The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-10-19

: axe the firemen were even more for.
: tunate. An attempt was made TO ar
rest the progress on the line of Con-
gress street, and it was partially
successful. The east three buildings
J were protected by the vacant ground
. between Terrace Row and the street,
: and it did not ignite. On the Wabash
avenue corner the fire succeeded in
passing the boundary of Congress
street, and attacked the brick block on
the southwest corner. Here again
gunpOwder was used to good effect in
fighting the flames, and by its aid No.
$50 Wabash avenue was reduced to a
heap Of ruins in a moment. By this
means the fire was checked Rt this
point, and the end of devastation at
length reached.
! SOUTH SIDE STRUCTURES.
The prominent buildings destroyed
in the South Division are as follows:
Terrace Block, Armour Block, Michi-
gan Central Depot, Adams House,
MassasOit House, City Hotel, Metrop-
Olitan Hotel, fremont House, St.
James Hotel, Palmer House, Pacific
Hotel, BigelOw House, Sherman
House, MattesOn House, Nevada HO-
tel, Briggs House, Court House, Gas
Works, CrOsby's Opera House, Nc
Vicker's Theater, HOOley's Opera
House, Woods Museum, Dearborn
Theater, Shepard Block, Honore
Block, POstOffice and POstOffice Block,
Reynolds Rlock, McCOrmick's Block,
the Western News COmpany's, S. c..
GTiggs & Co.'S, and w. B. Keen &
Co.'S Book Houses, Manufacturers
National, First National, Second Ma
I tiOnal, Third National, Fourth Ma
tiOnal, Fifth National, Commercial
Bank, National Bank Of Commerce,
| Illinois National Cook County Ma
tiOnal, Union National, Merchants
National, Merchants & Farmers Saw
ing, Loan & Trust, Badgers Bank, IL
linOis Savings Institution, City Ma
/ tiOnal Bank, West Fire Il Marine,
! Telegraph Office, Chamber of Com
| merce, Merchants Insurance Block,
1 Oriental Block, Rtna Insurance Block
First Methodist Church, ST. Mary's
| lCathOlic), First and Second Presby.
| terian, Trinity (EpiscOpal), st. Pat
rick tUniversalistl, SwedenbOrgian
Church, Wabash Avenue Methodist
| partially Birch Block, Palmer Block,
Michigan Southern Depot, Academy
of Design, Chicago Academy of Music,
Bryant & Stratton's Commercial Col
lege, Jewish Synagogue, Phoenix Club
| House, Mayo Block, Drake-Farwell
Block, Tribune Block, Journal and
Times offices, offices Of the Post, Mail,
Stats Zeitung, and Republican, Lom-
bard Block, Sturges' Block, Farwell
Hall, Morrison Block, Arcade Build
inn Gknwn1gf T1nolr rvrLH
Block, Chittenden Building, Root &
Cady's, Lyon & Healy's, Smith &
NiXOn's, Kimballs, Bauer & Kolten's
music store, Metropolitan Hall, and
Music Hall. This list, of course, in
cludes only n very few of the busi-
ness blocks of the South Division, but
such as prominently occur to us in re-
calling the former condition of these
once busy streets.
SCENE FROM THE TRIBUNE BUILDING. |
The sight from the windows of the
Tribune building was one the like of
which few have ever seen. At fifteen
minutes to . O'Clock the view was
like this: To the southwest rose a |
cloud of black smoke, which, cOlOred |
with the lurid glare of the flames
which caused it, presented a remark |
able picture. Due west another col !
umn of smoke and fire rose, while the |
north was lighted with the flying cin- !
ders and destructive brands. In ten |
minutes more the whole horizon to |
the west, as far as could be seen from |
the windows, was a fire cloud, with |
flames leaping up along the whole |
line, just showing their heads and sub |
siding from view like tongues Of |
snakes. Five minutes more wrought |
a change. Peal after pea! was sound
ed from the Court House bell. The |
fire was on IaSalle street, had swept |
north, and the Chamber Of Commerce
began to belch forth smoke and flames
from windows and ventilators. The
east wing Of the Court House was
alight; then the west wing; the tower
was blazing on the south side, and ut
o'clock the whole building was in a
sheet of flames. The Chamber of
Commerce burned with a bright, |
steady flame. The smoke in front
grew denser for a minute or two, and
then, bursting into blaze from Mon
roe to Madison streets, proclaimed
that Farwell Hall, and the building
north and south OF it, were OH fire
EAL LCA minutes past " ClOCh LA4C
Court House tower was a glorious
sight. 1t stood glowing and most
dazzling trellis-wOrk, around which
was wrapped sheet-a windingsheet
of flame. At quarter past two the
tower fell, and in two minutes more
n crash announced the fall oil the build !
ing. The windows of the Office were
hot and the flames gave light almost
dazzling in its intensity. Il became
evident that the whole block from
Clark To Dearborn, and from Monroe |
10 Madison, must go; that the block !
from Madison To Washington must !
follow; Portland Block was ablaZe, !
while everything from Clark to Dear |
born on Washington street was on fire. |
At 80 the fire was half way down |
Madison street; the wind blew IA hur- |
ricane; the firebrands were hurled /
along the ground with incredible force |
against everything that stood in their |
way. Then the flames shot up in the /
rear of Reynolds Block, and then the |
Tribune Building seemed doomed. |
An effort was made to save the files |
and other valuAbles, which were |
moved into the composing room, but |
the building stood like a rock, lathed |
on two sides by raging waves Offiame, |
and it was abandoned. 1t was a fire. |
proof building; and there were not a |
few who expected tO see it stand the |
shock. The greatest anxiety was felt |
for It, as it was the key to the whole |
block, including MeVicker's Theater; |
and protecting State street, and |
Wabash aud Michigan avenues north |
of Madison street. When the wall Of |
Reynolds Block fell, and CObb's |
Building was no more, the prospects |
of it's standing were good. Several |
persons were up stairs and found il |
cool and pleasant-quite a refreshing |
haven from the hurricane of smoke, |
dust, and cinders that assailed the !
eyes.
Meanwhile the fire had swept along |
nOrthward and eastward. The Briggs
House, the Sherman House, the Ire
mont House had fallen in few min
utes. The bridges from Wells to Rush
streets were burning; the North
western Depot was in blaze, and
from Van Buren, street on the south,
far over into the North Side, from the !
river to Dearborn street, the whole |
country was q mass of smoke, flame, |
and ruin. 1t seemed as if the city east |
of Dearborn street and to the river, |
would be saved. The hope was
strengthened when the walls fell of
HOnOre's noble block without igniting
that standing opposite. The vacant
lot to the south seemed to protect it,
and at o'clock on Monday morning
the whole of the region designated
was considered saved, no fire being
visible except q smOuldering fire in
the barber's shop under the Tribune
office, which, being confined in brick
walls, was not considered dangerous.
Every effort was made to quench it,
but the Water Works had gone up,
and the absence Of water, while it an
nOunced how far north the flames had
reached, forbade any hopes Ofquench-
ing the fire below.
SCENES on WABASH AVENUE.
The scene presented on Wabash
avenue on Monday, for q period
extending from O'Clock A. NJ. till
late in the day, was a most extraOr-
binary one, calling TO mind most
vividly the retreat of routed army.
The lower part Of the avenue had, at
an early hour, been occupied by resi-
dents Of burning quarters, who sought