Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-06-02
An Awful :)iSaStpr

ohe caught fire about o'clock, while u
large congregation were attending the
evening service, and 50 rapidly dill the
DANES spread that Il number of people
were unable to make their escape, and
Sixtv-six persons, men, women and chill
lrcn. We're burned to death, and a number
of others were fatally barned or wounded,
so the total loss of life Will be over eighty
The day was the feast of Corpus Christi,
and tie priest was celebrating veSprr>
There had been special services held in
the church during the month, which is Il
succession of holy days in the Catholic
church, con>ecr;,trd to the Blessed \irgin.
and known as the - Month Of Mary
he audience was large. There We're
seven or eight hundred people at this sa-
cred service. Il very large proportion being
women, with but few children and not
hronged than the wide galleries, which
ran across the front and along the sides.
The vcspcr service was nearly through
and it WA, Is the priest, Father Dutrc~nr,
turned to the altar to con~ecratc the hos
th,t the tragedy began, lightlv-a> snch
ira redics do, and at the moment no 'llc
censor of incense kept hurung in tn
shrine of the Virgin. at the side Of tho
h,ncel, bv some cur, ent of air. tlamc
up and eau .ht the lace or muslin drnpin->
around the arch cncloseing the stcrcu
| elligv.
A Young woman, greatly beloved in til,
parish Ellen or Lena Blair. rose in he.
pew close beside the shrine and with her
fan beat i. tn. fl ,m.>, in VAN Ell Nv n
to cxtin"uish them. 1t is thr lat picture
left Of Lena. bright and fresh in hri
youth. The tlim>y draperie> We're choice.
food for the fire. which rapidly reached
upward to the top of the shrine. caught
eagerly at the light pine ceiling. AMI in 4
moment wrapped the roof above in tring
inc flame ie>s and gnawcd hungrily alony
the light galleries.
Then ali was panic The assault Wa
instantaneous; it gave no time t" ,!elibcr-
ate, no time to appreciate the fearful scene.
The survivors of the disaster hardly know
what happened. 1t was too swift fol
thought. The flame ran along the tinIcI
roof as quick as Il man could run. Hare
" one WAS there WHO did not obey the
blind instinct of >clf-pre>ervati"n
In the gallery on the western sd"
many leapcd from the windows upon tn,
scailolding of the new brick church luild
ing bcsid. the old one. and most of TIM
people on the floor chose windows or tn
inside front doors TO e>cap. All those IN
The western gallery did escape, for the
stair WY leading thence to the ve~tiinlt
was direct and easy The unfortunate
women and men in the eastern gallery
had Il far different task. Thr windows
were sheer descent, not only OF then
hinht above the floor. but of the rmb;uIh
mrnt ON which the church Stood and llil
the WAY thence t. the vest b It.. instead 81
straight stairway. WIS around Il SHARP
iouhe angle And here. in their be-!
has'e. the unfortunate creatures triprr,
| md fell, one bv one upon ano her, unit,
| he hall Beneath WAS chok"I with Il ti,'~
peratc, struggling. writhlnT mass OF hf
manltv Meantime some had PASSED
,uward the rear door thrt led t. the priest :
house in the rear, hut that, 700, VA, speed
llv jnva,ied Ivy the flames.
1t took but two minutes. The engines
were on hand then, and no tlmr was lo~
in getting streams of water ;'n the Il tn">.
which then encompas-ru all the sanctuary
and burst from the front windows amd
doors.
Then the work of cxtricrting from thc
burning huidiny the dead and dying b.
gan. The fireman. while water WAS
poured in above. entered the Vtstlhulc,
md covered by the descending torrents,
rescued the bodie, from the horrld s'pu.-
cher before the eastern door and III tn
foot of the stairs, which formed the death
trap Of that gallery. The heap of hum II
forms WAS too high to Sc the top OF ii
from the doorway, and their nu"@lc> and
their efforts had ceased. IoHlI alp taranrt
there was nothing to save OF HE. Vet jht
!irrmcn drew forth blacktncd IN Unrrcng
Unable forms, scarce bearing the : Ill
blancc of humanity. They came across
occasionally a breathing t"m
Several more We're taken from IT," SIN tn
cred mass vet breathing. and laid upon tti,
hearth ne:,r by, who Survived hut Il few
seconds. nor revived 10 CONSCIOUSNESS.
Suffered and backcncd their spa X OF lii,
WAS not strong enough to last. Bat mos
of the bodies were lielrs>, and disguise,
~ ~ltlocalion or by the five that cir,rgr.
their garments and their Ilr>h out of al
resemblance 10 what they Were.
The ruins of the church lie now a he1l
of clElrreI timbrrs AMI arches. over a hill
zen floor quite untouched by five.
The priests house adjoining it in tn
rear. a mere she'll. stood to mark the >p.;
,nl III the basement of the Ptrk >,r,'H
81 nol house, Il little WAYS south. w,r,
rows of hheou>, black clliyir~. that We,
women and men, covered with whit
cloth. TINT brought out more clearly IL,
horror of the scene.
1t was scarcely more than five minI'
after the breaking out of lie fire hef rrtl
dead We're beng taken ont OF the ,hJuc.
and thrown int" piles On the sand Mo-
Of those tlkrn out alive del almost iIAmr
diatrly If CT they wrr,. ladon the gro mi
The first thirtv-tive of the bndi,~ rc.or
cred We're taken t. the store Of i'''rr
F Monlt. and most of those recognized w re
Identified ut his store. AMI their name
were fastened to their bodies on cards
The removal of the bodies to the COO
basrmtnt of the Park street school h,u~,
WAS done ut the order of Mayor Pr:,rsone
and was an exceedingly wise move.
1t is noticeable that on III my of tho
bodies the shoes were burned through
revealing the feet and Il very singular iac,
is that the injuries of those SERIOUSLY
burned were confined to the upper port i"l
of the body. the lower limbs being but
little burned.
The church society was e>l:ibli>iic
about seven years ago. and Father nu-
fresno has been the only pastor. Ih.
parish included all the French Cuh lie,
of the CITY whose number IS c-tin,trd al
from 2OOO to $3.50 people. The clurcl
burned was erected about 1870. WAS ;,hou-
100 feet by 90. two st rics high. built en-
tireIy of pine with galleries on the -d,~
and north end, about - feet in width. an |
WAS ceiled to the rilge. There w,.r.
entrance d OrS Oh the north end, then {;
ve>tibule, whence two doors opened I'M,
the body of the church. Into this vest;-
bnle the galleries opened At ihr' ryar
end was another door. by which Il few t.
capped.
In the rear of The church was the priest :
e,ilence, anoUt 30 feet by - which W.
also destroyed!
| Explosion in Boston.
! \ terrific ana fatal explosion occurre |