Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-14

/ CHICAGO, Oct. 10, lST1.-The greatest
| confiagration Of modern times has been
raging in this city since 10 o'clock on Sum
day night. We have been visited by am APP
palling calamity. Only two days ago this
was one of the proudest cities on the
American continent; to-day more than one
third in extent, and two-thirds in value, of
this great city are but ashes, and broken
walls and heaps of rubbish. Those at a
distance can have not the most remote con-
ception of the extent of the ruin wrought.
Even the coolest intellects are awe-stricken
at the magnitude of the disaster. Lam
gIIage is inadequate TO describe the scenes
by which we are surrounded. Dispatches
could have given You but faint conception
of the vast extent of the district devastated,
and the value of the property destroyed.
Your correspondent realizes to the full the
utter impracticablity of any effort to give
your readers anything like a complete &C
count of the great conhagration which has
destroyed this fair city. In the midst Of
confusion, of the widest scenes, with smoke
clouds over me, and black and smoking
ruins before and around me, l undertake to
give as succinct an account of the origin
and progress of the fire and describe such
scenes connected with it as the circum-
stances of the case seem to require. Per-
haps nothing like the disaster of which
write has occurred since men began to keep
records of events.
SCENES DURING THE FIRE.
In catastrophe of this character it Is
impossible that anything Ike full present.
ment of details can be made, or indeed ever
will be made. As in a great battle, even
spectators of the whole progress of the ter.
rible devastation are poor reporters of what
they actually saw. The excitement, the
magnitude of the panorama of horror, so
absorbs, so facinates the faculties, the Incl
dents and particulars of each minute are
forgotten even If clearly seen. Standing in
comparatively safe spot near the junction
Of the North and South rivers, l surveyed
waste of ruin and fame extending to the
lake in front, and on either hand far beyond
what it was possible to sec, and then, per-
haps, more than at any other time, the
magnitude of the great calamity burst upon
my mind. The conflagration was still furi-
ously progressing, but / looked not so much
at the fiery line fighting so fercely, as at the
wilderness of ruin over which il had re-
mOrselessly swept. Where are the traces of
architectural stateliness? Where are the
proud structures, the magnificent stores and
business palaces which had been the glory
of Chicago? Vanished as If before the
breath of an enchanter. Nothing left even
to indicate their character-nothing but the
reverse of their greatness and beauty.
Here, where stood a proud, exultant
city-here, where throbbed the heart of its
commercial energy-is nothing but rugged
chaotic expanse of desolate destruction
an unsightly broken plain, still hot with
unsubdued fame, and rolling upward dun
colored cloud of smoke. Here and there
were walls in which were huge gaps, and
the jagged peaks rose with bleak, uneaven
profile, while between such stark Sentinels
were wide spaces covered with that black
and horrible debris which only tempest of
fame can leave behind. The lines of street
were obliterated, for so intense had been the
action of the heat and the force OF miles
of flame famed by wind-stOrm, that
houses not merely crumbled and fell, but
burst open and scattered the materials Of
walls on all sides, while the lighter wooden
stuff of the interior was torn up into the air
as by an awful suction and shed abroad
from great height. Before the power of
such a fire even the biggest structures
Welded up its whole space-it seemed as If
in a moment. Walls fell outward or in
ward as if melted or uprooted, and the
flames bounded onward with a speed in
conceivable. The extraordinary, speedy
demolition of buildings was owing mainly
to their being attacked on two or three
sides by flames at the same time and the
terrible heat that preceded the immediate
coming of the fire. The wind blowing
strongly, bore the breath of miles of fire
and actually parched and scorched all timber
and brick while the actual confagration was
vet blocks distant, so that all intiammable
material became so heated and dry that 1t
sprang into flames without other contact.
| The vast extent of the fire front bewildered
! and confused persons fleeing for safety and
! often they found themselves circumyented
! BY a roaring hell all of a sudden and
! persisted in moment.
THE CONFUSION.
I But while the eye dwelt on the horrifying
! scenes what a mingled tumult smote the ear.
| The voices of excited multitudes near and
! in distance blended into a dull rushing
/ sound, while the progress of fire gave up a
! noise like the roar Of burning forest and
| the heavens glowed as if transmitted into
brass. 1t was a spectacle, a time words
cannot portray. The unutterable pathos OF
the ruin was forgotten in the spell of its APP
| palling grandeur and dumb wonder at the
! triumph of fire over all that was great i'll a
splendid city.
HOW THE FIRE ORIGINATED.
1t is now pretty well settled in the minds
| of the people that the fire originated in one
of two ways. The first of the theories is
based upon the statement ofa little girl who
resided on West Side some blocks south OF
jackson street. She states that some boys
were playing with matches in building
where there was a collection of light COM
| buStible materials, that the flames of the
matches coming in contact with these shay
ings, they were ignited, and III an incredi-
bly, short space of time, the building was
one vast pyramid of fire. The wind at the
time was blowing from the south in per-
feet gale. The alarm was given, but before
the fire department could get in position to
effectively work against further progress
of the fire number of buildings were in
flames, and the wind was sweeping the de-
| vouring element nOrthward with wonder
full rapidity.
The other theory is based upon the state.
ment of gentleman who positively asserts
that the fire was caused in the first instance
by the explosion of coal oil lamp, instead
of from the careless use of matches by boys
Both statements locate the origin OF the fire
in the same house at the corner of Canal
port avenue and Halstead street, in the
southwestern part of the city, between one
and two miles from the courthouse, known
as the pork packing and lumber district,
THE PRENoNITIoNS OF RUIN.
1t was between and 10 O'Clock when
the alarm was given. One statement pla'
ceS the time as late as 10 O'Clock, while
others assert that the fire was first discOv.
cred about o'clock. 1t was probably a
few minutes after that time. The weather
had been exceedingly dry; the wind wa.
blowing almost a gale from the south
west. The fire, starting in a neighborhood
where there were numerous lumber yards
planning mills, and other wooden strIc
lures, fed upon these light cOmbusti-
bIes. and the flames spread with incredible
rapidity. The whole heavens were lighted
up with lurid glare. Vast volumes o
! flames seemed at times to have been de
tached by the fury of the gale and precipi
tated forward over entire squares, kindilns
new fires to feed other flame columns to b.
hurried forward on their mission Of devas
tatiOn.
PROGRESS OF THE CoNFLAGRATIoN.
1t was now little after 10 O'Clock. Th'
fire had already made fearful havoc.
vast tract, perhaps 30 or 10 blocks on tn