The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-01-29
The Calamity at Santiago.

The Providence Journal publishes letter
received by Mr.. w. A. Pearce of Providence
from his father, resident in Santiago, Chill
who witnessed the appalling catastrophe BY
which more than :wo thousand human beings
were burnt to death. Ii appears that the
failure to rescue the unfortunate victims was
owing TO the idiOtic police system of the
Chilians. The writer says:
81 hear you asking, why were those suffer
ers not rescued? Yes, why were they not
rescued? My heart sickens within me at
the question. Those determined, stupid ig-
noramuses of policemen! Fifty foreigners,
had they been allowed to work, and TO work
in their own way, could and would haze res
cued nearly or quite the whole mass But
no. as is always the case here on an alarm OF
fire, the police place sentry on every ave
nue. leading to the fire. They have, as yol
know, no fire engines except two or three
old Gordon pumps. | fought my way pas,
the police one entire square, by Wrestling
guns and sabres from their hands, knocking
them out Of my way and being knocked in
return, until was overpowered by numbers,
and compelled to retreat, and all within hear
ing of the most heart renilng lame ntations
that ever sounded on human ears. And
nearly every foreigner Jared similar TO nv
self-was kept back. Mr.. Demiow of the
gas works received a bayonet wound at the
fire while in the act of rescuing Young la
dy that he recognized, Miss Larren. He
had fought his way in company with one of
the workmen at the gas works TO the chm Oh.
and battered down a side or private door
and saw Miss Llrren she at the same time
recognized him and called on him to save
4 her- He could not enter in consequence of
a shee; ot fame between them. He reached
MS cane 10 her which she grasped with both
hanlS. when he and his friend attempted t.
drag her through the flames, bat she was so
and dying, that her strength was not sutfi-
eient. They abandoned this method anu
che her, and returned again, and on present
ing themselves with the means of saving
her at the door, the police ordered them
back, and not needing the order, he (Demi-
low was bayoneted. His friend. wrested
the gun from the police, knocked him sense
less to the ground, and made a second at
tempt to save the poor girl. Bat the time
lost in dispute With the police was life lost
with her. This is OILY one of many similar
scenes.
Your brother Charles battered a door down
on Gale Blandera, or Flagg street, entered
aid ion"d in a small ante room some thirty
females and all living. but Ike so many stat
ues. perfectly unconscious. He was com
PEELED 10 take many OF them in his arms and
carry them into the street and saved them
all. Mr.. Meisgs and Ii. Keith fought their
way through the police and reached the
church al late hour, and when the tower
was falling all about them succeeded in saw
ing several. Mr.. NJ. saw a woman still alive
under a crowd of others then dead. she
recognized him and called to him. saving.
for Gods sake, save me- Herushed thrsuui
the fire to her and pushed several of the
dead from her, then attempted to lift her OF:
from among the dead, bul they were so firmly
wedged in about her and on her, he had tC
F abandon that. He then procured a lassu
fastened that about her waist, and the united
strength of eight men could not extricate
her from her companions, and they had Il
leave her amid such cries for help as NJ
christian heart could endure, neither con Ian
guage describe.
The police had full charge of the front o.
church and in such force that the foreigner.
could do nothing there. The police rescued
but few. Axes anu crowoars were not tc
be had until late hour. A single instanc,
will suffice to show the stupidity of the po
) lice. An officer of the police Set some hal
dozen of his men to hew or batter down on,
of those large front doors with their ok
broad swords. The doors are made of ,w,
] inch hard wood, double thickness, and rivet
ed through and through with iron rive:s.-
iou Can judge the effect their old cutlasse
made on the doors better than can describ
!, it.
Tie Scr7e at the church the following Ga
was the most revolving, heart distressing
that ever was witnessed since the world Wa
created. There were The poor unfortunate
/ dead in all stages Of consumption, the create
r portion of them naked. But few could b
n recognized by their surviving friends. In
police ordered on the peones, or laborers, t
e remove the dead. Those demons-wors
= that devils damned-commenced their wor
t with as much hilarity as you ever saa schoc
r children enter on come pleasure excursion
n The dead were pulled about and pulled apa,
: as one would pull apart tangled brushwooc
/ You could see two or more peones pullin
!, on a limb of some one buried under the oil