Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-01-21
AWFUL CALAMITY In CHILL.

Intelligence from South America announces q
terrible calamity at Santiago, the capital of the
Republic Of Chilli, on the 9Th ultimo. The Cathe-
dra caught fire during great religious ceremonial,
and from fifteen hundred to two thousand people,
mostly women and children, were burnt or smother
ed to death The sufferers, in their frantic efforts
to escape, closed the doors, and the press against
them prevented them from being again opened.
The flames spread very rapidly, on account of the
Cathedral being ornamented with drapery and other
light material. The following extract from let
ter, received by gentleman Of Washington, gives
some of the heart-rendng particulars. 1t is dated
at st Jago on the 10th of December:
can awful public calamity afcts at this moment this
city and the Republic The burning of the great church
Compana, which took place the afternoon of Tues
day 9Th instant has produced and caused the bitter
and profound grief hundreds of families deprived they
are by that horrible catastrophe of many of their rea-
tves daughters sisters and mothers and has spread
sternaton amongst all the people of this capital In that
afternoon TO take place solemn celebration of the
religious fesvity of that day and when the church
crowded with two thousand people, nearly all females
and young persons the principal altar took fire, and in
stanty the ames communicating themselves to the cell
ing and all the cornces and drsperies made all the ine-
ror Of the church voracious Migration. The large
assembsge, frightened and in great confusion could not
manage to get out and except the few that escaped per
shed either by asphyxa devoured by the flames.
This passed rapidly that when the police and ct
became of the accident and to the succor
of the cted, the frightul catastrophe at end
already contaminated 1t only poss Bile to wrest
from the flames few persons nearly dead and expiring
The number of victims ex ceeds fifteen hundred, and
amongst them many respectable, distinguished and be-
loved Of the city as well to the whole country. The
losss drau he
Of all Christian people"
Since The foregoing matter was prepared for the
press we have received the following detailed ac-
counts OF the sad catastrophe by correspondent
OF the New York Times, who was an eyewitness
of its narrowing Incidents:
SANTIAGO DE CHILE DECEMBER IA 1868
Since the horrible loss of life in the earthquake at
Mendoza nothing has approached in mournulness the
spectacle presented to-day by the magnificent capital of
Chile BY the conhagraton of the Jesuit Church the
evening OF the 9Th instant than two thousand victims
were suddenly hurried nto eternity by the most fearful
all possible deaths that cre 1t impossible to exag
gerate the horror Of the scenet cannot even be de-
scribed and, although eyewitness of the terrible
reality feel how utterly impossible it is to convey in
language idea Of the heart rendipq spectacle OF
Tuesday evening
III mas been the custom for the five years 10 cele
brate the month OF Mary" with great zeal and pomp in
the church Of the Compans jesuit church. situated at
the corner of the street Of that and Baudera rse
and fronting the plazuell Of la Compauia The curaIe
having organized religious association known az the
Daughters Of Mary, has held annual services during
said month winding up upon the 9th with grand llumi
nation of the church and in the evening At which
all the members we're earnestly entreated to be present
This year determined to outshne ali former exhibitions
he made arrangements to adore the church with
OF flowers colossal statues and W tn an unprecedented
number Of lights. Ho was vanly demonstrated with by
the Archbishop and others authority, who reluctantly
gave their consent to the display The church was filed
with the devout all day and towards nehtfa continuous
stream of human beings almost exclusively women poured
into the church until every densey packed
and the steps Of The church and far out into the plsx
filed with byshed and kneelpg crowd The door.
ocre then az Closed save the main entrance for the doube
purpose Of preventing the confusion occasoned bv late
and OF making the voice OF the preacher more dis
| tinctly hesrl
Alta little before the assistants began lighting nm
the church and just Flushing the grand altar the
OF the building being fully Illuminated with Thousands of
lamps most OF them OF parafne OIL when from trans
parent crescent AZ the foot at the statue of the VIRGIN
burst forth jet of flame, The attendant endeayored h.
extngush il with his poncbo, but the innammabe Eond
penetrated the fabric and only increased the danger
In moment the flames darted up the garands of ar
thcia flowers 10 the roof the imnt nse cupoa caaobt
fire, aud the lamps suspended from the roof by strings
dropped and exploded among the densey packed ass az
women kneelng beneath Darling along the wooden cell
ng already heated 10 the dryness Of nder the lanes ran
ks hssig sepents the whole length Of the chu Oh and
rolled down 10 huge pillows upon the compact crowd that
bad inshnctively sought the main entrance
During the first few moments OF surprise and terror