The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
AWFUL HOLOCAUST.


Fourteen Hundred People Burned al I'ent''"'
China. Terrible Scene OfAgony and Ceath.
A letter from Tientsin, China, gives the
following particulars OF the fire in tna1
city, by which 400 people lost their
lives:
The number of refugees who have
been collecting at this point has been
augmenting by daily additions until the
aggregate was variously estimated al
anywhere from $4,000 to 10000. a
few weeks since, an additional soup dis
pensary was opened on piece Of vacant
ground known as the flower garden ol
the K'ang family. When this relief de-
pot was established, the whole premises
were surrounded with q strong fence Of
reeds and millet stalks, plastered with
mud. As the place was 10 be occupied
only by women and children, the great
est cure was taken that all comm unlca-
tion between the inside and outside be
prevented. The alley on the west side
was fenced up at its north end, and the
only gate at the soup-yard was at the
south end Of the same alley-a gate
about six feet wide. About ten o'clock
on q bitter-cold morning an alarm was
given that a FIRE bad broken cut in this
relief yard, rooted with infammable
mats, and crowded with human beings.
/ Crowds of people began TO gather on all
sides or the yard and tear down the
+ strong fence. The moment that COM
munic7 tiou was established between the
/ inside and the outside, a considerable
number of outsiders leaped into that
part of the iuclosure forming the alley
/ to attempt to rescue those that ~
still struggling to escape. The scene
within was awful. The long sheds had
already melted into smoke and ashes
aAd only the poles were still burning
yet not the poles alone, for beneath
stretched long lines Of something only
indistinctly seen, and which, between
the gusts Of fame and smoke, could be
recognized Is the heads, arms, and
bodies of human beings, all huddled
within the limits Of the former compart,
ments, and just as they were caught by
the fiery siroccO. Not one in twenty
had time to move a yard before they
were met by flames and zuffocated where
they chanced TO be. Ia front Of the
locked gate & large number of poor
wretches were caught and imprisoned by
the flames. Their wsdded or skin
garments caught fire aud could neither
be taken of nor extirguished. Scores
OF poor women were reduced to con.
dition too horrible to be desc1ibed-sb-
s5lutely roasted on one side, and utterly
helpless to escape.
The greater part Of those who were
burned must have perished instantly
Within FIVE minutes of the time the fire
broke out, it is probable that those who
failed to escape were sufocated by the
flames. Long after every scrap of ma
and wood had been consumed. ths
bodies Of the victims Continued to burr
and smolder The corpses were mos
of them reduced literally to cinders, ut
terly beyond recognition. May of tht
survivors, on the day Of the fire and tht
three following days. while the bodie
were beng taken out, wandered about
= uttering the most piteous Lamentations
. striving 10 discover their children; hus
bands came TO institute a hopeless ques
for their wives. Nothing was left upol
= the ground but hundreds of horribl,
. mutilated corpses, fragments Of halt
burned clothes and broken pottery.
is definitely ascertained that the numbe
who perished is somewhat more tina
= 400