Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-02-11


Its advance, should it take place will comnel Il
Coneheiates u Dun The cotton grown in former ver
and will eff ctualy prevent the planting of . 60
crop IN the sP&ing OF 1864 but it will take months II
not years TO C~Gqaer Georgia and Alabama and oyo
ii conquered they will be mere w11derlts9es Tt ''u
the prospect even at the point where the Fa3srI =
tunes look brightest, and even there apv consio
success gained Dy Gen. Long erect would render i i
possible lor the Federals 10 ed7 lnce into Georoo H.
South Carolina and Virginia the Fe,Iersls are Mt. u
poweress, and so long Charleston ard Ricbmo,}
continue in the hands OF the Con. !erates thev r
continue 10 be so. After months of concpaIme,t ~
learn tina! the Feuera iron ca67 were 50 totally dei,
ed in the attack on the Confederate bate res at CL
ieston, IN April last as 10 it impossible for th
to do anything afterwards and in Virginia the Co..,
federate army s not only able to hold :hmond agaar
all the attacks OF the army of the Potomac but even -
keep that army continually the alert to defend it's
own position
The Gt-at Disaster ChIIi-s . IsoCii,s recovered
Incidents Of the Catastrophe-Tho Site of The
Church to be 'ccupisn by a Monument
The Providence Journal publishes letter received
by Mr. W. A Pearce, of Providence, from his father
resident IN Santiago Chill, who witnessed the recent
appalling catastrophe by which than thousand
human beings were burnt TO death. 1t appears that
the failure TO rescue the unfortunate victims was owing
to the idioc police system of the Chilaps The writer
says:
" hear you asking, why were those sufferers not
rescued Yes, why were they not rescued? My heart
sickens within me at the question. Those determined
stupid ignoramusss of policemen Fifty foreigners
had they been allowed to work, and to work in tbe,c
own way could and would have rescued nearly or ouie
the whole But no, always the case here on an
alarm of fire. the police place sentry on every avenue
leading to the fire. They have you knC w. no fire
engines, except some two or three old Gordon pumps
fought my way past the police one entire square
by wrestling guns and sabres from their hands, knocking
them out of my way aud being knocked in return until
L was overpowered by numbers and compelled to re.
treat and all within hearing of the most heartrendng
nfofIn hot nVoN lodi
nearly every foreigner Jared similar to mysef-was
kept back Mr.. Demilow, of the gas works. received
bayonet wound at the fire while in the act of rescuirV
young lady whom he recognized, q Miss Larrep He
had fought his way, in company with one of the work
men at the gas works. to the church and battered down
side or private door, and saw Miss L1rren she at
the same time recognized him. and called on him TO
save her.
I" He could not enter in consequence of a sheet of
flame between them. He reached bis cane to her. which
she grasped with both hands, when he and his friend
attempted to drag her through the flames but she
was 80 surrounded and hemmed in with the dead and
dying, that her strength not suffi ient They
abandoned this method and went in pursuit of some
other means to rescue her. and returned aim and
presenting themselves with the OF saving her at
the door, the police ordered them back and not needing
the ORDER he (Demilow) was bayonetted. His friends
rescued the gun from TIE policeman knocked him sens
less to the ground and made second attempt to save
the poor girl But the time lost in dispute with the
police life lost with her, This is only one of many
similar scenes.
Your brother Charles battered door down on
Gallo Bandera, Flag street, entered and found in u
small ante room some thirty females and all living bu,
like 80 many statues, perfectly unconscious He was
compelled to take many Of them in his arms and carry
them into the street and saved them all. Mr.. Meggs
and Mr. Keith fought their way through the police and
reached the church at late hour and when the tower
was falling all about them succeeded in saving several
Mr.. Meiggs saw woman still alive under crowd OF
others then dead. She recognized him and called to
2lm, saying 'fOr Gods sake save me = lie rushed
through the fire to her and pushed several of the dead
rom her. then attempted to lift her out from among the
dead, but they were 30 firmly wedged in about her and
IN her, he had to abandon that he then procured
asso, fastened that about her waist, and the united
strength of eight men could not extrcae Der from her
companions and they had to leave her amid such cries
or help as no Christian heart could endure neither can
language describe.
"The police had full charge of the front of the church.
and in such force that the foreigners could do nothing
there The police rescued but few. Axes and crow
bars were not to be had until late hour single in
stance will suffice TO show the stupidity of the police
officer OF the police set half dozen of his men
% hew or batter down of those large front doors
With their old broadswords. I he doors are made of
wo inch hard wood, double thickness, and riveted
through and thorugh with iron rives. You can Judge
he effect their old cutasses made on the doors better
han 2 can describe it.
The scene at tie church the following day was the
most revolving misunderstanding, that ever was witness
d since the world created. There were the Door
Unfortunate dead in all stages of consumption the great
n portion of them naked. But few could be recog-
lized by their surviving friends The police ordered
N the poems, or aborers; to remove the dead Those
than devils dammed-commenced
heir work with much hcrty you ever saw school
hlldren enter on some pleasure excursion. The dead
we're pulled about and pulled apart as one would pull
part tangled brushwood. You could see two or more
'eones pulling a limb Of some one buried under the
theirs, until the limb pulled from the body. Then
hey would have peon howl OF exutation, and com
1ence at another. The dead actually seperae ed
nth crowbars and picks. Limbs, heads and fragments
'ere shoVelled into carts with no more feeling than
rlsh laborerS woald have in shoveIing gravel into
allWay car. Hundreds Of bodies but partially burned
otlrely Naked tumbled into open carts and pack
up IN the cemetry in one promiscUous heap without
ven the covering of bundle of straw or bulrusb and
1ndreds OF those heartess wretches commenting and
king on the scene and all under the supervision of the
olce. have seen within the past ten years here
nongst these people, many things that were to me
ny unpleasant. But this is 80 horrifyng to the soul
az connot md language to express lay disgust TO
EN-.
Twenty-Five hundred bodies have been counted out
ON the ruins, and it is supposed many were burned
tlrely up The prevailing opinion is that the num-
II OF lives lost will reach twenty. FIVE hundred The
ant and names collected to date amount to fl
en- hundred. Many families have lost the entire fe-
ale MEMBERSHIP, seven eight and nine from one fam
!. ALI those that could not be recognized by their
rviving friends now buried in one grave or hole
place twenty-five yards square was excavated, and
10 this they were laid, or tumbIed and shovelled
" This accident has given the Catholic religion here
most severe blow that the church has ever expert
'eo Inc men express themselves openly and public
against the clergy having such complete dominion
II the females.
The city authorities have had their hands fall the
week in keeping down mob violence, as the masses
determined that the church shall not again be re,
1t.