The Van Buren press., 1871-10-17


retail establishments, the postof'ce. court
house, chamber of commerce, and every
hotel in tho South division except the
Michigan Avenue hotel, which is stand.
| ing on the extreme southern limit of the
fire and escaped though badly scorched.
| Every newspaper Office is gone-thc Tri-
bune building having finally succumbed
Every theater, the six largest elevators,
the immense depots OF the Michigan
Southern and Illinois Central railroads :;
both the passengers and freight depots
of the latter; more than score Of
churches, and much of the shipping in
| the river
RUINED FORTUNES
| Men who were millionaires yesterday
are nearly penniless to-day.
DESTRUCTION OF LIFE.
But more terrible than all is the awful
certainty that many human beings have
found fiery graves. How many no one
can now tell. Perhaps. no one ever can,
but some are known to have pershed, and
there is a heart sckenng fear that the
victims of the fiery monster may be
counted by the scores
Hundreds Of horses and cows have
been burned in their stables, and on the
| North side, numbers, though released
from confinement, bewldercd and con
fused by
which surrounded them, rushed wnci,, O..
and fro, uttering cries of frignr anu pa,-
until scorched 10 death. Any attempt NJ
description of scenes thus appalling,
would be idle The simple fact that the
once great city Of
CHICAGO is DESTROYED,
that hundreds Of millions OF live active
capital has vanished, and that nearly one
third OF her Inhabitants are powerless, ~
cnou III any attempt to embellish would
be but mockery.
AS THIS AWFUL DAY
draws to close, thousands Of anxious
eyes watch the dense 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.
There seems. however, little cause for
apprehension, and renforccmcnts of fire
; men from other cities are constantly ar
irving. Colonel j. J s Wilson, super
intenCle1t Of the telegraph, is in receipt
of dispatches from leading cities an
nouncing that aid is being provided fo'
the sufferers Mayor Brown, fSt. Lou
) is, tclegraphs that seventy thousand dol
| lars had been subscribed by the mer
> chants of that city.
: Cincinnati promises one hundred thon
: sand, and Cleveland is proportionatel,
, generous. All this, and great dea
| more will be needed TO relieve the imma
date pressing wants Everything is he
ing done by Gen. Stoger and his assist
ants, to keep up communication for tht
citizens and press with the outside world
Col Geo. T Williams, superintendent
of Cincinnati, reported promptly for duty
this morning About three fourth of thu
United States mail was saved and takeI
possession of by Col Wood, ofthc post
/ Office service
ARREST OF THE FLAMES.
CHICAGO. Oct 9---G m
The progress ofthe flames in the Soutl
Division was finally arrested about
o'clock P. NJ This was accomplished b.
the blowing mp and dcmolishing Of scvc
raj buildings on Wabash avenue and Con
grcss streets by Lieut. Gen. Sheridan.
EXTENT OF TIE RUINS.
The district burned over in the Soutl
Division embraces everything from th
main branch Of the Chicago river to tn
lake. embracing about one hrndre'
blocks This district contains all tn
leading business houses, banks, insur
y ance offices, hotels, etc and a large nun
ber Of churches, including st. Mary
(Catholic) Trinity, First PRESBYTERIAN
Second Presbyterian, st Paul, Sweden
borgan, etc. The Methodist church
corner Of Wabash avenue and Congress
street, is saved, The Michigan Avenu
hotel. on the corner of Michigan avenu
and Congress street, and Congress halls
directly adjoining on Congress street ar
" saved. Michigan terrace, on Michigan
. avenue, embracing the residences Of Gen
II Bross, Hon. j. Young Scammon, S. c
Griggs, and other leading citizens. ar
completely destroyed, with the furnitur
and nearly all other contents All tn
0 newspaper establishments are total
: wiped out.
THE TRIBUNE BUILDING
resisted the fire for several hours, hut Il
nally yielded McVicker's tleater mme
diatcly adjoining, also witlstood The rag
!, ing element, but finally succumhed; il
u fact, all the buildings in the distric
; which claimed to be fire proof, shared til
fate of those which could make no sue
u claims The great Central depot, at tn
foot Of Lake street. became n heap o
ruins about 8 o'clock, but most OF tn
passenger cars of tho Michigan Central
Burlington aud Quincy, and Illinois Cen
T. trail railroads were moved "n 'H'' -
III waio-, y, ozark street, in tho South Iii
vision, the fire extended south rs far al
Polk street sweeping everything beior,
{ it. The distance burned over here is somt
three blocks wide and over half mile il
length, numbering about twenty blocks
The buildings were generally of the cheap
= cr character, embracing saloons, smal
, shops, poor residences, etc
y The district burned over on the Wos
. side commences at Taylor street. runnin.
: from DeKowen to Jefferson it ran theme,
four or five blocks north and then moved
e disagonally toward the river, and iinall,
> sba ,ypst linn was paiabli bal 1.n Cl;ntn,