The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-10-17

HI me Hrlncipdl BdnHS, Uh0fe
sale and retail Establishments, Neus
paper Offices, and score Of Churche
destroyed-Many Vessels burned-
The Fire still raging,
CHICAGO, Ger. 9.-'l'he most terrible
conhagration that ever occurred in the
United States has been in progress in THU
city for nearly "a hours, laying the whole
business portion Of the tity aud one.fiftf
of all the buildings in ashes.
The fire broke out last evening between
0 and 10 o'clock, in barn in Yves,
Taylor-st., and, owing to the indammablt
nature Of its contents, the building wa,
wrapped in flames before the fremer
arrived. From this insignificant source
sprang this terrible calamity.
The portion of the city where the fire
originated was built up almost entirely
Of wooden buildings, closely packed to-
gcther, tcnanted by carpenters, cabinet
makers, coopcrs, varnish manufacturers
intcrspcrscd with lumber yards and stores
Of other inaammablc materials. The
wind was blowing terrible gale and the
deyouring element spread SO rapidly thai
all attempts to stay its ravages PROVED
truitless.
The fire soou reached Clark-st., upor
which the greater portion Of the fine bus
mess blocks were situated, all of which arc
destroyed. The Court House, which was
20 years in building, %as swept away in
30 minutes. The Sherman House, oppo.
site the Court House, the new Pacific
Hotel, which was soon TO be opened, ant
said to be the largest in the world and
indeed, every hotel in the city is swal
lowed up in the sea Of fire. When the
fire reached State-st., toward the Lake
an attempt was made to stay It's progress
by blowing up the buildings in the vicin-
ity of Field, Letters & Cos magnificent
dry goods establishment, but this only
seemed to add to the fury Of the flames
From Safest. the fire advanced with un.
abated fury to the North Division, and
scarcely vcstigo of the 5000 buildings
on that side of the river is left. Taking
a south-castcry direction, the fire swept
through Madison-avc. and Monroe-st.
extending distance of about one mile
and quarter, dcvouring in its advances
The TriJune building, Crosby's Opera.
House, McVickcrs Theater, and hundreds
of the finest business houses in the city.
West Of the Court House, embracing
Lasalle, Wells, and South Watcr-sts,
upon which a very large portion Of the
business was concentrated, everything is
swept clean. The space burnt over GOV.
crs an area of moro than five square
miles, while the value Of the property
destroyed is simply to be conjectured,
some placing it at s1OO,00O,O0O, and
others even more than this.
1t was about | o'clock this morning
when the fire crossed the river at Adams
st. bridge and soon destroyed the gas
works, and then spread itself in every d.
rection. More than one-half the popula-
ton are now pushing through the streets
in vehicles, which are obtained at cnor-
nous prices, on foot, and in every other
way, with the choicest household treas
ures in their arms and on their backs in
utter confusion, not knowing whiiher to
60. Fearful suffering must follow, and
almos. Immediately. Full 100000 pco-
pie are at this moment homeless and
houseless, not knowing where to lay their
heads or get anything to satisfy the crav-
ings Of hunger.
At noon, the whole business portion of
the city from Earrison-st. north to Chi.
cago.ave., and east Of the river to Lake.
ave, was devastated, embracing district
three miles in length to a mile and half
in width. The flames swept through the
city with the rapidity of a prairie fire,
and many persons must have persisted.
At this hour Is P, m)the awful work
Of destruction still goes on with relentless
fury From Harrison,st. in the south to
Diyision-st. in the north and from the
river to the lake, an area Of four miles
long by ono mile wide, the flames have
swept everything before them.
The streets in the districts still un.
burned are lined for miles with such
household goods as have been saved from
destruction. Most generous offers of
assistance in money, food, or anything
wanted are coming in from almost every
city and town throughout the country by
telegraph. The Mayor has responded to
several offers, asking that cooked food be
provided as soon as possible. Firemen
arc on their way here from Cincinnati,
St. Louis, and other cities. The water
works are entirely destroyed. Buildings
are now being blown up on the line of the
fire to attempt to arrest its progress.
1t is impossible now to give even an
approximately correct statement of the
losses, but faint idea may be formed
when it is stated that every bank in the
city except two small savings institutions,
ono on Twenty-second.st. in South Divis.
ion, and one on RaLdolph.st. in West
Division, is destroyed. All wholesale
stores, all retail establishments, the Post.
Office, the Court House, the Chamber of
Commerce, every hotel in South Division
except Michigan'ave. Hotel, which stand
ing on the extreme southern limit, es.
capped, though it is badly scorched, every
newspaper Office THE Tribune building
which was supposed to be fre.proof hav-
ing finally succumbed.) Every theater,
the six largest elevators, the immense
depots of the Michigan Southern and of
the Illinois Central Railroads (both the
passenger and freight depots of the latter
moro than score of churches, and much
of the shipping in the rivcr-all are de-
stroyed.
Men who were millionaries yesterday
morning, are nearly penniless to-day but
more terrible than all in the awful Ger.
tainty that many human beings have per-
ished in the fames-how many, no one
can tell. Perhaps no one will ever be
able to tell but it is known that some
have persisted, and there is only heart
sickening fear that the victims of the fiery
monster may be counted by scores.