Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-06-02
A Terrible Disaster.


One Of the most sudden, terrible and fatal dis
asicrs In the history Of Massachusetts, occurred
on Thursday night Of last week, by the burning
Of the French Catholic church, at Sodth Holyoke,
during the evening service, involving the death Of
siNty-six men, women and children The exer-
cises had nearly closed, and vespcr service was
being sung when the dmpery on the altar caught
fire from candle, and the wall being low and the
flames streaming up, the building was set on fire.
The audience numbered about seven hundred
The people in the body Of the church escaped, but
on the stairway leading from the gallery human
beings were packed in dense mass struggling to
escape. As the flames rushed toward them, many
leaped to the floor beneath aud were trampled to
death. The gallery skirtcd both sides OF the
building, with only one entrance from the front
The scene was fearful in the extreme during the
little while it lasted-for the whole was over In
twenty minutes. besides sixty-six taken out dead,
the fatally wounded will carry the loss up to more
than ono hundred.
The scene at the morgue in the basement Of the
Park street school-house beggared description
The bodies were placed in rows, each covered with
winding sheet, and many Of them nothing but
CHASTITY, blackened skeletons As early as seven
" NAoNN III tuc noiulNgf DtlNtcu Two ana tnfte
thousand people had gathered outside the high
picket fence which surrounds the school building
anxiousy awaiting the time when they might be
admitted 10 search among the dead for their mis-
sing friends leart-rending scenes were being con-
stantly enacted at the gateway, which was
guarded by squad Of police. Mothers claspcd
their hands and begged the officers, with tears
streaming down their cheeks. TO be permitted to
go in and look for their children. Fathers asked
TREMENDOUSLY to be admitted, that they might iden-
uiy, II possible. their sons Wives desired to
search for their husbands, husbands for wives,
and here and there brother was inquiring II the
officers knew whether his sisters were there
The sternest officials gave way inyoluntarily to
their emotions Mt times and when the gates were
opened so that few persons could be admitted at
time they could not resist the pathetic appeals
made to them, and each delegation Of people was
twice as large as they intended it should have
been
Inside, ranged upon rows ON the floor, fifty lone
bodies Of the dead lay stretched, over each =
white sheet Stumps Of limbs burned to crisp,
protruded from under the sheets aud rs the face
cloth was lifted from the heads, the Scared and
baclened remains we're disclosed In some in
stances the features were distorted NJ though ex-
treme agony had been suffered before death en-
sued but many looked calm, as though smoth-
cred, yet they all were blackencd with smoke
Sons were burned beyond the possibility OF iden-
tihcation-nothng remaining but the trunk Of the
body.
The eagerness with which the friends passed
along from one body to another In the long black
ened rows, hope struggling with fear for the mas
terry for few moments and then a wailing cry,
half-smothered groan or piercing shrek, told too
plainly that some one had found their dead DC
casionally one Of the searchers would pause before
black and shapeless mass, almost sure, yet not
certain that this was all that remained Of the rel
alive whom he sought-porhaps wife or mother
Possibly slight trace Of form or figure remained
yet triAing as not to be depended upon for
purposes OF Identification The agony Of the
searchers in these cases was most intense, and
they would finally depart, not knowing whether
to claim the body Of their kindred or not
The scene in the streets Of Iiolyoke, Saturday
afternoon was the saddest the city has ever wit
messed Vehicles containing the cofiined bodies
ofthe dead moved through the thoroughiares in va
rious directions and people ON the walks stopped in
voluntarily and gazed after them until they dsap-
peared from view forty-eght bodies we're in one
cortege followed by numerous carriages contain
ing grief-stricken relatives Of the deceased The
procession proceeded to the new Catholic church,
where the collins were arranged by twos on a rude
catafalque and the usual services OF the Catholic
church were held. At the commencement Of the
services the limsy platform on which the collins
rested settled with a loud crash creating much
CONSERVATION, which, however, was quickly al
ayed, and the congregation not less than two
thousand five hundred people, bowed their tear
stained faces when the first solemn tone Of the
bell announced the beginning Of the requiem
Funeral ontions were pronounced by Father Phi
meau, Of Worcester, and Father Gagnier, OF Spring
field, and the procession, more than a mile long
followed the remains 10 the French Catholic GENE
terry at North Hoyoke Falls.
lIoyoke il situated seven miles north Of Spring.
fold the bank 81 the Connecticut river, and
in 1870 had a population Of ten thousand seven
hundred and thirty, Of whom a tribe over half
were foreigners The population has been in
creased several thousands since that time, and
probably now amounts to sixteen thousand The
city owes It's prosperity wholly TO It's manufacture
ing interests, which have been drawn ,hither by
the magnificent water power furnished by the dam
across the Connecticut river, and which is con-
trolled by the Hoyoke Water Power Company.
The manufactures are mostly paper, and cotton
andwoolen goods there being in the city sixteen pa
per mills with capacity for fifty tons day, seven
cotton mills, and six WOODEN mills but there are
also numerous machine shops and various iron
manufactures, likewise three large lumber mills
The city has three newspapers, two national banks,
eight churches, two hotels, is lighted with gas,
supplied with water from Ashleys pond, and Is
otherwise a fully equipped and prosperous city
The victims Of Thursday nights disaster were
French Canadians, and without exception en-
ployod in some Of the mills