The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-01-29

calcined, hideous corpses, horrible, loath-
some to the sight, impossible to be recog-
nized.
The 9Th of December was great tri-
umph for the clergy of the Church of the
Jesuits of Santiago. An enthusiastic au-
dience filled every nook. There was hard
ly any men there but three thousand
women, comprising the flower of the beau
ty and fashion of the capital, were at the
feet of the eclesiastics, very many against
the will of fathers and husbands but that
of course, only showed forth the power
and might of the gospel. Never had such
pyrotechny been seen before twenty
thousand lights, mostly camphene, in long
festoons of colored globes, blazed the
church into hall of fire. But the per-
Torrance had not yet begun when the
crescent of fire at the foot of the gigantic
image of the Virgin over the high altar
overlooked, and climbing up the muslin
draperies and pasteboard devices to the
wooden roof rolled a torrent of flame.
The suddenneSs of the fire was awful.
The dense mass of women, frightened out
of their senses, numbers fainting, and all
entangled by their long swelling dresses,
rushed as those who knew that death was
at their heels, to the one door, which soon
became choked up. Fire was everywhere.
Streaming along the wooden ceiling, it
flung the camphene lamps, hung in rows
there, among the struggling women.
In moment the gorgeous church was
sea of flame. Michael Angeles fearful
picture of hell was there, but exceeded.
Help was all but impossible; a Herculee
might have strained his strength in vain
to pull one from the serted mass of fren-
zied wretches, who, piled one above an
other, as they climbed over to reach the
air, wildly fastened the grip of death upon
any one escaping, in order that they might
be dragged out with them. Those who
longed to save them were doomed to bear
the most narrowing sight that ever scared
human eyeballs-to see mothers, sisters,
tender and timid women, dying that
dreadful death, that appalled, tho stoutest
heart OF man, within one yard ofsalvation,
within one yard of men who would have
given their lives over and over again for
them. 1t was maddening-the screaming
and wringing of hands for help as the re-
| morseless flames came on and then,
while some already dead with fright were
burned in ghastly Indifference, others in
their horrible agony-some in prayer
We're tearing their hair and battering their
faces. Woven, seized in the embraces of
the flames, were seen to undergo a trans
formation as though by an optical delusion:
first dazzingly bright, then horribly lean
and shrunk up, then black statues, rigidly
fixed in writhing attitude.
The fire, imprisoned by the immense
thickness of the walls, had devoured every
thing cOmbustible by ten O'Clock: and
then, defying the sickening stencil, people
came to look for their lost ones. Oh,
what sight the fair, placid moon looked
down upon! Closely packed crowds of
calcned, distorted forms, wearing the
fearful expression of the last pang, whose
smile was once heaven; the CHASTITY
phalanx Of black statues, twisted in every
variety of agony, stretching out their
arms as if imploring mercy; and then,
of the heap that had choked up the door,
multitudes with their lower parts entirely
untouched, and some all a shapeless mass,
but with an arm or foot unscathed
The silence, after these piercing screams
were ,hushed in death, was terrible. 1t
was the silence of the grave, unbroken
but by the bitter wall or fainting cry
two thousand souls had passed through
that ordeal fire to the Judgment seat of
God.
Heroic acts of sublime daring have not
been wanting. Enduring gratitude has
been excited in every Christian heart by
the gallant efforts of Mr.. Nelson, the Min
lister of the United States, his country
man, Mr.. Meiggs, and several other for
eigners. There were generous men who
defied the fury of the flames to save lives
and some of these died martyrs to their
noble hearts. An Englishman or an
American, it is unknown which, was seen
to rush through the flames, to sieze in his
powerful arms lady, stride with her a
little way, and then, with his hair in a
blaze, and choked with fame, fell back
into the volcano never to rise again. A
young lady named Ovello, having in vain
implored some bystanders to save her
mother, rushed in, and shortly afterwards
miraculously issued forth with her parent
in her arms, saved. A young lady of the
name OF Solar, Just before the smoke sutfO
Gated her, had the presence of mind to tie
her handkerchief round her leg, so that
her body might be recognized
The writer now continues to speak of
the cause of the fire, and to whom the
blame for the catastrophe is attributable
He handles the clergy in the most severe
manner, and says: The population of
Santiago, so supine and SO priest-ridden,
are fired with indescribable Indignation at
the monstrous conduct of the priests. The
public conscience holds them guilty of the
death of all these victims, and particularly
the mounte5ank, Ugarte, the inventor of
of the Virgins Post Office imposture (see
extract from the Review of the fort
night,') because, by collecting together
all the material most likely to produce a
fire-a countless number Of lights, paste
board scenery and muslin hangings-and
admitting vast crowd, and covering the
one door open with screen, they took
every pains to bring about a tragedy.
When the fire broke out and the people
Nv ho ;,fx hox