The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-06-06
THE HoLYoKE CHURCH TRAGEDY.

The chronicles Of this century will not con-
tain sadder story than that Of the burning
of the Catholic church at Holyoke, Mass, on
the evening of Maya
The French Catholics of that city, who
number about two thousand, erected in 1870
two-story wooden church building. about
sixty feet front by one hundred feet depth,
with galleries on each side and in front about
twenty-five feet wide Two front doors
opened into vestibule, from which two
doors opened into the body OF the church.
On the second floor the galleries opened into
the vestibuD by two DOORS The opening
services were in progress, the church, above
and below, being filed chiefly by women and
children to the number Of seven hundred,
when, during the singing of vesper hymns,
the drapery. Of the altar caught fire from
the altar candles. An instantaneous panic
followed, and the congregation rushed
towards the doors. Exit from the main
floor appears not to have been obs.ructed,
but the doorways from the ga leries to the
vestibule were at once blocked up by the
crowd, completely choking the exit with
a dense heap of shrieking, suffocating,
crushed and bruised victims. Those in the
rear wildly climbed and trampled over those
in or near the doorway, to be themselves trod-
den down in turn, until the confused mass of
PROSTATE and powerless women and CHILDREN
was eight feet deep. The house was built Of
pine, the flames spread fast, and in very
short time were pouring from every door and
window. There was no escape for the smoth-
ering masses in and behind the doorways.
Forty or fifty were smothered, crushed or
burned to death. As many more were badly
or fatally burned. Firemen and citizens were
prompt and active in putting out the fire and
many heroic exertions were made to rescue
the living, to relieve the wounded and
burned, and to preserve the bodies OF the
dead from being consumed. In few mo-
ments after the water from the engines struck
the building, the fire was ont and the charred
frame and planks left standing. But in that
brief interval occurred tragedy which defes
description. Frantic women, with dresses in
flames, jumped from the windows of the gal
leries. Many leaped from the galleries to the
main floor, bruised by the fall and crushing
those on whom they fell. The heroic priest
tried to keep such order as would permit es-
cape, and succeeded in keeping UNLOCKED q
door in the rear of the altar, through which
many passed. Over the dense, half-living
mass, wedged into the doorways from the
galleries, flowed streams Of flame. Two
brave men, Lynch and Mullin, rushed into
the fame at this point to rescue the
shrieking, waihng and tormented victims,
In minute stream of water was directed
upon the doorway, and by its help many were
saved, terribly crushed and burned. Says one
account:
The first persons drawn out were buring, but
they passed directly through the s'ream Of water,
and the fl ,mes which were devouring them were
extinguished. Some of the poor creatures fell
fainting on the long flight of wooden steps lead
ing down to the street, and few were able to
time the entire Fire Department had arrived, and
they worked with such energy and will that when
the fire was extinguished the charred wooden
walls Of the structure were standing. They were
pulled down by the hook and ladder men in order
that search for the bodies might be made.
Only very few moments, comparatively, elapsed
after the water struck the building before the
fire was out, but
THE DESTRUCTION TO LIFE
during that brief period of time was terrible.
Some sprung from the gallery windows and were
seriously injured, and one person appeared at q
window completely wrapped in flames, and after
tottering there an instant. fell to the ground
dead and unacceptable. Hundreds of men went
to work as soon as the opportunity offered to
search for the bodies, and q force of police was
organized to keep back the large crowd which
had gathered. Tue work Of
ExTRICATING THE BODIES
was SAD indeed. and the greater number of them
were found in the fatal entryway, burned, some
of them to q crisp. The body of one woman was
found in the seat she had occupied, her clothing
entirely burned of. A fleshy woman, weighing
some $50 pounds, was dragged screaming from
the macs. she WAS carried short distance from
the church and placed on the grass, while the
flesh actually peeled off her back. In a moment
she fell over dead.
The bodies of the dead were removed to
the basement of public school-house for
identification by relatives, where all night and
all the forenoon of the next day was scene OF
horror The same account by the correspond
ent Of the New York Herald says:
Stumps of limbs, burned to crisp, protruded
from under the .heets, and as the face cloth was
lifted from the heads the SCARED and blackened
remains were disclosed. In some instances the
features were distorted, as though extreme agony
had been suffered Def re death ensued; but many
looked calm, as though smothered, yet they all
were blackened with smoke. Some were burned
beyond the possibility Of Identification, no hing
remaining except the trunk Of the body. The
bodies were placed in rows, each covered with
winding sheet, and many of them nothing but