The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-10-24
Appalling Calamity...Great Fire and
Loss of Lie in Chicago.

business part of the city destroyed not only
millions worth OF property, but was at
tended with fearful loss Of human life. The
morning, in the building 100 and III South
Water street, the ground floor being occu-
pied as a wholesale hardware store by Cor
nick, Cross d Co., and the second story by
Ellsworth & CO., as a wholesale clothing cs,
tabl;shmcEt. The building was four stories
high, The upper stories being divided into
sleeping apartments, rented by clerks, &C.,
most Of whom escaped only in nearly nude
state.
From this building, which was totally de-
stroyed with the contents, the fire spread
east and west, destroying next on the west
the store Of Messrs. Lewis & Page, filled
with paints, oils, &c, the highly imtlamma-
bic nature of its contents adding tenlold fury
to the flames The flames next attacked the
store of Edward Hampstead, wholesale gro
Ger, which was also totally destroyed, with
its contents.
OF the many persons in the store at the
time, certainly nineteen, whose bodies have
since been found, were killed outright, while
many more were badly injured. Whether
more were killed, can only be ascertsined
when all the rubbish is removed. Among
the killed was one Of the Barnums, part
owner of the store; E. r. Clark, of the firm
of Metz, Clark & Co., with other prominent
and wealthy citizens. With this catastrophe,
the course of the destructive element was
stayed, although half a dozen others of the
adjoining stores were much injured by the
heat, water, removal of goods, &c. The list
of heavy losers numbers some forty, the to-
tai amount reaching nearly a million Of dol
lars
The fearful calamity has cast a deep gloom
upon the whole city. and since Monday, the
loca! columns of the papers are filed with
little else than details and incident. of the
conAagration On Wednesday, nearly all
the business places in the city were closed,
and the population to the number of ten or
fifteen thousand, attended in solemn pageant
dies with imposing cereInonals, were con-
signed to their final resting place.
Eastward from the origin Of the fire the
store Of Messrs. Clark i Dater, wholesale
groccrs, was next destroyed with its con-
tents, which completes the list Of buildings
on water street. Crossing the alley dividing
the buildings on Water street from those on
Lake St, :hc fire next took in its sweep the
splendid five story marble block on the lat
ter street the ground floors Of which were
occupied one by j. b Shay as a dry goods
estab! shIncnt, probably the most extensive
in Chicago and the other by the extensive
bookstore and publishing house Of ID. &.
Cooke 4 Co. The building is Of course a
total wreck, while comparatively a very small
portion Of the couirnts was rescued. The
next building adjoining this block was
three story brick, occupied by the Mcssrz.
Barnum IS an extensive variety store Its
destruction being inevitable, large number
of men rushed in to rescue the goods, anj
while thus filed with human beings, the wall
Of the adjoining building which lowered
many feet above, fell with crash upon the
roof Of the Barnum building, carrying all
before it to the basement. "Fircmon and
citizens, wall, roof, and merchandise, with
the burning RUNS from the store adjoining,
all ningIing, fell
a. fearful scene Of terror and di>may en-
sued. The portion Of the wal. LEFT standing
had fortunately preserved the front portion
Of the store which YVES deusely thronged by
confused crowd. Many Of them were
prostrated by the flying missiles, many were
trampled and bruised in the flight of their
companions, bat soon all was clear for
space extending about thirty fe.; from tie
front. The store was very deep, and for
nearly two-thirds of its whole length the
building was a mass of ruins, now beginning
to burn briskly, as the flames conveyed in
the fall, hasted to feed on the wood woTl. and
the light and combustible portions of the
wares"