Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-10-24
Awful ConAagration at Chicago.
FIFTEE.r LIVES LOST,
500, 900 WORTH OF PROPERTY IN
RUINS

In the Chicago papers of Tuesday we have
full particulars of the awful con flagratio2
which visited that city on Monday, laying
in ruins number of the finest and most
costly business edifces in the city and eaus.
ing destruction of human life unparalleled
in such calamities. The fire broke out shout
half-past three O'Clock in the morning, in
| the business block 100 and Ill South Water
street, thence spreading to right and lef and
extending across the alley to Lake street
| front of the block until twelve stores bf the
first class, four and five stories high, AID fill
ed from cellar to roof with valuable wares
and merchandise, Were laid in smoildering
heaps of rubbish. In these are supposed to
have persisted fifteen human beings. Nine
bodies were recovered from the rFns up to
dark of Monday evening. Among them
were John High, jr., of the firm q High &
Magee, well known citizens of wealth aud
stan ding; E. II. Barnum, of the, firm Of
Barnum Il Co., jewellers; e. r. Clarke, of
the firm Of Metz, Clarke & Co., stbve deal
ers; Gen. II. S. Bradley, fermerlyof Utica,
N. Y, who had a stock of jewelry in Bar
NUNS store; Dudley G. White, clerk in the
hardware store of Snow & Co.; J.v. Dick
ey, foreman of Liberty Hose Co.; Timothy
Buckley and Auguste Wolfe, fremen; and
John Tarr and Jean Jungers, laborers.
D. B. Cooke & Co., book publishers and
stationers, were the heaviest Individual
losers. Their loss was $4,000 with an
insurance of $4,000.
The following paragraphs are COPIED from
the Tribune:
The bodies "a fast "a recovered from the
embers and ruins were carried to the Crane
Jury Room in the Court House. Those who
witnessed the removal or called to see the
exhibition at the Court House, will never
forget that most horrible and revolving spec
tscIe. Near the door lay mishappen corpse
| with the en'rails protruding from two char
red and ragged openings. Next was bod,
with half on arm, the seal p torn off behint
aad hanging over the face, and the skull
l turned white with heat. A little farther
, was deposited an undistinguishable heap o
remains, bruised, roasted and crisped- bro
ken bones forcing themselves ont from tn
: mass. Both the hands dropped from on
body while removing and the hair hung il
loose patches on one side of the head it wa
1 entirely gone from the other. On several
y the muscles of arms were exposed, draw
, up by the heat and holding the fingers clasp
cd rigidly to the palms. The general ap
pearance of the bodies was the same-shriv
eed and shortened, drawn up like mummies
faces uniform blotch, eyes burned out
:, limbs blackened, and every thing else su
i premely frghtful and loathsome. Specta
tors who called at the Court House to iden
t tify friends or crafty an unhealthy curiosity
n took one glance and fled away with whit
4 countenances, wan and satisfied.
There are many conflicting accounts as t
G the origin of the fire, but it is generally be
i lieved that it caught in one of the rooms t
h which the occupant had introduced one {
: the many abandoned females who tlocke
:, out of that and other buildings when the fir
u first broke ont We trust the police wi
# fully investigate this.