Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-02-12
aNistellanrous.
The Terrible Disaster in Chill.

The Providence Journa} publishes let
ter received By Mr.. W. \. Pcarce, of
Providence, from his father resident in
Santiago, Chill, who witnessed the recent
appalling catastrophe by which more than
two thousand human beings were burned
to DEATH 1t appears tina; the failure TO
rescue the unfortunate victims was owing
to the idiotie police system Of the Ghiiians.
The writer says;
Il hear you asking, why were those
sufferers not rescued? Yes, why were
they not rescued My heart sickens with
in me at the question. Those determined,
stupid isuorsmuses of policemen Fifty
foreigners, had they been allowed to work,
and to work in their own way, could aud
would have rescued nearly or quite the
whole mas. Bu; no, as is always the
case hc.e on an alarm Of fire, the police
place sentry on every avenue leading to
the fire. They have, as you know, no fire.
engines except some two or three old C2r-
don pumps fought my way past the
DOllCt usc Nhpit itiN, y "'t''t'S
aud sabres from their h.ui>, Knocking
them out Of my way and being Knocked
in return, until | was ovcrpowered by
numbers aud compelled to retreat, and
all within hearing of the most heart-rend-
ing lamentations that ever sounded on hui
mau ears. And nearly every foreigner
Jared similar to myself-was kept back.
Mr. 'Demlow of the gas works received a
bayonet wound at the fire while i'll the act
of rescuing young lady that he reeog-
nized, u Miss Larren. lie had fought his
way in company with one of the workmen
at the gas works to the church, and bat
tered down side or private door ana saw
Miss Larren she at the same time rccog-
nized him aud called on him TO save her.
lie could not enter in consequence OF
sheet of fame between them He reach
cd his cane to her which she graspel with
both hands, while he and his friend at
tempted to drag her through the flames,
but she was so surrounded and hemmed
in with the dead and the dying that her
strength was not sufficient. They aban-
doncd this method and went in pursuit
of some other means to rescue her, aud
returned again, and on presenting them
selves with the means of saving her at the
door, the police ordered them back, and
not needing the order, be (Dimlow) was
bayoneted. His friends wrested the gun
from the licemau, and Knocked him
senseless to the ground, and made a sec
ond attempt to save the poor girl. But
the time lost in dispute with the police
was life lost to her. This is only one
of many similar scenes.
Your brother Charles battered door
down on Calie Banders, or Flag street,
entered and found in n small ante-room
some thirty females, and all living, but
like SO many statutes, perfectly uneon-
scious. lie was compelled to take many
O. them in his arms and carry them into
tho street and saved them all. Mr.. .Meisgs
and ii. Keith fought their way through
the police and reached the church at Il
late hour, and when the tower was falling
all about them succeeded in saving sever
al. Mr. Meiggs saw woman still alive
under crowd Of others then dead. She
recognized him and called to him, saying
for Gods sake, save me" He rushed
through the fire to her and pushed several
of the dead from her, then attempted to
lift her out from among the dead, but they
were so firmly wedged in about her and
on her he had to abandon that. lie then
procured lasso, fastened that about her
waist, aud the united strength of eight
men could not extricate her from her
companions, and they had to leave her
amid such cries for help as no Christian
heart could endure, neither can language
describe.
The police had full charge of the front
of the church, and in such force that the
foreigners could do nothing there. The
police rescued but few. Axes and crow
bars we're not to be had until a late hour
A single instance will suffice to show the
stupidity of the police. An officer of the
police set some half-dozen Of mis- men to
hew or batter down one of those large