The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-05-24
AWFUL HOLOCAUST.

Fourteen Hundred People burned az
Tfentsn, China-Tsrrible scspes sf Aspny
and Death. RW II - -
A letter from 'Tienfsn, China, gives
the following particulars OF the fire in
that city, by which 400 people lost
their lives: NV u -
The number of refugees who have
been collecting at this point has been
augmenting by daily additions until the
aggregate was variously estimated at
anywhere from $4,000 to 100000 A
few weeks since, an additional soup dis
pensary was opened on a piece of vacant
ground known as the Flower Garden OF
the K'ang family. When this relief de-
pot was established, the whole premises
were surrounded with a strong fence of
reeds and millet stalks, plastered with
mud. AS the place was to be occupied
only by women and children, the great
est care was taken that all communica-
ton between the inside and outside be
prevented. The alley on the west side
was fenced up at it's north end, and the
only gate of the soup-yard was at the
south end OF the same alley-a gate
about six feet wide. About 10 o'clock
OH bitter-cold morning an alarm was
given that fire had broken out in this
relief yard, rooted with infammable
mats, and crowded with human beings.
Crowds OF people began to gather on all
sides OF the yard and tear down the
strong fence. The moment that COM
munication was established between the
inside and the outside, a considerable
number of outsiders leaped into that
part OF the inclosure forming the alley
to attempt to rescue those that were
still struggling to escape. The scene
within was awful. The long sheds had
already melted into smoke and ashes,
and 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 flame and smoke, could be
recognized as 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 yard before they
were met by flames and suffocated where
they chaLced to be. In front of the
locked gate large number of pOol
wretches were caught and imprisoned
by the flames. Their wadded or Skin
garments caught fire and could neither
be taken off nor extinguished. Scores
of poor women were reduced to a con
dition too horrible to be described-ab
solutely roasted on one side, and utterl.
helpless to escape.
The greater part of those who were
burned must have persisted instantly
Within five minutes of the time the fir
broke out, it is probable that those wht
failed to escape were suffocated by thu
flames. Long after every scrap of ma
and wood had been consumed, thu
bodies of the victims continued to burr
and siuolder. The corpses were mos
of them reduced literally to cinders, ut
terly beyond recognition. Many of TIT
survivors, on the day of the fire and thu
three following days, while the bodies
were being taken out, wandered about
uttering the most piteous lamentations
striving to discover their children hus
bands came to institute hopeless ques
for their wives. Nothing was left upol
the ground but hundreds of horribl,
mutilated corpses, fragments of half
burned clothes and broken pottery. l
is definitely ascertained that the mum
Der who persisted is somewhat NOR
than /, 400.