The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-07 00:00:00

THE EL DORADO OF THE WEST.

The following extracts are from an interesting sketch, by a
Correspondent of the London Standard, writing from San
Francisco, Oct. 2:—
There in, perhaps, no city in the world which is re-
garded with such pride by its citizens as Chicago.
This feeling of pride has, it appears to me, greatly in-
creased since the two fires. The work that has been
done since the first fire is little short of marvellous.
The streets are not only rebuilt, but they begin to
look old, as if a premature age were succeeding to
their precocious growth. It is difficult to believe
that all the business quarter of Chicago is but two
years old. To mount to the top of one of the
great "elevators," to look over this wilderness of
houses, stretching away on all sides farther than
one can see, and to know that twenty years since
Chicago was a village, recalls Aladdin's palace run up
by a friendly demon in a single night. The devasta-
tions of the last fire are still patent, and it appears to
me that Chicago will he far longer in obliterating its
traces than it was in recovering from the first and more
exteneive calamity. This, no doubt, arises from the
fact that whereas upon the first occasion the whole of
the business quarter was swept away, the last fire con-
fined its ravages to a less important part of the town.
An immense space is All bare of houses, and although
in most instances the ruins have been cleared-away,
and in many cases building has recommenced, there
are still many tall shells standing, among them two or
three chapels. . . .
But the wonder of the stranger is not that Chicago
was burnt twice, so much as astonishment that it has
not been burnt twenty times. Many of the streets
are paved with wood, and although wood may in a
temperate climate, and when well laid down, make an
excellent road, it is, when roughly and carelessly laid in
a climate of fierce heat and bitter cold, the worst of all
possible pavements. In very many of the streets it is
worn into a mere friable touchwood. The footways
are of wood also, and there are in one quarter hundreds
of acres of wood yards. In the centre of these yards
rails are laid down upon the worn-out wooden roads,
and along them move locomotives and long lines of
plankladen waggons. Anything more dangerous
could not be conceived. Chicago is perfectly con-
scious of its weakness in this respect, and takes, it
must be allowed, considerable precautions. There is
a lofty observatory in the middle of the city, and from
this at night fires are perceived, and notice given by
the ringing of bells and the blowing of a steam whistle.
The number of the street in which the lire takes place
is indicated by the number of whistles. The whistle
sounds once every ten minutes or no while the fire con-
tinues. Both nights I slept in Chicago there were
fires ; indeed, there were two during the first night,
and my sleep was broken by the hoarse whistle, which
seemed to sound every moment when I happened to
doze off. I imagine the inhabitants are so accustomed
to it that they cease to notice it.
Chicago, however, at present, in spite of its fires,
continues to increase, and the distances from the centre
to the outskirts are very great. The citizens have just
completed an elaborate system of drives round the
town. I observe that Chicago is not a favourite with
the rest of the States. . . . Despite its energy, its
bustle, and its splendour, Chicago is not one of those
cues which one leaves with regret, and I was by no
means sorry when the whistle sounded and I was fairly
on my way westward. I do not know, by the way,
that the whistle slid sound. It seldom does so before start-
ing, nor is there any bell or other signal. When the
guard and the engine-driver aril mutually at the idea
that it is time to start, the train goes on. Sometimes
the conductor gives a warning shout of "All oa board,"
more often he does not. It matters little, how.
ever, for the ladies have always taken their seats in
time, and the men stand upon the platform and talk
until the train begins to move, and then jump on
to the steps leading to the platforms between the
carriages. There is no notice here against getting on
to the train when in motion, and although accidents
may occasionally take place— for I saw the notice of a
young officer being killed the other da,y in this manner
—they must be very rare indeed. I\ oticee, however,
would not be of much use were they put up, for one
notice, which is affixed to the door of every carriage,
" No person is allowed to stand upon the platforms of
the carriages," is universally disregarded. Here one
gore to smoke, here one escapes from the hot atmo-
sphere of the care and the noise of the children. Here
one can get a goad view of the country through
which one is passing, seeing both sides, and beMg
able, by standing on the steps, to look out beyond
the cars and to see well in front and behind. The plats
forms are kept at a uniform distance of three or four
inches apart by a patent coupling and buffer apparatus,
which the law requires to be universally used. Thus
by no possibility could any one fall through between
the carriages. As a coupling apparatus this patent is
admirable. It is self fastening, and very strong. It
binds the carriages so firmly together that the whole
trains starts simultaneously. There is no succession
of jars as carriage after carriage feels the impulse from
ahead, and with equal steadiness and absence of jerk
is the stopping effected. But if a coupling this
. . `o-5 m