Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-04-30

The Great Catholic University Laid in
Ruins.

Ruins. ....
A special dispatch from South Bend,
Ind, of the 23rd gives the following &C.
count Of the burning of Notre Dame:
Shortly before II o'clock this forenoon
word reached this city that the Univers-
ity of Notre Dame, two miles distant.
was on fire. A glance toward Notre
Dame confirmed the unpleasant news.
Below the clouds of black smoke, which
the wind lifted and carried off to the
east, stood the magnificent buildings of
Notre Dame university, the church Of
the Sacred Heart, the inirmary, supe-
rior generals home, Music hall, Wash
ington hall, Minims' hall, Old Mems
home and adjacent buildings in bold
relief in the clear sunlight. Around the
huge dome Of the university building
whose windows flashed in the sun like
crystal, the brilliant destroying flames
Tapped out their fiery tongues and shot
upward as if trying to swallow the mag
nificent statue of the Blessed Virgin
which surmounted the dome. 1t was
soon evident, at this distance even,
that the fire fend was doing its de-
structive work all too well, and that
before the assistance which our clang-
ing firebells had brought and was hur-
rying to Notre Dame could reach there
that dome and statue would have to go.
In few minutes the flames triumphed,
and the immense statue with its golden
crown and superb proportions crashed
down through the weakened dome
in utter ruins. This statue was over
ten feet IN height, and weighed two
thousand pounds, Above the centre of
the six storied building had been erect
ed specially for it a lofty dome, built
on the model of the one at St. Peters
in Rome. On the LIST of May, 1865,
the colossal statue was blessed by
Archbishop Spalding, and placed in
position, there being present On this
occasion thousands Of people from
every part of the United States and
Canadas. This statue, raised amidst
SO much JOY and exultation, doomed the
building to destruction, for when it fell
it crushed through several floors, car
rying stream Of fire in its track,
which rapidly spread to every point of
the building and along every floor. At
this time the direst confusion prevailed.
The twenty-four thousand pound bell
in the church of the Sacred Heart was
changing its loudest accompa-
MED by the thirty or forty other small
bells in the chime. Hatless and coat
less, students were dragging their trunks
down the broad stone steps. Priests
and brothers had thrown aside their
habits and were working with will car
rying furniture and valuable articles
from the burning building out to the
lawn, depositing them among the flow
ers and evergreens. Beds and pillows
were shooting out of the upper story
windows in all imaginary shapes.
Kerosene lamps, tables and chairs and
books and desks came flying to the
ground on all sides, and were more or
less destroyed. Under the cool super
vision of President Corby, who was as
sisted in giving orders by Mother An
CELIA, of st. Mary's academy, most OF
the five or six hundred beds from the
domnitories We're carried to the gardens
in the rear OF the university and taken
care Of by the sisters, who worked
faithfully all day and far into the night.
Mayor Tong, who is also professor in
the institution, arrived on the spot soon
after the fire broke out, and, taking in
the situation at glance, turned his
horse toward the city to arouse the de-
partment. Meanwhile people from the
city began to arrive by the score, and
all Immediately went to work. The
wind blew stoutlv from the west, caus-
ing the flames to soon burst through the
naansard roof on the eastern side,
and it became apparent to all that
the building was doomed. With ter
rible crash the cornice fell at this point,
barely escaping crushing a number Of
men who were coming down the steps
with large book cases. At 1870 the
flames had gained such Roadway that
it was deemed unsafe to remain in the
building longer, and Prof. Lyons, who
with great GOODNESS seemed to be d.
recting affairs, ordered every one to
leave. The museum, with its hundreds
of costly specimens and two valuable
libraries, was abandoned to the flames.
Every attention was soon turned to the
Infrmary and the Old Mems home, the
next buildings east, and they were COM
pletely riddled Of their contents, but
none too soon, for the sparks and the
terrible heat from the University leaped
over to the roofs Of these, and in less
time than it takes to tell it they were on
fire. At fifteen minutes of II a steamer
and three hose carts from South Bend,
drawn by horses and followed by a
number of tiremen, passed along the
west side of the university building,
back to the engine-room. Just then
the Mansard roof fell to the ground
| ,,;th j., torr;b1o oro ch ho ro1v ocoa pipr
crushing men, horses, hose-carts,
steamer and all beneath it. The
steamer was set to work at
the cistern, and with combined
hose the fremen were soon able to get
a stream on the flames, but it was of
little avail. So intense was the heat
they could do nothing but endeavor to
protect the surrounding buildings. The
Ave Maria and scholastic printing offices
were completely delivered of their con-
tents. Everything was removed from
the building but the presses. The
| Ill n n