The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1871-10-20
THE CHICAGO HORROR.

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ed with the Chicago fire must have
been absolutely horrible. Dispatches
TO the San Francisco papers in regard
90 the confiagration were much fuller
than those sent to the Portland dailies,
and describe the scenes with vivid
ness which almost causes one to shud-
der with horror at the spectacle pre-
sented. The fire originated in a large
planning mill, breaking out about mid,
night, and increased with such speed
that nothing in the line of property
which lay in its course could be saved.
The inmates of many houses were
only startled from their slumbers in
time to rush into the streets in their
scanty night-robes, and even some
were wholly unable to escape, and be-
came prey to the devouring element.
In several instances children, hastily
wrapped in blankets and quilts to
break the force of their fall, were
thrown from second story windows to
the ground. Mention is made of an
heroic mother, who, after dropping
her babe in safety to the ground,
found herself surrounded by the
flames'and unable to escape. Her re-
mains were burned to cinders and
were afterwards found among the
charred and smoking ruins of her re-
cent home. Men, women and chill
dren, in attempting to save property
or to rescue friends, were cut off from
escape by thefiames and eithersmoth-
cred with smoke or destroyed by fire.
1t is said that vessel passing up the
river through the burnt district, on
coming to Rush street bridge, had the
bridge drawn while hundred people
were crossing ON it, and before it
could be returned to its place this
large mass of human beings were en-
veloped in flames and burned to death.
When the gas works were blown up
the report could be heard for miles.
andflying missiles were hurled through
the air in every direction, sending
burning brands among crowds of peo-
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Some idea of the magnitude of the
ruin wrought may be CLEANED from
the fact that more than two hundred
blocks, including the very heart of the
city, on which stood the hotels, banks,
printing offices, insurance offices and
Chamber of Commerce, reaching up
north distance of at least six miles,
were swept away before the irresisti-
BILE fury of the raging element
Famed by high wind from the
south, the red waves poured on, bear
ing in their fiery current lofty and
magnificent structures like the Pacific
Hotel, the Custom House and the
Court House. So vivid was the blaze
that the water-pipes and the Nicholson
pavement on the principal streets
were burned, and the heat was so in
tense in the main part of the city
that no one could remain near the
scene of the blackened ruins.
The fire ragged for nearly three days
with the most merciless fury, and was
at last extinguished by heavy show
er of rain, after all attempts to quell
it by human effort had failed. The
scenes after the fire were even more
distressing than during its progress,
and absolutely beggars description.
Thousands of people were almost
frenzied by their losses, and acted and
looked like maniacs-many of them
standing about, where the heat was
not too great, gazing with lack -luster
eyes on the ruins of their homes,
while frequent agonized shrieks and
groans might be heard to issue from
the lips of the despairing and desti-
tute crowd. Women who had never
known anything but luxury were in
one short hour driven from their
crumbling homes into the streets,
crouching among the ruins, and shiy-
ering for the want OF sufficient cover
ing for their persons, and wondering
where they were to find food and
shelter for the morrow. In some
places where enough of the walls
were left standing to form partial
shelter, groups of women and chill
dren were huddled together for
warmth-the piteous wall of babes,
mingling with the moan of helpless
mothers.
1t would require many columns to
give anything like full account of
the narrowing spectacles which are
chronicled by witnesses Of the scene,
but they are such as must appeal to
the strongest sympathies of the civil
lied world, and will certainly result
in hearty response in the way of
substantial aid to the many thousands
of sufferers by this great calamity.
WHEN men become such liars that
they never speak the truth, they are not