Connecticut western news., 1871-10-13
APPALLING CONFEDERATION.
Half of Chicago i'm Ashes.

The most terrible conflagration that eyer occurred in the United States commenced last Sunday evening between g and 10 o'clock, in Q barn, and before the firemen arrived on the ground it had got under such headway as to be beyond their power to subdue it.
 The portion of the city where the fire originated is composed almost entirely of wooden buildings, closely packed together, tenanted by carpenters, cabinet-makers, coopers, varnish manufacturers; interspersed with lumber yards, &c. The wind was blowing terrible gale, ana the devouring element spread so rapidly that all attempts to stay its ravages proved fruitless. The territory burned over, covers 8 space of more than five square miles, and the value of the property destroyed is placed at $l5O,- OOO, 1000.
 All the insurance offices, banks, hotels, telegraph offices, newspaper establishments, churches, court house, Sherman House, Tlement House, Palmer House, New Paci- fic Hotel, New Bigelow Hotel, and in fact everything else is swept clean.
 One hundred thousand houseless persons are appealing for aid, and those who were millionaries last week were in one day rem dered almost penniless.
 The mayors of nearly ali the western cities have proffered relief and assistance to the mayor of Chicago.
 Immense quantities of provisions are daily being carried to the city from all parts of the Union. Something of an idea of the extentof this fire can be formed from the fact that in the ''great fire in New York in 1885, 649 houses were des- troyed; but in this Chicago conf1agra- tion over l2, ,OOO were consumed. Uneqalled before in enterprise and good fortune, Chicago is now unapproachable in calamity. Her name is inseparably connected with the greatest disaster of modern times.
 LATER.
 CHICAGO, Ger. 9TH, P. M.-For miles in every direction, sidewalks, lawns, vacant lots and front yards of dwellings are fill ed with people who escaped from the burn. ing houses taking with them only scan!y amount of furniture and clothing. The sight is narrowing These people must re- ceive immediate relief or many will perish from exposure and starvation. It is utterly impossible to make an approximate esti- mate of the entire loss, but it can scarcely fall below hundred and fifty millions. Of course but fraction of this amount can be recovered from insurance. General Sheri- dan has to-day telegraphed to St. Louis, to the Missouri depot there, to send at once 100, 900 rations. He has also telegraphed to Omaha for two companies of soldiers and 100 tents, He will also order another 100000 rations.
 More terrible than all is tue awful cer- tainty that many human beings have pa- ished in the flames-how many no one can tell. Hundreds of horses and COWS have been burned in stables, and on the north side numbers of animals, though re- leased from confinement, were so bewilder ed and confused by the sea of fire which surrounded them that they rushed wildly to and fro, uttering cries of fright and pain, until scorched and killed. Any attempt at description of the scenes of the appal- ling calamity will be idle. The simple facts that the once great city of Chicago is destroyed, that hundreds of millions of active capital here have vanished and that nearly one-third of Chicago's inhabitants are houseless dependents, are enough. Any attempt to embellish would be mockery, and as this awful day draws to close thousands of anxious eyes watch the clouds of smoke which still roll over the burnt district with evident dread that sudden change of wind may turn the flames upon that portion of the city yet spared.
 CHICAGO, Oct. 9th, 6 P. M.-The follow ing report was telegraphed from Chicago to Cincinnati before the second interrup- ton of the wires: The fire in the south division was finally arrested abont one p. m., by the blowing up of several buildings on Wabash avenue and Congress street by General Sheridan.
 NEW YORK, Oct. 1O.-The following good news is just received. The Western Union Telegraph Company furnishes the following ''St. Louis has just had com munication with Chicago. He reports a heavy rain there last night and the fire all out"