Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1871-10-14

I The most awful calamltlcs that ever bcicll
! oar country. The daiies, for the last few
: days, have tccmcd with the frishtful Incl
dents, and a partial account of the origin
J and extent ofthe great disaster is all we shall
attempt
The origin of the fire was in stable,
where a woman took q kerosene lamp at
milking time.
Another report has it that the fire start
ed in a large planning mill between Clinton
! and Canal and Van Buren, and jackson
streets. The wind was blowing very fresh
and the flames spread with incredible "a
pidity In few minutes the entire struc-
ture was q mass of fire The immediate
vicinity was built up of small tenement
houses and two story frame buildings, gro
ccries, saloons, &c.
1t is impossible, amid a mass of conflict
/ ing kilograms, to state with accuracy the
amount of property destroyed and lives
lost. But that the loss is immense is be-
! yond doubt An Insurance crash has been
! predicted, but we find a report stating the
companies as able to meet their liabilities.
The following vivid description exhibits
some of the horrors of the great con.la-
grafton:
CHICAGO, October 8-A fire is now "a
ging in the western division, which APP
pears as large as the great fire last night.
The alarm was given at 9:45 p. NJ. from
the corner of Halsted street and Canalport
Avenue, distance of 81 miles from the
courthouse. 1t will necessarily be late be-
| fore any particulars can be obtained.
11:30 P M-The fire tonight in the first
division is now raging with undated fury.
The fire commenced near Taylor street, be-
' tween Dclavan and Jefferson, and is spread
ing in every direction, covering at least
four blocks at this hour, and still seems be-
! yond control The blocks are built up
solitlly and almost exclusively Of two-story
f, frame houses, occupied as residences, board
ng-houses, saloons, groceries, etc. The
, loss is already large, and it is now feared
nat it will prove moro a'c"e+rous In its
! character than the one last night 1t is
impossible yet to learn but very few
names of the sufferers. The entire list will
probably embrace several hundred. No
I approximate estimate can yet be made of
: the total loss, as the progress Of the flames
, has not yet been arrested. We will get
further particulars.
1915 A. M-Last night was the most
awful in the annals of our city. The fire,
which commenced at 10 p NJ has already
swept over space three times as large as
that of the night before, and is still rushing
on with greater fury than has marked any
stage of its progress, the engines appearing
almost powerlcss Fire Marshal Williams
has just tclcgraphcd to Milwaukee for all
the steamers they can spare. The confla-
grafton has already devastated at least
twenty blocks, mostly composed of the
/ smaller class o. dwellings. inhabited by
poor people. Not less than three hundred
buildings have been entirely destroyed, and
more than that number of families render
cd homeless.
| bS " IAltt ID DlpN lilSo 1LibANoV q SoAS AAoi'
the south, and showers ofsparks and brands
are sweeping over the city, threatening de-
! struction on every hand. Since this report
commenced, two additional alarms have
been struck The tower ofthe courthouse
caught fire from flying brands, but was e1-
tinguishcd by the Waterman in the tower
No description can give an idea of the ter
ribc scene. The fire started in q row of
wooden tcnements ON Delevan street, be-
tween Jefferson and Clinton, and as was
the case last night, spread with terrible
! rapility. Before single engine conll get
on the ground, half the block was in flames
and burning furously. The entire depart
mcnt was soon on hand and at work, for
time it seemed probable that they would
succeed in combining it to four or five blocks.
The wind was blowing freshly when the
fire started, but increased to a gale, and
sud lenly the flames seemed to spread in
every direction, becoming beyond the con-
troll Of the fire department.
lis \ M-The fire is still raging with
increased fury and has spread almost with
the velocity of the winds. 1t has now
reached West Monroe, a distance of more
than a mile from where it started, and it
covers breadth of nearly half mile, rca-
ching from the river to Jefferson street.
The district already burned embraces an
immense number of lumber yards. and
freight dcpo.s ofthc Chicago & st. Louis
and Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago
railroads. The property already destroyed
counts up many millions of dollars, and
perhaps the half is not told. The task OF
arresting it now seems five fold greater
than an hour ago and no one dare venture
the op;nion rs TO when or where it Will
stop.
Brands from the fire were bown across
to the east side of the river, and set wood
en- building on fire, directly adjoining the
Chicago gus house. The flames spread in
every direction The adjoining buildings
were a.lsf the tinder box kind the pros
pect is that the gas house will he destroyed
and the city wrapped in darkness. A ter
rib'c panic is prevailing throughout the
whole city. Almost everybody, men, wo-
Al ,Ar