Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-10-12
Losses Estimated at Three
Hundred Million Dollars. !;

Losses Estimated at Three
Hundred Million Dollars. 1
Persons Shot and Hang for Setting Fares
Fires Still Raging but Nearly
Subdued.
well, Chicago has been making histo
~; history that has been written in lines
OF fire; history that shall live down thro
NJ ages; history that shall endure While
time endures. We have no easy task be.
tore us when we essay to write upon this
tuhlect. For how shall we give a sober
account, in well chosen words, such as
shall bent the character of public jour
nal, OF such scenes of fire, suffering, (men-
tai and physically death and despair. as
our fair city has witnessed during the
twenty hour hours which we may say vir-
rdally ended about nine o'clock last night
For by that time the great fire had evi-
IDENTITY found It's extreme limits at every
point But we may safely say that no
human being that has been living wit
ness OF these scenes will ever be able to
effaee their vivid recollection from mem.
ory,
The origin of the fire had a trivial, al
most ludicrous beginning. A woman,
after dark on Sunday evening, taking with
her kerosene lamp, went into small
barn TO milk COW The animal becom-
Ing FESTIVE, kicked the lamp to pieces,
and here was the beginning of the great
drama. We have before told how this
little fire sprapg and flew with the very
wings of the wind-how, like some mad
demon, it drove the shafts of destruction
into the very heart and life and vitals of
sur young city-how, for twenty four full
measured hours, forked tongues of fire
and pillows of red flame held high carni-
val over thousands of acres of the fairest
portion of Chicago
At an early hour yesterday morniag tho
fremen, noble fellows, had all given out
from sheer exhaustion, and were seen ly-
ing around, weeping like children There
Is an immortal niche for their names, but
We must proceed to other scenes and in
cidcnts and matters connected with this
awful visitation. Telegraphie dispatches
were promptly sent to some of the neigh
boring cities, for help. Self-preserva-
IG hn fret lat.-
peals could not be responded to with any
thing like efficient help, and thus the fire
was left to rage on, literally taking its
own course, and who shall ever give the
details of all the great aggregate of devas-
tdtion and ruin which it has made in its
course and in all its ultimate consequent
ces! Truly this can never all be told.
The wind blew perfect gale through all
tho middle part of the day, and every arti-
sic of a combustible nature was dry rs
finder itself. How could any other result
Dc possible than such as we have had p
the water all cut off, no effort of any Kind
III any way possible IS to giving any hope
81 success especially before the wind.
Al; Through the day, owners of proper
~ With teams and men were actively en-
gagged in trying to save such property as
was movable. Enormously high prices
were paid for wagons, diays, etc, for this
service. There seems to have been neces-
sfy fer this, as we learn that vehicles
were actually burned with their loads of
goods. In some cases, large lots of goods
We're moved al a heavy expense, to some
locality supposed to be safe, and in an
hour or two, all would be overtaken and
swept off. Women and children were
seen during the day that had been driven
from their beds by fire, and having to fly
instantly for their lives, had thrown blan-
kets or quilts around them, losing every
Yestige of clothing they had in the world
These were their only covering. The
principal streets through the burning dis
trict were four and suffocating with smoke
and foul gases created by the burning OF
oils, paints, and all manner of chemicals
in drug stores and other establishments
and people were warned that certain thor
oughfares could not be travelled without
peril of life from suffo cation; but many
lives were no doubt lost through over
strained curiosity leading persons to dis
regard these wholesome warnings.
Many persons over-anxious to see the
great Fire King in all his majesty mounted
10 the tops of such buildings as were most
accessible, and supposed to be out OF
harms way; but, in little time leaping
tongues of fire with almost lightning
rapidity would seize the buildings thus
occupied, and SO many persons found fiery
graves, as the result of their temerity
Report says that some thirty or forty per
sons were in Crosby's Opera House, en-
gagged in fitting that noted place of amuse
ment up for special opening occasion
when the fiery monster came and thes,
were all quickly borne on fiery wings in
90 eternity. With all the other sad fea
turss of this awful calamity, we have hat
a great holocaust, and the supposition is
that some five hundred human being
have been sacrificed. on its funeral pile
amid fire and smoke and devouring ruin
AS to the amount of losses that havt
been sustained this is all q matter of mer
gness work and conjecture Tho faires
and richest and best portion ofthe city ha
been laid in ashes. The whole arc,
burned over has been estimated at 4, 0Ol
acres, ana the aggregate amount of tn
losses has been placed at $3.50 coo, Goo b,
some ofthe foremost business men of til.
city, while others place 1t at double tina
sum. A sad feature in connection witt
this matter is that all the insurance poll
f:ies covering this vast amount OF proper
iy are worthless, Or very nearly SO, CAUSE
by the magnitude of the calamity. Blu
there are thousand ramitieations througl
which the effects Of this fire must run an
be seriously felt which to-day are. perhaps
not thoughtof The banks have ali bee
onr1el down; powerful stone vaults
built for re-proof, have been bursted ope
from the intense heat to which they WEI