The Portland daily press., 1871-10-21
SELECTED STORY.
/. Woman's Story Of the Chi
c. go Fire.
A THRILLING NARRATIVE.


oieadfu days? It's a dream, nightmare,
ony so real that | tremble as WRITE 90 90
tsuugh the whole thing might be Droush' "
lne again by merely telling of It: ,,,o,,, fro,,,
We lived on the North Side, SIX DlooN9 ~ Loti
tne river-the newly rege ahas and the desnsir
If our city. Int which had just been turned
I,,cl, NV the splendId energy OF the people, to
larry the sweet waters OF Lake Mick igan
1hransb all its noisome recesses. We were
quet pee pie, like most oil the North-Siders,
1atteiing ourselves that our comfortable |
wooden houses, and sober, CHEEKY, New En- |
eland-looking streets were tar preferable to |
abe more rapid, blatant lie of the Souih |
Side.
Well, on Sunday morning, Oct. s. Robert
Coliyer gave bls people what we ali felt to be
wonderful sermou,on the text: Think yetbat
those upon whom the tower of Sloan tell were
SINNERS above all those who dwelt at Jerusa-
lem," and illustrated it by picture of the
present he, and our great cities, their grand
eur their wickeduess, and the awful though |
strictly natural consequences of our Unsuitable |
pursuit OF wo idly prosperity, too often un- |
Checked by principle; and instanced the |
many dreadful catastrophes as signs that not |
the Erie spectators alone, not the contract
Ors alone oor the recognized sinners alone
but We every man and woman OF the United |
States were responsible for these horrors, i'll |
asmuch as we did not work, fight, bleed, and |
die, if necessary, to establish such public opin |
ion as should make them impossible.
| came out gazing about on one beautiful
chuich, and hoping that not one stone of the
Gear church at home had been set or paid to
by the rascslity which our preacher so elo-
qurntly DEF icted, as certain to bring ruin, ma
terial as well as spiritual, and so we passed
the pleasant bright day; some of us going
down to the sceI e of the West Side fire OF
Saturday night and espying, as from good
distance, The unhappy losers of so much prop
efty. About in the evening our neigh
boring fire telegraph sent forth some little
ADMINISTRATIONS, and we lazily wondered
as D--playtd the piano, and l watered my
ivy, what they were burning up now. AT
IL O'Clock the fire bells were ringing constant
", and we went to bed reSretting that there
nusl be more property burning up on the
West Side. E even O'Clock, II O'Clock, and
woke my sister, saying, "lCs very singular;
never heard anything like the fires to- night
1t seems as if the whole West Side must be
afile. Poor people, wonder whose careless
uess set this agoingw One o'clock-two
O'Clock we get up and look out. "Great God!
the fire has crossed the river from the south
Can thele be any danger here? And we
looked anxiorsly out to see men hu'rying by
screaming and swearing, and the whole city
to the south ard west Of us one vivid glare.
"Whele ale the engines? Why don't we hear
them as uSua?" we asked each other thor.
ou2hly puzzled, but even yet hardly person
ally frightened by the strange aspect of the
brilliant and suIgiDg streets below. Then
came loud knocking at the back-door, op
Eue-st.-"Ladifs ladies, get up! Pack your
trunks and prepare to leave your house! il
may not be necessary, but it's well to be pre-
paIedp 1t was friend who had fought his
way through the Laselle-st. tunnel TO warn
us that the city is on fire. We looked al
each with white faces. Well we might. H.
N aafi HI
object OF our eeaseless care a1d love, the vic
tim OF terrible aud recurring mental malady
which had already Slapped much OF his
strength and lite, and rendered quiet and alb
nee of excitement the first prescription OF
bis physicians Must We call the invalid?
and, it we did, in the midst OF this fearful
glare and turn Dill what would be the RESULT
We determined to wait till the last minute
and threw some valua Oles into trunk, while
we anxouslv watched the ever-approachinp
flame and tumult.
The. there came strange sound in the air
WhIch sllled, or seemed to still, tor a moment
the surgDg crowd. "Was it thunder?n we
asked. No, the sky was clear and full o.
stars, and we shuddered as we felt, but die
no. say, il was tremendous explosion OF gun
powder. by this time the blazing sparks ana
bits Of burning wood, which we had been fear
fully watching, were fast becoming an unin
Permitting fire OF burning hail. and another
there was not moment to be lost "Cal
E 1.-THE inyalid;) do not let him stay a
minute, anc will try to save our poor little
BIRDS! My sister flew to wake UP our pre-
cIous. charge, and RAJ, down stairs repeating
to myself 10 make me remember, birds
deeds, silver, iewery silk dresses" as the orde
In which we would save our property. if il
came TO the worst.
AS l passed through our pretty parlors.
how NV heart ached. Here the remnant O
my fathers library, copy OF the Bible print
e0 III 1851, on one table; on another, my deaI
MIS-. Browning, in five volumes, the gift of
lost friend. What should | take? What
Should leave? l alternately loaded myse1
with gilt after gilt and dashed Thorn so-i,-i.-
despair. Lovely pictures and statuettes, LETT
BY KIND friend for the establishment of our
little rooms, and which had turned them INTO
albower of beauty must they be left? Al
last stopped before our darling, sweet and
lender picture OF Beatrice Cencl gong to ext
cuton, which looked down at me through the
dismal red glare which was already filling the
rooms with sanity and weird sweetness
that SET med to have something wisttu in il.
l thought, u will save thus it die for it:
but my paor parrot called my name and ask
ed Tor peanut, and could no more have
let him than If he had been baby But
could carry that huge cage? No indeed 81
Ieiucta0tly took my poor canary, who was
pa'n,ully Il ittering about and wondering al
the dlstu bance, and, kissing him. e,ed the
front door and set him aTee-only to smother
l ifar. But it was the best could do tol
MN II wished to save my parrot, who had
PRIOR riSht TO De considered one OF the family
II sixteen years OF incessant chatter NAV b.,
supposed 10 estab ish such right.
WHAT SIGHT our usually pretty quiet street
presented AS far as | could see, a horrible
Wail-a sur2ing, struggling, encroaching wall
like vast surface OF grlmacns demons
came pressing up the street; wall of fire,
ever nearer and nearer, steadily advancing
upon our midnight helplessness. Was there
no wagon, no carriage, in which We could
coax our poor E., and take him away
lrUm these maddening sights. Truck after
truck. indeed, passed by, but filled with loads
OF people and goods. Carriages rushed pas
UFawn ov struggling aud toaming horses, aud
lined with white scared faces. A truck load
ed with goods dashed up the street and as I
locke !, flames burst out from the sides and #
Durl't 10 ashes in mont of our door, No hone
no nelp for property; what we could not car
ny IN our hand we must lose. So, forcing nv
reluctant parrot INTO the canary bird 3 cage, i
took the cage under one arm and little bao
hurredlv prepared.ulder the Other, Just as nv
sister appeared with E., who, thank God,
was calm and self-possessed. At last the good
trierd who had warned us appeared. and.
leaving all his own things, insisted on helping
my SISTER to save ours, aud he and she started
OIL, dragging Saratoga trunk. They were
Obliged to abandon it at the second corner.
h?weVer, and walk on, leaving me to follow
Wuh E. Come E, let us co." said
Go where? am not going. What is the use %,
he answered, aud he stood with his arms
folded as ii he were interested merely as Gu
1ious spectator. l urged, begged, / cried. /
went on my knees. He would not stir. bnt
proposed going back into the house, This I
prevented by entreaties, and besought him
t. ny as Others were dong; but no. A kind
OF apathetIc despair had seized him, and he
stood like rock while the flames swept near
er and nearre, and my entreatles, and even INV
aPPo"'e 10 nun 10 save me, were utterly in
van. Hotter and hotter grew the pavement.
wnuer lle cries OF The crowd, and my silk and
cot'on ciolhlu2 began to smoke IN spots. |
le't beside myself, and Selling E., tried to ]
Giag nlm away. Alas! what could nv wa.
mars strength do? There folio we'd ano.ber
shout, wild pnsh back, falling wall, and
Was half block away and E. was gone
On God, pity these poor worms of the dust
and crush them not utterly, was any PRAYER.
How passed the rest of that cruel Sunday
night l scarcely kGow. Wandering. starm9
oilhdy carrying along my poor parrot, who
was 700 Tired 10 make d sound, / seemed To 90
AZ dream. Starting north to get helm. RIM |
t i,,'S oaek as near to the flame as [ could in
tie VAN nope OF finding E.. bitterly 70.
Ptoaonins myself that hau ever left him ,or
Nh IN tdnt' passed three hours of ubia,, ,0i
can hardly give any account u wnlch L
as turned wildly back once tnaar1 rIlaCh |
born street, saw the beautifnI ~ Deaf,
church o ST. James in flames Ipscopal