Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1871-12-06

simply questions of few months time
Two hundred American audiences have
seen me map out on a blackboard the
Doomed City of Sin," bv the melting
of the mountains of ice, OverfiOwing
Lake Superior into Lake Michigan and
sinking Chicago. The editor of the Du-
buque Herald, now publishing a paper
in Aurora, made graphic pen sketches
of that picture. At half-past ten on Sat-
urday night, in Farewell's Hall, l de-
livered my 72Oth Presidential address
in my course of !, 200 on the way to the
White House, where 1 again made the
statement that could not drive out of
my mind the feeling that, either by the
overflow of Lake Michigan or some ter
rible fire Chicago would be destroyed
Just then the fre-bell rang, and the city
has been burning ever since. 1 saw
the flames at one o'clock Sunday morn
ing beIching forth impending doom,
and returned to the Sherman, suggest
ing to Gage that the cinders were flying
over the Sherman House. The Sunday
gale did the rest, and the Prairie City
is now a graveyard of crushed hopes, a
cemetery of years of brain and body
work, where lie the bones of ruined
industry and a wonderful energy. I
notified the authorities that the untried
criminals in the court house and iaiI
would die in case of fire, but my voice
was not needed, and they perished in
the flames
THE EFFECT IN THE WEST.
That question is suggestive. Bond and
mortgage on fire-proof stone and iron
buildings, built on valuable lots, rented
at high rates, with insurance in many
offices, was the pet security of the
shrewd New England capitalists! Now,
all is gone. Building, insurance-and
even land is not worth half its cost.
Chicago men had all their fortunes in
ChicagO-n Othing outside. The loss to
them is ruin. Does the lightning strike
the same tree twice? Does the cannon
ball hit the same spot again? VIII
Chicago PhRnixize herself? PerbaDs.
but meanwhile trade will run in other
channels. More Western cities will
build up under the misfortune of Chica-
go. The man of millions will settle
down further West, where his thousands
will give him position again.
Omaha will be the new Chicago.
yesterday wrote my private secretary
that the hOtel-keepers of the burned
city could have the Cozzens House, and
to let them have it at reduced rental.
Last night a universal mass-meeting
there voted assistance to the sufferers.
Let us all in the West put our shoulders
to the wheel, and do all we can for hu-
manity's sake. Millions ofprovisions.
money and material aid pour in from
every town and city in America, so
that the universal suffering will be al
leFiated. In two years Chicago will be
rebuilt. America cannot do without
Chicago.
AS fifty millions sometimes pays a
thousand millions debt, the wiping out
of three hundred millions by fire may
bring universal disaster, as all the ele-
ments Ofa financial crash are in the air.
Special payments means national bank
ruptcy. Nothing but greenbacks for the
bonds, on the Thad Stevens plan, can
save the credit of two thousand Nation
al Ranks and the wiping out of three
millions of National debt. These asser-
tions created a decided sensation as
Train put his fingers on the bulletin,
of which he spoke but two hours and a
half.
Train sent off the following generous
to the burned-Out hotel-keepers
of Chicago:
ATCHIsON, Oct. 10, II.
Messrs. Gage, Drake, Rice, Kibby,
Palmer, and other hotel keepers of Chi
cago:
You may have the Cozzens House,
Omaha, on your own terms. Possession
next week.
GEORGE FRANCIS TRAIN.
Mr.. Train has one hundred mass
appointments on successive
nights, South and West.
PRESIDENT CREDIT FoNCIER
OF AMERICA, OMAHA.