Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1864-01-22
Gorfian Ntms.
From The Mereu.io del papir, Of Dec. u, 1863.
THE TERRIBLE FIRE IN SANTIAGO.
FROM CHILL.
MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE BURNT |!

time to time sfiot nations with eternal
mourning took place on Tuesday, December
g, at the festival Of the Immaculate Concep-
ton. in what was the Chnrch OF the Jesuits in
the capital. magnificent temple reduced to
ashes, hundreds Of dear lives sacrificed, the
whole city weeping its lost onos--such is the
picture Santiago offers us since the fatal
night, the anniversary Of another mortal cat
astrophe--the battle Of Longsmilla. On the
commemora.ion Of the Immaculate Concep-
ton, the last OF the festivities of the month Of
Mary, the most popular and frequented of all
our soiemmties, thousands Of fair devotees
thronged to the last performance, which was
to eclipse all that had preceded. At six in
the evening the spacious steps and part Of
the open place before the church swarmed
with ladies in wells, frsnucally struggling TO
enter temple where not one more could be
made room for. A few minutes before seven.
and when the religious performance was about
20 commence, they we're still lighting the last
lights in the chancel, when the portable gas
in the half moon of canvas and wood that
formed the pedestal Of a colossal image Of the
Virgin Mary began to burn one Of the ex-
tremities Of that apparatus. Some one rush
ed on the rising fame and succeeded in smoth-
ering IT, but by fatal rebound The gas, com
led vigor at the other extremity Of the false
halfmoou Immediately fierce fame rush
ed up. The persons who thtonged the chan
eel flew towards the sacristy crying water,
water" whilst the women, who filled the
nave, arose in tumultuous conlu,ion scream
ing for help. The fire spread with wonderful
rApdity TO the reredos Of wood and hangings,
and thence attracted by the current Of air
that always ciroulates between the upper
boarding and the roof, rolled through the
church In few minutes all overhead was
mass Of flames. In the meantime the men
had succeeded in escaping, for in this church
the sexes we're separated by an iron grating,
and the women had fed as far as the middle
OF the church in a state OF terrible confusion.
But the headlong hurry, the fainting, the
obstruction of the bellshApe dresses, and the
frantic eagerpess to gain the street, formed
an impenetrable barrier before the two doors.
which, by oulpable impfudence, gave ae-
cess to the free air only towards the open
space in front and the small cour; of the west
side Of the church That obstacle was the
barrier of death.
And now what appeared most horrible was
that. seeing the salvation o. lives within the
reach Of our arms, it was impossible to save
even one Of the victims piled one upon an
other on the very threshold Hardly bad
the noble men who devoted themselves 10
cave lives at tie peril Of their own, seized by
the arms OF the clothes a PROSTATE form, than
the other women, mad with terror, from the
nearness Of the Ere, clutched the victim about
60 be saved, and in some cases dragged those
who came to help them into that fery vortex
II was almost impossible to extriea,e even
one from that heap Of despairing wre,ches
and undo that CHASTITY knot. But the IRE ac-
complished that which baffisd man. and the
passage into the doomed church was not clear
ed until that impenetrable phalanx Of pre-
oicus. beautiful life was handful OF cinders.
At midnight the smoking ruins of the IA
tai temple, 40 soon silent charnel house
was visited, and by the light off lantern every
slip showed to the appalled, gaze fearful
groups Of carbonized corpses, that preserved
still the duplicating OF despa'ring attitude oil
their frightlul martyrdom.
Truly this ia day OF trouble and rebuks
for blssphemy. The voice Of lamentaton i:
heard all over the land the bitter weeping
Of fathers, husbands, brothers and lovers, for
those who we're the JOY and brightness o.
their lie that refuse to be comforted because
they are not. Hundreds Of young girls, onl,
yesterday radiant and beautiful in the luxuri-
ant bloom Of the fresh, hopeful spring OF life
are to-day calcined, hideous corpses, horrible
loathsome to the sight, impossible TO be rec
ognized.
The sth Of Deeeaber WAS great triumph
for the clergy Of the Church OF the Jesuits II
Santiago. An enthusiastic audience filled
every nook There tOere hardly any men there
bnt three thousand tDotaeH, comprising the fo0ei
of beauty and fashion Of The capital were al
the feet Of the ecclesiastics, very many against
che will of fathers and husbands. Never had
such pyrotechny been seen before twent,
thousand lights, mostly camphene, in long
festoons Of colored globes, blazed the church
into a hall of fire. But the performance had
not yet begun when the crescent Of FIRE at Ia,
foot of the gigantic image of the Virgin ovei
the high altar overAowed, aud, climbing uF
the muslin draperies and pasteboard devices
20 the wooden roof rolled torrent OF fame
The suddenness OF the fire was awful. The
dense mass of women, frightened out Of theil
senses, numbers fainting, and all entangled By
their long swelling dress s. rushed, as those
who knew that death was at their heels, to
the one door, which soon became choked up
Fire was everywhere. Streaming along the
wooden ceiling, it flung the camphene lamps
hung in rows there, among the struggling
women.
In a moment the gorgeous church was a sea
o; fame. Michael Angeles fearful picture o
hell was there, but exceeded Help was all
but impossible a Hercules might have strain
ed his strength in vain to pull one from the
serried mass OF frenzied wtetches. who. piled
one above another, as they. climbed over tc
reach the rir, wildly fastened the grip of death
upon any one escaping, 10 order that they
might be dragged out with them. Those who
longed TO save them doomed 10 bear the
most narrowing sight that ever scared human
eyeballs--to see mothers, sisters, tender and
tmid women, dying that dreadful death, that
appalled, the stoulest heart of man, within one
yard OF salvation, within one yard Of men who
would have gwen their lives over and ovei
again for them. 1t was maddening--thG
screaming and wrlnging Of hands for help az
the remorseess flames came on and then
while some already dead with fright wer,
burned ih CHASTITY indifference, Others in theIi
horrible agony-some in prayer-were tear
ing their hair and batering their faces. Wo
n,en. seized "a he embraces of the fames, yer
seen 10 undergo a Transformation as though bl
an optical dei'Ision first dazzlingly bright
then horribly lean and shrunk up. then blacI
siqiiies giOidly fired an n aDriIhfn0 attitude