New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-10-16
THE BURNED CITY.

CsuTNkQ0. N-INUUHS-AhON
naumAequass eoscSptaon0 % - We aae ewfui ruin
49, rvw esouvDuaSA ensFv Vlba - ~ dtc4ES Of
49, years hfnesa etahdfnk >As tse H5ehis AAAvenus
Sr6s us TIE northeast corner Of mat avenue and Con
JOG look SoSSa AaOng th6 laEN sbceS ever roth
nEeus EzIGs - Ar - the cry extendea N that dire
60 distance % sSheoeix msS A solitary grain ele
sAss ON % Shs Psoe - ne mouth o. ne TverI hsoriy
usoaanssns which feABs On tie lake fr0nk me eye
etsasy s 10 tas ~ - sweep q TIN Aeld o. rum,
eSea visa you rseal familiar knOWloAge - every fcot
Of ne ground H0W yUu make real hundreds upon
to o. throa thousand 81 ashes lnse ana bFoken
HESA Whsre stoOa day anse great ctyt COne eackf
then % my spot u oesvAson, she Uuued hceel Just
asmoa Dtrectly bStoe yOa was tAe lSrss and elegant
garden Of J. T. Scsmmon and north Of 1t tefrsee Of
ane residences, amoAg which were thoee Of exaoV:
BSoas and Mr.. 0Figgs, the welEmown OOokSeher'
An those went down before noon q yesserosy,
thS Gre satefully beatng back againss FURIOUS soas4
wind with 6erconesS which made Oh South Chfeas0es
fearful "a the hour Of ual doom had indeed struck
In several quarters during the morning tnere "S1Y
amAEinE instances Of this seating hack o. tne nro
consequence Of the guStness Of the vino ana
win which the HrS caught in an dreceoas. N eons0
auanoo Of the excessive dryness Of everytnin& Inc
larwn supty corner occupied by Mr.. 6cannont garden
proved m opportunity to stop this on the AAe Ons %
Coaere.s became the s0atbery limit OF sho nfe ~ the
Ishe fOnt This . lake front OF zen Oocn Soutn
a ne river destroyed Back nom tina 'front.' me sond
busness quarter Of the city built eight blocks deep
evrrv foot Of which Il down. with or two slight ex
oeptious ON the extreme vest Of the district ct tho river
hak Thls IA not a either. that Ia down on the south
aada Going west from MOhigan-ave the southery nre
limit drops one block south 70 HAfTisonSt, on Wabas
ava and runs west Harrison several blOcks ana then
on diagonal southwest TO the river and across, where
on the west SIDE in nderAeld OF dry lumber and ex
ooedingy oOmbusble buildings, an irresponsible COW
kicked the kerosene LAMP which lighted oil this DIS
aSter.
That uneOnoerned COW could not have chosen point
moro admirably to the wndward Of the most solid and
superb part OF the city, 1t was at the close OF day OF
violent and really hot southwest wind, and that too
after month Of most unusual dryness whom everything
Of wood and especially everything OF half roted WOOD
which Abounds everywhere 30 perfectly dried that
not petroleum Itself could have made more entirely
ready the destined victim Of the hrehend The danger
too come by stealth. The end Of Summer was really
cold though there but little RAIN but the latter half
Of September and the fatal first week Of October brought
constant winds, under the pleasant sotness OF
which Aeld forest and city became literally dry ss
finder Chicago deoeives any but cautious eye The
ruin which deed the of fire most successfully s that
Of the First National Bank On the site Of this Bank,
less than four years ago. stood old wooden house. 90
docayed "a TO well nigh ready to crmble into ruins.
There IL still world Of old pine In this condition in
Chicago where the original cheap structures are wait
ing until the lots are wanted at fancy prices
70 cover with Athens marble, brick and iron, These
vstas OF decayed pine dried to the condition Of finder,
And roof Of the whole city, that OF the Water
Works which caught and burned before the great brew
cry by touched had been put in perfect order
the swes and surest sweep of universal cOnagra
ton by the day and night steadness Of the southwest
wind fairly heated the match and the spark by the
hot breath Of Sundays steady gale And when the night
Sunday closed in without vestge Of moisture in
the air. and fire broke out little distance to wndward
Of the cOstes and closest square mile Of Chicago the
end If fend had prepared every inch Of
the devourers path |
FIERCENEss FLAMES.
Halt dozen engines together, near the Court House.
had to be abandoned because Of the rapidly with which
the flames few fIOm point to point minding more
about open spaces streets squares than If they were
carried the distances between by many trains OF
powder One OF the finest structures Safest, |
great dry goods house, seized In the seen
to go down in barely 10 minutes. The large no !
bright spots in the burning, which ragged from
midnight TO morning, and from morning to noon The
great bookstores three standing side by side on State
st. the finest single haunt Of average boOkbuy ing in
the country and the store Of L. G. Griggs Co. excep
tionay rich in all America in stock Tapped
by tongues Of heat many as the innumerabe pages
which shrveed under the quick destruction, and all |
gone North and east Of this point one solid mass
Of Wholesale stocks, reaching to the depot and ware
houses tie mouth of the river crumbed into the NAV
OF the easily cODquerng doom. Taking in what lies out
side Of the district blocks north and south by eight
the city lies in ruins south Of the short main trunk of the
river and between the lake and the south branch This
include the comparatively small district west
OF the south branch where the fire originated and just
north which several blocks had been burned over on
Saturday night.
The four bridges on the main trunk OF Chicago River
fell an easy prey bat they not needed TO conduct
the oOnhagratOn across, and speed 1t on Its destroying
way The greatest number Of easily combusble struc
tures invited its progress in all directions and easily
were new fires lighted far in advance Of the general
march OF the destruction that regular line Of fire front
was preserved did separate tongues OF fiery adj
vance four or 1--WE OF which existed most of the time,
steadily hold their relative position Now the burning
terror would dart ahead block or two in one
place, and now in another frequently giving
less than time enough to the escaping pop
ulation TO put necessary clothing. Great
uumber COURSE advised Of the danger and hur
red their goods streets open squares to the
Lake shore any supposed place of safey-there to be
burned nevertheless In far the greater number OF cases.
In ali Chicago there finer private houses than
great OF those heredestrOyed The North Side
was the earlier arstocratc quarter and numerous ele
CANT residences with charm Of spacious grounds
and hne shrubbey for this part Of the city
NewEngand sort Of charm not elsewhere to be found
All this was swept az II 1t had been litter heap OF tow
and shavinGs.
The beautiful New England church went early in the
day. Robert Coyer's stood defant, with It's sturdy
breadth and bigness, while behind and beyond it the
OonRa grafton did It's will with everything else There
was come attempt to bring water In buckets from an
open place but it not long before the vengeance
which snoto mercessly ell around struck this noble
monument also, and soon left the front and towers
bepeaved Of ell that made this Of the bravest and
brightest spots in the whole city In front OF these two
churches Dearborn Park. North Of this Park o
single resdenoe spared almost Capreiousy and In