Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1864-02-20
Terrific Tragedy in Chilli.

From Correspondence o. sbe n, Y Times,
A catastrophe gigantic, horrible, unCx.
ampIed in the annals of our country, and
perhaps Of the world, has absorbed every
ones mind for many days past. We will
use the utmost brevity in relating the Gala
nifty to our foreign readers
Ever since the newly invented mystery
of the Immaculate conception Of Mary was
declared at Rome, in 1851, the Church Of
the Company, formerly belonging to the
Jesuits, had become the focus Of devotion
Of vast SistoIhood called the Daughters
Of Nary in which, on npayment of SO much
a year, almost all the women of our capital
were enrolled,
A few minutes before I o'clock in the
evening Of Tuesday, The St of December,
more than 5000 women and a few hun.
dred men knelt in that church. crammed
to Overaowiug However that did not
prevent compact mass of fanatics from
attempting to fight their way in from the
steps, because it was the last night of the
Month Of Mary, and no one could bear to
lose the closing sermon Of the priest Ugarte,
who always succeeded by his exciting de.
cIamations in drowning in tears that place
20 soon to be a sea of fire. Then Eizaguir-
re, the apostolic Nunco and favorite Of
Plus IX the founder of the American col
Iege at Rome, was to preach also. 1t is
said that Ugarte, wounded in his feelings
as chaplain of the Daughters of Mary
because Eizaguirre had told him that the
lIuminotions of his church could not be
compared with what he had seen in Rome
exclaimed with enthusiasm. II will give
him when he comes to preach, such illu
limitations as .he world has never sccnp
Nobody can deny that Ugarte has kept hiI
word
Indeed, the lighting of all the lamps ant
candles had hardly flushed, when the iquit
gas ina transparency on the high altar
set on fire its woodwork and wrapped il
fame akiud of tabernacle, wholly 3ompoS
ed of canvass, pasteboard and wood Ii
less than two minutes the altar, about q
yards high and 10 broad, was an unextin
' gnisaablc bonfire
The advance of the fire was perhap
more rapid than the panic of the audience
When the fire had flown from the altar Il
the roof, the whole flock ofdevotees rushe
to the principal door, Those near the lat
= eral doors were able to escape at the frs
alarm; others, and particularly the mer
e GAINED the little door Of the sacristy; an
= lastly, those near the chief outlet force
e their way through the throng, even st
e struggling to get ill., aud, indeed, part {
J which did get in, even in the face of til
j fire. stimulated by the desire of getting
r g00d place, which, ON this occasion, meal
c good place to die in. Thcu the flame
| having crept along the whole roof, ant
d consequently, having released the lamps
oil and liquid gas from the corDices
8 which they were 8Irung, rain Of liqui
$ blue fire poured down upOn the cntanglc
= throag below
Q A new and more horrible conhagratio
y broke out then in that dense living mas
n appalling the aitrighted gaze with picture
v ten fold more awful than those wherei
l. the Catholic Imagination has labored
}, give an idea of the tortures Of the damne
l. In less than a quarter of an hour about tv
e thousand human beings had perished, i
e cluding many children but very few me
c Although many heroic men perlormt
n prodigies of daring and strength, in tearir
some from the death grasp of the phaaI
o of death that choked the door, in son
n cases literally tearing of their arms, Wit
lie ont being able to extricate them, the nul
e. ber of saved by this means falling short
l. fifty.
re The reScuers, approaching too nearly t
1r dense mass of victims, weretime and aga
r. seized by the outstretched hands of nul
i. bers, and only saved themselves by the
Is own desperate struggles, aided by the
or companions from behind. But who cou
K withstand the implorug gestures of tho
le who upon the very threshold of salvatio
is saw fearful and agonizing death swift
p approaching9 Inside the church, and wit
n in few steps of the main door frontil
p upon the plaza, was a group of perha
he two hundred, from the white haired a
6, venerable woman to the infant Of tend
e. years, On the right hand knelt q beau
le full girl of some seventeen years, as yet I
~ touched by the eager flames that pour
NJ down from above, and by her side her 5
rs tor and mother, locked in each othe
ot arms, pihm the reach Of those witho