Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-04-25

Some few weeks since, a member of
the late Parliament said to me it was
question with the commission appointed
to draft the constitution. whether, i'm
framing it, they would take as model
the French cons titution or that of the
United States. | stated to the gentleman
that careful study of each would, with
out doubt. result in selecting as % guide
for the commission the constitution of
our government and not the French.
And having seen the projected work Of
the commission | am able to say it fol-
lows very closely along the line of the
constitution that has served the United
States so well since its adoption.
The greatest catastrophe that has ever
occurred in the territory of Brazil was
heard and felt and its results seen in this
city about s o'clock on the mornin of
March 1. AT that time an explosion took
place in one of the narrow streets in q
place called Tabao. The whole city
heard it; knew it was an explosion. But
where was it and how did it occur?
What lives were lost, what damage done?
Very soon thousands of people were at
the fatal spot. Five houses were in ruins
and seven others badly shattered. The
inmates of the shattered houses were
fleeing, MANNED, wounded, burned and
bleeding, over the ruins of the fallen
houses, and along the street by the urn
ing buildings, groaning and wrthing
with pain and eXcruciating torture.
while scores had gone to their death
crushed beneath the enormous pile of
timbers and masonry that but few
moments before sheltered them from the
scorching sun and the beating rain. To
add to the horrors of the scene, fire burst
forth and covered the ruined pile: the
devouring flames, famed by the rushing
wind from the sea through the narrow
street, prevented succor being extended
to those whose piercing screams of
agony were heard by the thousands stand
ing around, but powerless to aid or to
save. The engines were not in working.
order and even if they were there was
no water. SO the flames died away when
there was nothing more to consume and
the work of taking from the debris the
crushed and charred fragments of hui
manity was begun. Fifty-eight persons.
so far, have been taken from the RUNS
and more bodies are supposed to be there
still. An equal or greater NUM-
Der have died of injuries receiy-
ed or are manned for life. The
explosion is said to have been caused
by powder and dynamite stored in "a
cellar and ignited by the overturning of
a burning lamp of kerosene. while a
young man was getting some of the
powder for customer. The owner of
the store was promptly arres ted for
Keeping explosive materials contrary to
the law, fined 32 mireis, equal to about
SIG, and set at liberty. Besides private
subscriptions to aid the sufferers, what
is called the "banIo precatoyia" paraded
the streets yesterday and will again to-
morrow also to collect money. This
GdhdO precdtOrid consists of five bands of
; music to arrest the attention of the peo-
pie as they pass. twelve or fifteen
prominent gentlemen, amongst whom
is the governor of the State. holding a
large silk cloth into which. as these zen.
tlemen pass, the people, standing in the
balconies, at the doors or leaning out Of
the windows, drop whatever sum they
wish to give, while young ladies with
| portmanteaus and flowers move amongst
, the crowd, selling the flowers or other
knick-knacks they carry. But the
"baRdo precatorio'' is not complete, till
| mention that there are also some thirty
or forty carriages. each carriage driven
by four horses and having four gentle
men within, constituting part of the
procession that moves through the
, streets to the strains of music from the
five bands. 1t is novel, grave and
an effective method of collecting money
for worthy object.