Antonio de Sedella (Pére Antoine).
Translated by Rebecca Haidt.
“The Great New Orleans Fire of 1788.”
[f. 2.427]
My most esteemed Lord/Sir,
The state of suffering and consternation in which we find ourselves prevents me from being able to render for you fully a description of the fatal, rapid fire, that around two o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday reduced to ashes three quarters of this city. It began in the house of the treasurer Don Vicente Nunes, and in less than a half hour, it had spread through the Parish church and Presbytery, without it having been possible to save from the former the holy vessels, and from the latter part of the archive containing the church records and other papers pertaining to the ecclesiastical court. Despite the fact that the flames were impossible to put out due to the strength of the winds that were blowing, and the great confusion that overtook us all, […] was not enough to put in […] paper and book of this church[?] those who […] of Tobacco distant from the Presbytery as two gunshots, so that in the aforementioned house they might remain securely, and could leave to provide assistance to the nuns, who were extremely anxious, faced with the threat of extermination.
I had barely made it to the convent when I discovered that the entire house of the aforementioned director was burning, with such violence, that there was hardly any time for he who might wish to run in and grab a change of clothing to enter. […] the fire stopped about twenty paces from the monastery because at that point there was not a single house left on which its voracity might feed, or perhaps it was God's will, putting into service a dozen […] [f. 2.428] […] of water and soaking them, and partly in an area that posed a threat to the flames[?] And[?] could not continue with the same facility, which precaution served not only to save the aforementioned convent, but the Royal Hospital, with[?] The help of soldiers, who were quartered nearby, and the same/very something, even as the principal structures of this city burned, with the city having been reduced to a horrible skeleton. The fact that some registries and papers were saved, was due to their having been thrown into the plaza; as the fire was already spreading through the house with such rapidity there was no way to save the remainder, but these are the ones that survived, and the others which were there, or in further storage, perished.
In summary, my most esteemed Lord/sir, in the space of four hours 335 principal houses went up in flames, along with their storerooms, kitchens, and outbuildings, and there was an even greater number of such structures lost. All the residents find themselves in the greatest state of suffering, and most of them are completely prevented from being able to repair [or account for[?]] that which was lost, yet they trust in the pious sensibilities of our Sovereign who will take pity on them. There has not been a means or solution that has not been considered by our gentleman Governor, to at least in part mitigate the suffering, give aid and comfort as soon as possible, and provide help to those in need, the number of whom is exceedingly high. For my part, I have exhorted the other ecclesiastics not to demand any payment whatsoever for any ecclesiastical function, as our charitable King gives us a salary that ensures that we will not die of hunger.
Public Domain image from Wikipedia.
Don Andrés Almonester has ceded to me a part of one of his houses, located on one side of this plaza, so that it might provisionally serve as a church, owing to the fact that the churches of the charity hospital, and of the nuns, are too far away from the small portion of the city that remains, and in this way we can provide spiritual aid more quickly. I would be appreciative if my Lord/Sir would indicate later a place of shelter in case anything were to occur, and your doing so would help remove the doubts that weigh on me concerning that which remains unclear. [ …] New Orleans, the 8 of March of 1788. Most illustrious Sir/Lord your most faithful subject […] and Chaplain Father [… of …] ——
to the most illustrious Lord/Sir Bishop of Cuba
[Santiago Joseph de Hechavarria y Elguezua),
Bishop of (Santiago de) Cuba.
Havana, (Cuba)]
Notes
- Don Vicente Nunes. Don Vicente José Nunez was the military treasurer. He lived on Chartres and Toulouse streets, on the woods side. On Good Friday, March 21, 1788, a fire broke out at his house and quickly spread through most of the city.
- Don Andrés Almonester. Don Andrés Almonester y Rojas (June 19, 1724 - April 26, 1798), served the Spanish government in in the Louisiana colony in several roles. After the fire, Almonester funded the building of a new St. Louis church, dedicated in 1794 & designated St. Louis Cathedral in 1795, which was remodeled in the 1850's in its current form. He also rebuild the Cabildo and the Presbytère on either side of the church. He funded a boys’ school, a hospital, a chapel for the Ursulines, and a leper hospital.
Page prepared by:
- Bruce R. Magee
Source
de Sedella, Antonio. “The Great New Orleans Fire of 1788.” Trans. by Rebecca Haidt. 2.427-2.438. Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas 1788/03/28. IV-4-c A.L.S. 2pp 8vo (Spanish) 8. University of Notre Dame Archives. <http:// archives. nd.edu/ mano/ 17880328.htm>.