Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-10-25
CHICAGO.
It's Present Condition. Business Pros.
peets--0rderS Issued --GeHeral In.
telligence, etc.

south he does not at all realize the
extent of the great calamity nor the
immense amount of property destroy
ed, for in this portion the buildings
are as solid as ever. The cars or the
Michigan Central and some other
roads stop at Twenty-Second street
depot, where the streets are lined
with trunks at every quarter. All
| the residences of convenient size are
| converted into stores and offices and
the remaining goods taken from the
ruins, are placed here for safety.
The people throng Michigan and
Wabash avenues and State street,
some for curiosity and many for en-
! ployment. In front of General Sheri-
/ dams headquarters, on Wabash ave
nue., the destitute were waiting for
passes over the railroads. The police
| formed them in line over halfa mile
in length, and the condition of the
passes is such that no single man can
receive them, for there will Ge en-
ployment in q few days for thou
sands.
The churches and public buildings
are converted into houses for the un-
, fortunate, and three times day the
applicants for aid are placed in line
to receive their rations-
On Sunday the people were terribly
excited; thieves and pickpOckets were
improving the opportunity by plum
deTing houses and breaking open
safes. In view of this state of excite
ment, Detective Pinkerton, who is in
charge of buildings, issued the fol-
lowing order:
"Thieres aud Bun 1glars.-Office of Pin
kerton's Police. = Orders are hereby
given TO the Captains, Lieutenants, Ser
geants, and men of Pinkerton's Proven
tive Police, that they are in charge of
the burned district from Polk street
from the river to the lake, and to The
Chicago river. Any persons stealing, or
seeking to steal, any of the prOpeaty in
my charge, or attempting to break open
the safes, as the men cannot make arrests
at the present time, they shall Kill the
persons by my orders. No mercy shall be
SbolcR them, bat death shall be their fate.
ALLAN PINRERToN.
Many of the bakers were charging
exoIbitant prices for bread. In pur-
suance of this Mayor Mason issued a
proclamation to the effect that any
person selling bread for over eight
cents per twelve ounces shall be fined
a sum not less than $50, or imprison-
ment. The County Agent in issuing
provisions on the West Side, pro-
pounded the questions: Are you
married or single? How many chill
dren have you?" and would then call
IA loaf of bread; a little piece of
meat pass on" Many grOcers were
charging 81 per pound for butter, 60
70 M
articles in like proportion.
No papers were printed nntll We'd
nesday. They were sold as high as
81 per copy. Tribune and Journal
were printed on the same press and
with the same type, on Canal street,
near the tunnel, and the press could
not supply one-tenth the demand.
The Postoffice on State Street. and
Intelligence office opposite, were filled
with anxious inquirers for letters and
friends. Carpenters, masons and la
borers are called for. The work of
excavating and removing the rubbish
has already commenced. As soon as
the fire and heat had subsided mer-
chants began the work of opening
their safes and searching for valuable
papers. The strongest safe was not a
test of endurance. Many vaults were
melted and charred. Thousands of
books, notes, accounts, and even
greenbacks, were found heated to a
Jet black, yet ciisCernible, ,swhilc othere
crumbled like ashes. The highest
buildings were felled to the lowest
foundation. 1t is difficult in some
instances to recall names of streets.
Elevators that contained large guam
titles of grain were burned to the
ground, leaving mountains of wheat
smouldering in the ruins. Coal yards
ten and fifteen feet deep are still burn
ing and furnish considerable light
throughout the city.
Chicago had sixteen large fire en- /
gines but six or seven were consumed
in the flames. Others were sent from
st. Louis, Pittsburgh and other quar-
ters. Some of them are used in SUP
plying the main pipes for the use of
families and fires. Water is hauled
from the lake on wagons by express
men and sold at high prices. Two
thousand soldiers, infantry and caval-
~, are on duty guarding property.
Every load of supplies from the eoun- |
try are guarded, in order that all may
receive an equal share. Police are
stationed at every hydrant to prevent
the people from wasting water.
A meeting of the Board of Super
visors was called to locate the new
court house, and other public build
ings. Many deeming it mere specu-
lation for the value of property, the
Board adjourned for a further con-
sideration of the matter. hegrandest
test of fire proof buildings was the
Tribune office, and had it not been
for a shell in one of the north win
dows, sent from Paris, the entire walls
would have been saved; but when it
ignited about twenty feet of the wall
was blown out. The stone walls of
the First National Bank are cOnsi-
dered good. The exterior of the Court
House is nearly all standing. The
intense heat crumbled many walls
like mortar.
The first temporary building erected
near the Court House is an S by 10,
used by S. d. Kerfoot & c., Real
Estate Agents, who have a rough sign
-"All gone but wife, children and
energy.-S. d. Kerfoot & CO.-First
building on burnt district" That
portion of lake front east on Michigan
avenue is building up with small
offices to be used by the wholesale
merchants, The Fidelity Safe DepO
STORY, on Randolph street, is the first
bank that resumed business on the
ruins. The walls of the Michigan
Central depot are good and work has
already commenced. The walls of
the water works are mostly good.
The north engine will be started in a
few days; the remaining two engines
are considerably damaged.
The entire North Side presents a
mass of total ruins, and nothing is
seen but iron, broken erOckery and
Imperishable articles. The rails on
the street railroads are warped to the
height of three feet, while here and
there are seen, on the ground, tele-
graph wires still connected. The fire
passed to the north so rapidly that
shade trees were only burned on the
top, leaving tall stump. In many
cases express wagons loaded with fur
niture were burned in the street,
horses and all. One man entered a
large water pipe near the water works
to escape the heat, but he was soon
burned to death,
When the fire had reached the
North Side, on Monday night, the
wind blew directly north with such
fury that the entire property in this