The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-10-14


Girsrd and family. Mr.. Ccrkran had hold Of
ens end OF trunk. and Mrs. Gsbler Of the other.
Her dress tosk fire, and b. eff her and ran for
the staifs, leading from the cellar Up stairs. He
IL certain that old Colonel Stone su6oestsd. and,
from the sudden thrush Of dense smoke. there Is
cause fog fear that nearly all the others Who
were in there shared the same fate, bewildered
BY the fumes, and unable TO find their way out
OF . building which they were unacquaint.
Cd with. Mr.. Corkran ran up the stairs and
went into the reading-room on tie ground floor,
and thence hurried up into the library room.
At that time there did not seem to be any symp-
toms OF fire in the roof. Then, going Down
stairs again into the lecture and pamphlet room,
he saw the flames rushing up stairs, and made
his exit as hurriedly a. possible. Nothing was
saved from the building, not even the Emancipa.
ton Proclamation, and it is now an utter and
hopeless wreck.
AT CHICAGO AVENUE.
1t was 10 O'Clock when the fire got to Chicago
avenue, and all down Clark and Wells streets
was in a state o: terrible excitement. The fire
had crossed the river az another point Or rather,
the flying sparks had set fire up near Ontario
street. Encouraged by the absence of police.
men, the roughs along Kinzie street broke
into the saloons there, and began seizing and
drinking the liquor Many others, at the mo.
ment when they most needed all the selfposses-
sion they had, fuddgled themselves. and in many
cases, were
SURROUNDED BY THE FLAMES AND sTIFLED BY
THE SMOKE.
Some were found lyins on the Sidewalk. and,
since no one paid any particular attention to
them, they met their fate there. Some women,
and their chileren, fingered too long and were
either lost III the houses, or compelled to Jump
out OF the windows, and receiving injuries, re-
manned where they were. The incredible rapid.
ity OF the flames passed all comprehension.
They sprung from side to side OF the street. and,
skipping extensive tracts, returned to complete
their work. Often before the flames had reached
house, the thick black smoke began TO roll
out OF the cLimneys, the result of the action of
the Intense heat on the pine woodwor within.
The Church of the Holy Name, which has
slate roof. was especially noticeable. From the
crevices OF the states ,red out eddying whirs
Of black smoke, which, after rising a short
height, burned for moment with an intense
flame, and then went out. A, an early hour in
the morning, it was impossible to get teams, but
1t was not long before they were all occupied.
1t reported. but not the best authority, that
FIFTEEN MEN WERE LOST
at blacksmith shop on Rush street. All these
fires at whatever point they crossed the river,
soon ignited, and swept on unobstructedly north
ward.
ACROSS CHICAGO AVENUE.
The people living north Of Chicago avenue and
rather west Of La Sale streets, we're exceedingly
hopeful that they would escape and that the fire
would drift steadily eastward hot expecting
that i, would IN Ike any progress against the
steady and furious west wind. They also had
great hopes in Chicago avenue. which is 100.
foot street. But she flames, running up Clark
street, and catching Turner hall and the new
building north of it, worked west, and got into
the brick blocks on the east side Of L. Sale,
and then jumped the street and got into the
blocks on the west side. At about the same
time 1t crossed Chicago avenue and caught Nc
Ewens planning MILL on Wells. near Pearson,
and then rushed on northward among the wood.
en- buildings siturted there, blowing them down
almost before they on fire. Numbers of
citizens seized what they could, piling it on
drays, which they sometimes dragged them.
selves and took thelgoods thus temporarily res.
cued over to vacant lot or Franklin street be-
yond Elm, where there nothing but earth
and green celery, and there bestowed their pos.
sessions In little heaps, with which the surface
OF the ground Was soon covered. But this ma.
terial with which the earth was numbered was
OF the most incongruous and often indammable
nature. Irish women brought straw beds, and
others piled up chairs, bureaus trunks, and
every conceivable article. 1t WAS not very long
before the cinders, falling in dense masses, began
TO make of the surface Of this lot succession of
small bonHres, and the owners, having no water,
and no means of covering with earth what they
had, were either compelled to stamp out these
flames or TO let their stuff 90. and confine them
selves to regretting the useless waste of time,
or to pick up the most portable article and walk
OF with 1t. One man was seen marching off
with a glass kerosene lamp. and after he had
carried it about block, he met friend, who
asked him what was the use Of carrying thing
like that any further He looked at IT, obseryed
that there did not seem to be much use in it,
and tossed it away. Another man had secured
rickety and tremulous cart, to which was har-
messed . riokety and tremulous horse and in it
he had beer safe, which, with great regard for
the property of others, he was carrying out of
harms way, on the prairie or lsewhere. Other
men took their goods up to Lincoln Park, hop
ing that there, at least, they would be safe. But
there, As elsewhere the fury of the flames passed
their comprehension, and everything stored
there, as we'll as the trees, were swept away.
ESCAPE OF PEOPLE INTO THE WEST DIVISION.
So soon as the people west OF Clark began to
see that there was no hope and that the fire was
really bound to go noethN I'd to an indefinite
point, they turned their minds to getting over
In the West Division. where there wss COMPARE.
tive safety from the ffames and plenty OF vacant
ground on which to encamp. &c. since Chicago
avenue bridge was useless, the whole tide turned
toward Division, which, from Grove to Halsted,
was untouched, and promised to remain Co. Il
was not many minutes before steady stream of
carriages, drays express wagons and vehicles Of
every description were rushing pell.mell across
that bridge interlocking and breaking, while
the southern streets leading up to Division were
iammed with wagons, which occasionally caught
fire. The expre.smen and drayufen, stimulated
by the immense prices they were receving-$2O
70 ROO lOad-drove their haavv teams peck loss.