EVENTS SUCCEEDING THE ELECTIOW. 327 



night, and was then showing itself through t lie doorway and part of the roof, and this summons 



from (In- S-reno \\a.- tin- i.nlv way in which it was made known to t In- <li-tant pul.lie ! There 

 <i\r ,,f hells 1o alarm tin- population: no cries of _//'// / to distuih H! umbers in the 

 still morning ; no rattling "f enu r iii"> or deep l..-llowin^ of Hell-important men, with trumpet* 

 understood ..nly h\- themselves, as in some ol'oiir cities; but half the town might have burned 

 down, ami the other half have heen none the wiser. 



.Much time passed hetoreany assistance whatever could be obtained; and long before a force wa 

 properly or^ani/.ed for work, there had been great losses from the flames, breakage, and the con- 

 duct of injudicious persons. At this time of great excitement, the fire-engines could not be taken 

 out without permission from the Intendente, who lived at a distance, and, like every one else, 

 was asleep. Mere squirts as they are when j;ot out, there were none to manage them properly. 

 The citizens may enrol themselves in the fire brigade or National Guard at their option, if 

 in the former, they are nominally exempt from the military duties required of the latter, though 

 real ly a part of them are constantly on guard at the doors of the engine-rooms, musket in hand ; 

 and the whole brigade, even had they been there, having been drilled as soldiers for months if 

 not years before, knew infinitely more about musket-barrels than engine-nozzles. Gentlemen 

 could not condescend to manual labor, and peons were not disposed to do so without pay: so for 

 hours the flames roared and crackled laughingly. 



Towards 6 o'clock, when all the immense roofs of the edifice were in flames, and fire, water, 

 and pillage had left little that was worth saving, a body of men were set to work systematically. 

 Obliged to pass within thirty yards of the actual fire at least once an hour, it is extraordinary 

 how the Serenos could have remained unobservant of the smoke which must have issued from 

 the house for several hours before they gave even the alarm mentioned. Luckily for Santiago, 

 there are very rarely strong winds, and the construction of the houses is such as to render most 

 of them nearly fire-proof; otherwise the custom of the population to smoke at all hours and in 

 all places (except church) would keep it in constant jeopardy. The supply of water is ample; 

 but the engines, like most other machinery here, being of French construction, are almost 

 worthless ; and as they are supplied from streams in the middle of the streets, where rapid 

 descent causes them to bring much earth and extraneous matter along, it is not remarkable that 

 they are soon choked. Insurance companies were unknown, and there were very few houses in 

 the republic on which the proprietors had taken out policies abroad. Many of the foreign mer- 

 chants at Valparaiso, and two at Santiago, had recently insured their goods ; but no case could 

 be ascertained of a house in the latter city. The probabilities of loss by fire may be estimated 

 from the fact that the city covers more than 2,700 acres, and this was the first fire during three 

 years. 



Notwithstanding the very small proportion of combustible materials, at 9 o'clock the flre was 

 still burning rapidly. At each corner of the streets, for several squares around, guards prevented 

 the rabble from going near, and others immediately about the house preserved order, and pre- 

 vented interference with the gangs working the engines or passing water. 



Early in the afternoon a second memorable event occurred. After months of suffering, Gen- 

 eral Freire, the oldest surviving officer of the revolution, was gathered to his fathers. His 

 devoted patriotism, courage, and skill, his stern integrity, his liberal sentiments on every 

 political question, and high social position, had especially endeared him to the opposition. 

 Consequently, although the result had been looked for during some days, the intelligence was 

 received with emotions of great sympathy. 



Before sunset an express arrived from Talca, bringing letters from the Minister of War, the 

 Intendente, and two others, notifying government that a Colonel Letellier had just come from 

 beyond the Maule, with information that the cavalry and part of the infantry of Cruz had been 

 completely routed. Another portion of the infantry had taken refuge in a house near by, within 

 which it was supposed the leaders were. The .Minister of War wrote to the President to prevent 

 his "being surprised by adverse news, as has occurred here;" and his letter, dated 4 P. M. of the 



