The New York herald., 1871-10-14


thai the ruling passion was
STRONG EyRk In DEArH.
uscius aboSe ererylssnx else: me IRISH were tryn
- save everything. and the Americans IN mos
instances, thougnt OF nothing out theu lives. sss
ossc IL one hand ana can hall fnn or jelly 10 TN
oeAer. snail never forget the gravity OF mls iooxs
ne seemed TO have secured ~ ,nis imc coycret
with
10 MERCHANDISE, HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND rEorIE
and as the great wholesale houses on State and
wabash were beginning 10 shllt their goods. the.
rendered the confusion, II possible, greater, ~ /,
nvas now 1--WE O'clock aud /. turned IN stat,
street again 70 see what the Are had done In my ah
sence. ] got up IN time 10 see the Crosby bioci
aroyed. Tne opera House had been recentiy
rented and newly upholstered az . cost o
and general accommodation was second /,
no threatre on the Continent. Il was to hav,
been opened on the same night By the Thomai
arrived and were IN the buhding at the time. Crea
interest was mann ested m the Inauguration OF th,
masical season OF unprecedented prosperity; hui
"vatn are the hopes OF man" and flceting his mos
cnerlshesi designs In o lew shoit minutes the old
COULD SCARCELY FIX THE SITE
Of the proud structure. and the plans and hopes OF
uhousands we've swept TO the winds. s2l
. TnR ST. JAMES HOTEL. 7 .ns y TT
situated in the same Luding, was destroyed at the
not the ghost OF chance 10 escape. Up to his
t:me so engrossed was In other parts Of the city.
l never thought OF my Own residence until my COM
that quarter. We turned to 20 back. and the 1rst
thing that attracted my attention was .as.ass
S-t TRIsIrY EPISCOPAL CHURCH,
situated on Van Buren street, between wabash and
Michigan avenues, which, perceived to be in names
sd Dece serou aaed or pGsk e
many OF whom were helpless women among them
10y ll ROSA D'ERINA, lEstt5- t.
the Irish prlma donna, who had just concluded q
series OF most successful entertainments mad pre-
yiCus TO this made eaOrts save my efYects and
II was now TOO late. as found the balcony OF the
women were panic stricken, and seemed utterly
incapable OF action but we succeeded, amid great
dlncuity, In rescung them from danger, and, along
with them. we wended our way towards the lake
shore. But my feelings were so much excited I
went cItywards- walked NU'r,t lH
ALONG ADAMS STREET, a..8
which mad up to that time escaped, and found the
Academy OF Design. situated corner OF Adams and
Dearborn streets, still untouched. The Palmer House,
on State street, little lower down. also STOOD and for
. moment ieehn2 OF nope sprang up In my breast
that something might be spared even then. But
this was short-!ived feeling. The Honore block.
r. Of erection snS Sy Ss q
acted as barrier against the progress OF the names
eastw ard was IN imminent danger. and rne district
most exertioss were made 10 save me mails papers
and vaiua0le consents OF tho oiilce ana 10 rrcat
measure believe, saey aver were successful Finally
but being very solid and substantial structure II
withstood the nse longer than any other which 4
mad seem lis Interior was completely gutled, but
the walls remain, and on Tuesday tney served me
as guide through the ruins. Famihar as was
with the city could not otherwise have found-my
way. No chance new remained for nrr r4r4.'-a
THE ACADEMY OF DESIGN,
and We mournfuly watched the rapfdty WIN
which the fatal element was surely encrcling il. Il
was filed with. valuable paintings, among
Sass great pse nad q
on exhibition for some weeks past
heard the picture was taken out IN safety, but It
Of the remaining paintings had to be abandoned TO
the are. Ine building MAS not 1reprooi, ann being
built with more regard 70 display than utility, was
Piled over with the heat ana fell with an awful
crash, and 1t IS feared many perished IN the ruins
alarge number OF valuable stores In this district
and hey with their contents were completely de-
NARROW ESCAPE FOR MY LIFE .
Ilist then, and even now can scarcely realize how
great the risk was. l had in my eagerness, gone
too near the HonOre Block. when falling timber
struck me on the forehead and iellcd me to the
grouad was completely stunned for moment
minus hat, loss which soon replaced. a. there
were hundreds OF them nying through the streets
ore up my
east side Of sale street, towards the bridge, was
now IN flames, and the block Of buildings nortn
OF Field, Letter Co.'s extensive whole.
sale store pne largest in the west), were
being rapidly consumed. The employees Of
the house, some five hundred In number,
had been busiiy engageu all me night in removing
the most valuable portion OF the goods to place OF
safety; 6uI the heat had become 50 Intense that tney
its fate. I he building Itself belonged 10 Potter
Palmer and was the finest business house In the
city. It could not be valued al less than Q million
and o half OF dollars only part OF which was COW
cred by Insurance. IL caught in the roof and IN an
previously been placed the basement, but the nre
was long IN reaching u. Az length
~ A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION
apprtsed the spectators that the end mad come. The
fragments were scattered around for blocks, wound
lng and manning many persons and shaking the
foundations OF The solid earth on which we stood.
When opened my eyes again (Which had closed
on account OF the nying sparksl all could perceive
was smoEing heap Of ruins Immediately ad.
joining Field Letters stood the booSseIers' block
OF chicago, In which the largest book trade in the
West was transacted. IL remained intact at
six O'Clock, when everything around IL had been
burned; but the Ore, which by this time mad made
Its way east 10 Wabash avenue. ignted II in the
rear, and 1t burned up like unGer, the stock, OF
course being perfectly innammable. The loss
must have been immense as. The book trade being
unusually active, tremendous stock was on hand.
forgot 10 state that pf evious 10 this
THE WATER WORKS HAD BEEN CONSUMED.
and the city was now without light or water The
people, the finest Ia the world, but whether this be
so or rot they were magnificent structures or their
the Fire Department, which had never rendered
much service, practically ceased to ex ST. and seven
OF the engines were abandoned to the fire.
# THE FLAME-wRAPPED CITY.
The panorama was now awlully grand and mag
those VINO had GOODNESS enough le 10 appreciate the
vividness Of the scene On every side, far as the
eye could reach, the r0rking names were shooting
up jumping entire blocks with the rapidity OF II -ht
ming, tlling the air with burning umbe s, sciZng
fragments and innammable material OF every kim.
The crash OF falling buildings would AT swift inter-
walls drown all other sounds, and almost blind the
spectators with dense masses OF smoke, causing for
q moment darkness that could be felt The entire
north east part OF the city had now been consumed
as FAR as the river, and the interest became cOncen
trated In the southern part, towards which the FIRE
was clearing Its resstess way. twas daylight, out
you c0uld not distinguish the difference between day
and night, as the streets presented the same ap.
pearance, and the atmosDncre and heavens looked
as they had been for hours previous. Lower state
street. south OF Jackson was one vivid blaze the
ruined structures beching forth whole columns Of
IRE and smoke, and In the midst perceived II
THE rAIMFR HOUSE STILL STANDING 4Hts
fwas astonisned that 1t mad held out so long
Fiom lis great height one would imagine that II
would he one Of the structures most liaDle
to go. but II stood longer tnaN Others sup-
posed 10 be completely 1reproof. Its entire
contents mad been saved, ana Mr.. Palmer
remained In the building 10 The last. was told by
a gentleman that Mr.. Palmer's wife, who was walt