The Republican journal., 1875-06-03
An Awful Catastrophe.

Nearly one hundred persons We're burned
to death. The facts of this terrible affair
are rs follows
The day was the feast of Corpus Christi and
the priest was celebrating Nespers. There had
been special services held in the Church during
the month"; which is a accession OF holy days
III Inc catholic Church, consecrated 10 the
blessed Virgin and known rs the month OF
Mary The audience in the church was large
mere Were seven or eight hundred people at
ms sacred service, very large proportion be-
ing women. with but few children and not
many men. The main floor was not more
1hronged than the wide galleries. winch ran
across the front and along the sides: The
Ne>per service was nearly through, and 1t was
as the priest Father Dufresne turned 10 the
altar to consecrate the host that the tragedy
began. lighty-as such tragedies do, and at the
moment no one who looked on thought of dam
ger. The censor of incense kept burning in the
shrine of the Virgin, at the side of the chancel,
by some unkindly current of air famed up and
caught the lace or muslin drapings around the
arch enclosing the sacred ettigy. A young wo-
man, greatly beloved in the parish, Ellen or
Lena Blair rose in her pew close beside the
shrine, and with her fan beat at the flames. in
VAN endeavOr to cNtinguish them 1t is the
last picture left OF Lena, bright and fresh III
her hopeful YOUTH more about her fate no
one knows yet. The tlimsy draperies were
choice food for the fire, which rapidly reached
upward 10 the top OF the shrine. caught eagerly
ut the light pine ceiling. and in ;t-mere moment
wrapped the roof above i'm fringing flame lets
and gnaWed hungrilv along the light galleries.
| hen ali was panic. The assault was instant
aneouS; il gave no time to deliberate, no time
IT, appreciate the fearful scene. The survivors
ot The disaster hardly know what happened 1t
WAS all too swift for thought The flame ran
along the Under roof a> quick rs man could
run. Hardly one WAS there who die not obey
lhe blind instinct of Scli-preservation. In the
aulery ON the western side many leapcd from
NE windows upon the scafodin9 Of the new
brick church building, beside the old one, and
most OF the people OH the floor chose windows
ur the inside front doors TO escape.
All those in the western gallery did escape,
tur the stairway leading thence to the yeStibue
WAS direct and easy. The unfortunate women
and men in the eastern gallery had far differ
tn task. The windows Were a sheer descent,
NOT only OF their height above the floor but of
the enbanknem on which the church stood
and then the way thence to the Ne>tibule, in
Stead OF a straight stairway, was around Il
sharp, double angle And here, in their hot
haste, the unfortunate creatures tripped and
Tell, one upon another, until the hall beneath
was choktd with desperate, struggling. with
uig mass OF humanity.
Meantime some had passed toward the rear
door thai led 10 the priests house in the rear
but that, too, was speedily invaded by the
flames. Ii took but two minutes. The engines
were on hand then. and no time was lost in
Then enc0mpassrd all the sanctuary and burst
from the front windows and doors. Then the
work of eXtricating from the burning building
lie dead and diving began. The liremcn, while
water WAS poured in above, entered the yesti-
hule. and covered by the descending torrents,
rescued the bodies from the horrid sepuchre
before The eastern door and at the foot of the
stairs, which formed the dcath-trap of that
gallery. The heap of human forms was too
hugh To see the top OF 1t from the doorway, and
their struggles and their efforts had ceased.
TO all appearance there was nothing to save of
life, Yet the faithful tremen drew forth black
rned and unrecogniZablc forms, scarce bearing
The scnblance of humanity. They came across,
occasionally, a breathing form.
one Young woman was taken out and car
ried into Il house near by, to revive and ask for
water, and appear hopefully on the road to re-
r1ycfN. \ man, too, was lifted to his feet.
and, after little While of cazed unconscious
ness, could walk homeward. Several more
were taken from the smothered mass Yet breath
ing, and laid upon the earth near by, who sur
YiVed few seconds, nor revived TO conscious
ness; stiifened and blackencd, their spark of
Tile was NOT strong enough to last. But most
OF the bodies We're lifeless. and disguised by
@nlcation or hy the fire that charred their gar
lnelIts and their flesh out of all resemblance to
What they were.
The catastrophe was 50 sudden 50 swift, so
pauscleSs, that few were cool enough To observe
lis mlnuti:t The ruins of the church lie now
heap of ChaIred timbrrs and arches. over Il
hidden moor quite untouched by fire. The
lau eta,,I =, }nrl,lo,' 80 va, ~ III, ~
>,,nt ond il, M. I,,a,,,rnt - tIi ,,,I &c.,,
-rhoul-houSe, a little ways south, lie rows of
hldeOus black elfigles that We're women and men
only few hours ago, covered with white cloth
thf snt iTT Nf;Il .;, i4i, - o " , vi
- ,.r H. tI.l ,,,l ,''' ~ pio'"l'S VIZ mar
10 hooking to the SENSE rs these victims of the
burned church of the French Catholics.
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II Nc .itti,,, LII ~ ia il, tl f1I t
r,Ilcrv when 1I,r fania. lrnl,a ant no at.in,;a,
At 1,,ca alono The g.orv toward tho it.r ,itith
tl. intention ct ra,t.;o[t dn,,rn ia lnr,,i ,
ta,[ IJa rnl,Ii NOT 10 III ,,a t',,i ,
Ia Ill via ta ,nnti,,J ~ M NM ttt e.,
as tha fa,,a- roa.had thn Inv hoo,.i Of tI,o VAT
tbe,, seized ,,,,o, ii 80 u,,or tinlnr ana I'M, ~
ntira tanath If tla chmrh ,s fet ',' ,' ,,it
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ja rot,I nt find ho MA at io., 49, ',i,'
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md llhnr ma torTuo,C i,iiev ~ tI Laa1 mf tb
ti, i, ''' =, ei ~ ~ ~ H.
ferror-sfricken wrrtrbns nnino ioyvn 10 tbair
certain Lorrihlr dn,th Nj ponr'ira,, az
,onred toward line stoirs ana ehontn5 tn tbo,o
IN bolI hack and nat rr,,sl, aac,, otber IA nni
heard m, Ler,eI him AMI .sainr no bona ~ M
caua In tIut 6irt.Gt;, he l.,,.1 f,,o1i liza OH,
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t ~ ~ ,'ei,tS anu NOV ny
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tcs ANA thnn ,.,,,r .,,i o. sa a,o"' MI. .iel
If a1',,a Ma ,i' 9 fr = " Ho'ic 'i.ls
n u,l,I1 .,oin tLn,, t Ii,i,,9 " nii, sd
triand A. al r,.',, If ,,oI,,'- ~, r hi,is
II tha t;rst rn;tta1 ~ th heano,t ' atr r. U''I
long and untnrrnssfnI saarrhina .,nnon nov ma
bodies After lis lost dsuobtnr Vent ho,ne9 and
soon returned with his frnhIr old 1yifn ,,hnee.
anguish ~ slr ro@nrl,- Gft4d rho cintb ,o'
,.1cb cb,rreJ and ,9ynftjn~ farm in Sna,,b If
>onp Dim, In Inc missed IoTeJ ont WIS Mimi
in the extreme She was 4hour to ,banddn thn
search. when size es,ind carter v-hicb ehe
knew holononJ to her dano6tar and NV M
~ligIt cine HE hodv was 4inntitiad Anotha,.
p,lTlllx singmi4r nni1.iIanna ,,-.,a tb, ij,tifa,
1inn ~ =. I'LL d.nahta, az io,it p; ar'''' -
cabot street. by her YOUNG istcr. who instantly
.,nol,,,i,I h. hiS - - ~ W., l,o M
head Of tine ,,nor untnrtnnt WA. i'' 1ha,.o liz
yond OH ro.ir,tiC,, o,,1 ~ ;t - t, ." po-
vino , ,,, az M, 49, vi t,,I f
lr,S of me- ,nnnnina fnona ,,iu la
Give yent ia Mar trri:ihI. noni.h IL, law ,o