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

den's Grove, where it did not progress
so easily amid the wet timber. The
rain which began falling on Monday
evening dampened the ground, and
sensibly detained it. Then it worked
back AGAIN and got hold of the coal
heaps and lumber yards lying south
OfChicago avenue, and make clean
sweep Of all that was left there. So
brilliant was the light on Monday eve
ming that it was feared by some OF
those on the West Side that it would
cross over there and Obliterate what
( was left of the city.
WHAT REMAINS.
I From Kinsie street to Fullerton av-
enue is three miles. At Chicago ave-
nue., the North Division, is a little ov-
/ er mile wide, and is still wider furth-
er north until at Fullerton avenue it
is nearly two miles wide. This vast
extent of territory is nearly as desc
late and empty as it was fifty years
ago. The only houses remaining are
the old Iowa elevator, which fronts
on the basin at the junction Of the
branches, and some Of the low and in
significant frames on Kinsie street
down in that quarter. The width of
the river at this point and the direc-
ton Of the wind saved them. Mr..
McCagg's house was burned but his
greenhouse was uninjured. The
house Of Mr.. Mahlon ID. Ogden on
Dearborn street, and Lafayette Place,
was not even seOrehed. The tower at
the Water Works remains as do the
walls Of the main building, but it is
minus q roof.
At one time it was hoped that
Unity Church, which stands compar-
Atively isolated. would escape, but the
hope did not last long. A few houses
were also left on Division street, near
the river, and one block on Sophia
street, near the park. All the rest
have disappeared. The block pave
ment, ON which so much money had
been expended, and so much OF which
had been laid on that side Ofthe river.
has become hOney-cOmbed charcoal,
and utterly useless.
The double engine of the Water
Works is not seriously injured in itself,
but the foundations are in such q con-
ditiOn as to render running it danger
Gus. The smaller single engine will
require extensive repairs. The larger
single engine is apparently uninjured.
Whether any Of the engines can run
dependsupOn the cylinders, which may
have been sufficiently heated to put
them out Of truth.
II appears that the readiest means
to secure q renewal of water supplies
Is to connect everything that the
town affords in the way of steam
pumping machinery with the boilers,
which are uninjured, and the mains.
A large horizontal engine, which
formerly supplied the city, lies in the |
Water Works yard, and could p-Oba- /
bly, render service. There are an /
OF pipe and fittings in the |
city, and it is possible to secure lin |
tied supply Of water within three !
days, If the matter is pushed.
WHAT WAS DESTROYED.
Among the buildings fnOte on the |
North Side, which were destroyed, !
were the Franklin, Mosely, Lincoln, !
Pierson Street Primary, Elm Street /
Primary, and other school buildings; /
the Clarendon Hotel on Clark street, /
the North Side Stables, from which
nearly all the horses were saved, Nc
COrmick's reaper factory, the Chicago
sugar refinery, the GalenR freight /
house, the Galena elevator, Lills ansl
Sands hreweries, the tanneries along
the North Branch, the German thea
ter at the corner of Indiana and
Wells streets, Unity, New England
and Westminster Churches, the
Church Of the Holy Name, the Cathe-
dral, the hospital Of tile AleXian
the Jewish hospital on La
Sale street, the new Catholic one on 1
the corner Of Sedgwick and Elm, with |
the convent OF the Sisters Of Mercy, !
the Chicago Historical Society, the /
Huron Street Station, the Bethel, Ga
lena depot, the Revere Hotel, Uhlieh's
block, EWing's block, the Hatch l
House, the Humboldt House, Illinois /
Street Church, Armour, Dole & Co.'s |
elevator, Hiram WheeleT's elevator, !
the private residences OF w. B. Ogden I
]. l.. Stark, Isaac n. Arnold, J. X. |
Rice, G.. l.. Dunlap, w. b. HOughsta- !
ling, Samuel Johnson, f. /. Tfnk-
ham, Tom Mackin, the contractor,
whose loss is from four to five hum
dred thousand dollars; George F. and
Julian Rumsey, Edward Burling, A.
H. Burley, o. F. Fuller, DIR. G. V.
Dyer, w. g. Cloudy, Obediah Jack
son, Gen. Rueker, the New Diversey
Block, near the Water Works, +. B.
McCagg, Perry F. Smith, and Phil
HOyne were burned.
The Division street sub-statiOn,s as
we'll as the one on North avenue, the
engine houses, the fine blocks on La
Sale street and the new buildings
which have recently gone up on Divi-
sion street. have also disappeared. No
bridges remain except at Division /
street aud North avenue.
WHAT IS LEFT.
The only houses or buildings in the
South Division north Of Harrison |
street are the Avenue House, on 4
Avenue, and Lidd's Block, /
corner Of Market and Randolph, four /
on Harrison street, and two
or three houses adjoining the Aven-
ue House. All else is in ruins. Con-
the great number OF large
it is remarkable hCw few
of them preserve any share OF their
original proportions. The rule is that
the walls have fallen.
The noted exceptions to this are
the new unfinished building on the
northeast corner Of Monroe and La
Sale streets. This building seems to
have escaped the eOnfiagration- An
other exception is the Tribune office.
Il survived ali its neighbOrs, and a
few hours after the buildings fronting
il had fallen in, and the tire had ex-
tended to other parts Of the city, lt
was attacked by q fresh current com
ing in the rear from State and Mon
roe streets. The fire then took possess
sion and did its work of destruction.
The east. south and west walls are
standing, a section Of the north wall
had fallen out, thereby impairingpos-
sibly, the value OF the other walls
The vaults and press room, perhaps,
have escaped destruction. The third
case is that Of the United States Post
Office, Court room and Custom House.
or this building the four exterior
walls are standing, and seemingly un-
injured. The interior is wholly de-
strOyed.
The Merchants' Insurance COmpa-
ny's building. the Union Bank build
ing, the Oriental building, Cham Der
Of Commerce, the Opera House, Pal
mer & Letters store, the First Nation
al Bank building, Palmer Hotel, Nc
Vicker's TheateT, Farwell Hall, Ma
rine Bank, State Savings Institution,
the various State street editices, have
but broken fragments to tell where
they once existed.
In a majority Of cases the ruins are
within the basement excavations. In
but comparatively few cases did the
walls fall Out-as q rule they sunk /
down and fell inwa=dly. The speed /
with which the buildings were de-
stroyed was surprising. or the Sher-
man House there is not a vestige OF I
the wall above the sidewalk. A result /
is that locomOtiOn through the South |
Division is easy, even for vehicles.
In the North Division there Is but
one house standing entire. Except
portions OF the walls OF a
few churches there Is hardly anything
left to guide the visitor. The
streets have bat little rubbish on them
the walls having fallen in. The
streets are all elevated above the ruins,
As Is the case throughout the whole OF
the South Division where the fire
ragged.
FIguFatlYe Expressions.