Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1864-01-25

4 f1ron thSVafDarsiss Aoseury. Dee II. d
"a catsetropbss gigsasic, horrible, uncx.
auj0led ios1ha aDesis of our country, and
nerhaps OF the world, hes absorbed every
ones mind Tor many days past.
We will use the utmost brevity in
rslssisg tho calamity to our foreign read
Crs.
Ever since tho newly invented mystery
OF the Immaculate Conception Of Mary was
ssclared at Rome, in 1857, the church Of
''the Company" formerly belonging to the
Jesuits, bad become the focus 81 devotion
Of = vast Sisserbood, called tue Daughters
Of Mary, in ~hicb, on payment OF 80 much
: year, almost eli the women OF our capt.
tai wake enrolled.
Every year. from the 9Th Of November
to the 9Th Of December, tie day Of the
,lmmacuiste Conception, lasted . splendid
feet,val. ia which orchrestal music, singing,
ana astonishing prodigslity OF Incense, q
liehts al oil, LIQUID gas, wax, and exefy 10
r,iuous combustible in the world, glittered
and fared IN every part, in the cornices, 10
the ceiling, and particularly on the high
altar. Every night the church blsxed with
= sca Of flame, and lattered with clouds o.
muslin and gauze draperies. II could only
5o lighted up IN time by beginning IN tne
middle Of the Afternoon, aud the w0rk VI
ex,inguishing was only ended when the
night was lar ADVANCED. In 1858 thcJ
though oi adopting hydrogen gas, Dot the
engineers plan, though Convenient anu cate,
was rejected. ~
A priest named Ugarte, whose mind
matioiatfy had u,srked for rs own, beaded
that S,sterhuod fOm tbs beginning, and
worked his way down ~ such . depth ci
~ superstition, that one OF his least cx.rava-
vsrces was the invention Of Celestial post
..nics trick, by wLie1 the Daughters oi
Mary might correspond With the Virgin IN
/ wrisiug. At The entrance Of the temple
tLe Virgins letter box was Constsutly Open
and there persons Vi q robust faith deposit
cd in sealed letters their wisbes aud their
prayers Every "Wednesday that letter
oox for eternity WAS placed before the Llgt
altar, aud Usaste, who acted as lo'tma"
between the mother vi God ard her daugb-
| ters, exhibited TO the divinity those offer
ings-of course keeping that singular cor.
| respondence 70 himself.
THIS same mount, bsnk got ~ religious
| r. fl for the layor =! ,hc Vugn-in q re.
cent Instance two rfize, being drawn by a
skcptlci. Minister vi State and a wnrnsn
| whose character was not dubious. The
aid times 0! pagan idoiatry had resuscta,ed
| 10 the ccutre oi exaggerated Catholicism.
] The church Of tue Cou.psnt," built in
the latter bali Vi the seventeenth century,
POSSESSED spacious nave, but roof that
! dared only from fifteen years ago 81 painted
! timber. The only door OF easy access to
| .hc congregation was the principal ons III
tho center, the an sil doors leading iuto tie
| asles, being opened opiy half way and Oh
structed by screens. Near the high alta,
there vas . little door communicating With
the sacrlsty.
A fsw MINUTES before in The evening Of
| Tuesday, the Btu Of December, more than
| 1900 women and few hundred men kneit
IN that church craUmed to ovsl flowing.
| However that did not prevent compact
| mass Of ieua ties from attempting to light
! Their way IN from the steps, because it was
| tie last night OF the Month Of Mary, and
no one could bear ~ lose the closing SER
mon OF the priest, Ugarte, " no always sue
ceeded by his exciting declanations IN
drown ing q tears that place 50 soon to be
| sea Of ire. Taen Enquire, the Apes
| tolic Nuncio and tavorlSe Of Plus TX, the
founder OF the ADe, lean college at Rome,
was to preach also. Ii is said that Ugarte,
wounded in his feelings as chaplain vi the
. Daughters ci Mercy" because Enquire
had told him that the iiiumina;ions Ut tbs
church coad not DC compared wisb what
ne had seen in Rome, exclaimed with en-
;bus:asm: II will give HIN, when ne comes
60 preach, such an illumination as the
xo, i'd aas never seen" Nobody can deny
that Ugartc las kept his word!
Never bad .uch pyrott chny been seen
long festoons Of cplored globes. bazed the
church into Hall If Fire.
But the performance had not yet begun
when the crescent OF tire q, the foot OF the
gigantic image Of the Virgin over the high
altar, over flowed and climbing up the II us-
lin draperies and pasieboavd devices to the
wooden roof, rolled torrent Of fame.
The suddenness oi tie fire was awful.
The dense msss ol wonen frightened out
Of tLeir senses-Bumbers iaintipg aud all
eneaagied by their long swelling dresses,
rushed. "a those " DO kne ~ that death was
At their 1eeis, to the one door which soon
became chooked up. Fire was ever, here.
Streaming along :be wooden ce,Mng, 1t
flung the psraffine lamps hung 20 rows
there among the Struggling wcmeG. Ia a
moment the gorgeous chu .cl was sea oi
a~me- M!chae; Angelo. {, ar al picture Of
tieii v as there, but exceeded.
lie advance OF TIC fire vas terlan.
ven t0oee RAPID ihsp tie pane vt The audi
euce. Wben the fire nad foxa i.ou, the
altar to the rooa, the Whole li3ch al nevc-
tees rushed 10 the principal door. Tuu.e
near the lateral door were able TO sacspf,
At fhs FIRST alarm; Others, AID particular
the men. gained tue iit,lc coor vi The
,scristy, and lastly. those near the CHIEF
iutiet, forced thei way through tie Ghrorg.
even still struggling TO get N, aud IN ieeo
part OF wt'ch d,d get IN, even In tue lace |
4 the fire, stimulated by the ,tca,re to get |
Gool piece, which on this occasion meant
! good place to die in. Tben, the flame.
laurg crept along tue whole root, end |
sUnse quentiy released the lamp, OF Gil and |
liquid gas from the cornice to which Il ey
we're strung, ram u liquid, blue fire pou.-
I'd down upon ths cnisnsie. tlsons, De. |
low.
uelp was all but impossible. A Hercules !
night nave strained lis strength III vain to |
pull one from The serrlci mass of ;renzied |
~te.cie~, who, piled one above another az |
LEY climbed over to reach the air. Wild, |
astened the grip Of death on any one es- |
,spIng IN oruer that they might b. dragged !!
,ut with them. Those whu forged 10 save |
hem were doomed 10 bear the most ha-- |
'owiag sight that ever scared human eye- |
,zls.
To see mothers, sisters, tender and timia !
= omen, dying that dreadful death that M.
fanf aSf ha. a