The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1871-10-12
H Oh Q G AU S I
Most Terrible Conflagra-
ton Ever Known.
An Area Of HTany Miles
Burned Over and the
Fire Unchecked.
Fearful Panic Prevailing
and Great Loss of Life
Probable.
INDESCRIBABLE SCENE OF TER
ROR AND DEVASTATION.
LAST NIGHT S CoNFLAGRATIoN.

| = - !
LAST NIGHTS CONFEDERATION.
| CHICAGO. Oct $40 P MA fire is
| row raging in the West Division which
| appears to he as large as the great fire
| last night. The alarm was given at 9:45
| z. ". from the corner Of Halsted street
and Canalpor avenue, distance about
two and u half miles from the Court
t House. 1t will necessarily be late before
any particulars can be obtained.
Ten BLOCKS BURNED.
| CHICAGO, Oct. S, ll:3UP M.-The
| fire tonight in the Western division is
now raging with unabated fury. The
! fire commenced near Taylor street, mid
way between Delevan and Jefferson. is
spreading III every direction, and covers
at least ten blocks at this hour, and still
seems beyond control. The blocks are
built up solidly. almost exclusively of
two story frame houses. occupied as resi-
| dcnces, boarding houses, saloons, grocer
| les. etc. The loss is already large, and
it is feared that it will prove more de-
| srructive than the one last night. 1t is
! impossible yet to learn but very few
na,ues of the sufferers The entire list
IT,
! No approximate estimate can yet be
made of the total loss, as the progressing
flames have not yet been arrested.
THE HoLocAUsT.
! CHICAGO, Oct. 9-I2:45 A. M.-To-
night is the m ost awful in the annals of
/ the city. The fire which commenced at
10 clock p. NJ. has already swept over
a space at laSst three times as large as
that of last night, and is still rushing on
in its path of destruction with greater
| fury tnan has marked any stage Of Its
| progress, the engines appearing to be al
most powerless. Fire Marshal Williams
| has just teiegraphed to Milwaukee for
/ all the steamers they can spare. The
| confederation has already devastated at
! least twenty blocks, mostly composed of
the smaller class Of dwellings,, inha bited
/ mainly by poorer people. Not less than
| Il rec hundred have been entirely de-
stroyed, aud more than that number c.
families rendered homeless.
TWO MORE ALARMS
Since the report commenced two addi-
| ti6nal alarms have been started, and the
tower Of the Court House caueht from
J flying brands, but was extInguiShed by
= the watchmen in the tower. No descrlp-
tion can give an adequate idea of the ter
/ rible scene The fire started in a row of
| low wooden tenPments on Delavan
street, between Jefferson and Clinton,
and, as was the case last night, spread
with terrible rapidity. Before single
engine could get on the ground half the
block was in flames and burning furious
| ly. The entire department were soon on
the spot and at work. For time it
seemed lrnba BILE that they would succeed
in confning it to an area of four or five
blocks The wind, which was blowing
freshly when the fire started, increased
to gale, and suddenly the flames seem
ed to spread in every direction, becom-
ing completely beyond the control of the
fire department.
THE FLAMES SPREADING.
CHICAGO, Oct. Oils A. M-The fire
is still raging with fearful rapidly Ii
has spread almost with the velocity OF
the wind, aud he's now reached West
Monroe street. distance of more than
three miles from where it started, and il
covers bredth of nearly half mile
reaching from the river to Jefferson
street. The district already burned owe,
embraces an immense number of lumber
yards, freight depot Of the Chicago &
St. Louis and Pitt>burg Ft. " aynt
and Chicago Railroads. The property
already destroyed already counts up many
| millions of dollars, and perhaps the hall
is not told. The task Of arreStine it
seems tive-fold greater now than it did ar
hour ago. and no one dare venture the
opinion as to when or where it will stop
A board from the fire was blown acros:
to the
EAST SIDE OF THE RIVER,
and set fire to a wooden building directly
| a1iniung the Chi ,ago gas house. Tx
flames srread in every direction. the al
Joining bindings being all of the tinGer
hoX kind. The prospect is that the ga
, house will be de>t Dyed ana the city wrap
ped in darkness.
A TERRIBLE PANIC
is prevailing throughout the whole city
Almost every ybody-men, women an,
children-'S IN the street, ard prayiu,
: and weeping is heard in every direction
L now looks as if the whole city nigh
be destroyed.
Loss OF LIFE.
OF course large numbers of lives hav
been sacrificed, but how many, and who
t cannot be known until the progress of th
, flames has been arrested.
The alarm-bel has just commence
: ringing peal which is intended to ca
every sleeper from his bed. The panic
, increasing every moment, and the peopl
are almost crazy with excitement.
THE VESSELS oNTHE RIVER
D are catching fire in every direction, an
D all on the south branch of the Chicag
River will probably be destroyed.
BRIDGES AND SHIPPING BURNING.
las A MA raging, roaring hell Q
: fire involves twenty blocks of the city
: Already within block of the telegraph
office when this dispatch was written. an
sweeping onward, is whirIwing of flame
against which human efforts are power
; less. and it is impossible to tell when
! viii stop.
The bridge across Van Buren, street
burned, the shipping In the river, tn
cars on the track of the Chicago and 4
; ton and Ft. Wayne roads, with the in
. mense freight house there, are swel
away.
: No language can describe
y THE DREADFUL SCENE.