Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-01-27

"" Nonooi az 'aipo, iIeury MelgSSi
aud his nephew Henry M. Keith, W Ea-
ton, George Cotton, c. I. Pearce, and
number Of other Americans were upon
the spot. hewing down doors and rush.
ing into the flames to drag out the few
whose proximity to the doors rendered it
possible to reach them. Don Claudio
Manterola, Don Custodio Gallo, and D.
Antonio Gallo, and number of Chilians,
also aided in the good work, but the ma
jority of the bystanders, paralysed by the
fearful sight, stood aloof, while the for.
elgners, at the most imminent risk Of
life, dragged out the living the MANNED
and the dead, until the falling timbers
and rain of fire from above extinguished
every hope Of saving another victim The
most hair breadth escapes testified the
heroism of these noble spirits, who. unap-
palled by the fearful scene within the
church, never ceased their exertions until
it was but too evident that not one soul
remained alive of all that multitude.
The criminal neglect to take the most
ordinary precautions against fire, or even
alarm, has been fearfully atoned. Of the
5000 persons within the pile, hut five or
six hundred escaped, and most Of them
wounded, scorched aud naked. The. rest
became wedged together, and fainting
with heat, terror and pressure, lost the
ability to help themselves or second the
efforts of those who riskcd their lives to
save them. 1t was only by almost SUPER
human effort that some few were dragged
from the tightly packed mass of human
beings at the hardly opened outlets and Of
those few, great majority only lived q
few hours
The rescuers approaching too nearly
the dense mass of victims, were time and
again seized by the outstretched hands Of
numbers, and only saved by their own
desperate struggles, aided by their com
panions from behind. But who could
withstand the impIoring gestures Of those
who, upon the very threshold of saliva
ton, saw fearful and agoniziug death
swiftly apprOaching?' Inside the church.
aud within few steps of the main door
fronting upon the plaza. was group Of
perhaps two hundred, from the white
haired and venerable women to the in.
faut of tender years. On the right hand
knelt beautiful girl of some seventeen
years, as yet untouched by the eager
flames that poured down from above, and
by her side her sister and mother, locked
in each others arms, within the reach OF
those without, who ever and anon dash.
ed recklessly through tho scorching door,
way, and Intellectually grasped the cloth.
ing or limbs of the nearest. Writhing
with terror, the horrible group swayed to
and fro, che weaker gradually sinking
award and falling, never to rise again,
while the stronger battled with desperate
energy to reach the saving hands that
struggled as desperately to reach them.
But all was in vain, and in an awfully
brief space of time the wall of fame be.
came impossible; the entire floor Of the
church was sea Of fire, fed by the cloth
ing of the victims and intensified by the
dropping lamps The roof fell in; the
towers followed and the belfry, with On
awful crash, fell across the doorway,
burying the scorched and Kissing bodies
Of those whose suffering was over. '''
The scene without the church was heart
rending The streets were filled with the
dead and dying, and hundreds rushed
frantically to and fro, calling upon the
names Of loved ones some knelt in the
streets to pray, sOnie.were carried off by
their friends raving in their grief while
some, distracted at the thought Of wife or
child pe'ishing, rushed franticly into'thc
church and were seen no more HIM
dreds were taken to the hospitals'and to
the neishboring private houses. All the
physicians Of the city were upon the spot
miDistering to the injured. At midnight
the flames spent forwant of material to
feed upon, had lowered, and by morn
ing had entirely ceased The spectacle
bv the plarino liphtAof dav was indescri-