieeDe enorW
are In vain because we have never sta!o LON "
arsat n,incplcs OF pure religion. fanallcism rPsesS
81 nurky nets against tho happiness and peace o. =
l--------..-.. T...Ifth Pare t'tifa