The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-10-19
BETWEEN TWO DEATHS.

BETWEEN TWO. DEATHS, q, =
The fire on one side of them and the wa
tsr on the other, into which the intens.
heat OF the ire was driving them. Many
lay there half IN the water and half IN tbs
sand, with their heads down in order K
get as much air as they could. The smoke
driving from the shore made il almost
impossible to live, but, as they were sur.
rounded on three sides, and there were nc
boats, they remained where they were
and suffered as patiently as possible.
THE FIRE REACHED THE wATER-woRKs
AT an early hour, and the wooden ROOT
was soon IN flame. The men STAYED
there as long as they could, but were
compelled TO retreat, and make their es-
cape along the lake shore. It had been
hoped that this would escape but the
roof was of wood, and the coal heaps, etc.
near 1t, destroyed any such expectation.
GREAT Loss OF LIFE-HoRRIBLE OCCUR
$40 f1oz RENEE. I gl-g2 iJ
30 little idea had. the .peonle Irving
near the Historical Society Building on
ontario street, betWeen Dearborn and
Clark, Of the terrible and utter ruin which
the fire would work, but snateh1n0 an
what Ealuables they, could, thev s6uubf
shelter IN Its cellar which was, unfortl-
nately filed to a great extent with inaan-
able material.
According to the statement Of the Ii
brarian of the Historical Society. William
Corkran, who was there at the tins. tbe
following persons certainly sought refuge
there; Old Colonel Stone and his wife
Mr. and Mrs. Able and their dan0bters
Mrs. DePelgrom, teacher Of French ;. Mr.
and Mrs. Carpenter, musical people DIR.
Freer and family, the former having with
Aim-S i0O0 worth of personal properly
belonging to Rush Medical COLLEGE two
patients from the hospital in Mr. Richards'
place, and John 3. Girard and family.
MT. CorkTan had hold of one end of 4
trunk and Mrs. Gebler of the other. Her
dress took FIRE, and he left her and ran for
the stairs leading from the cellar up stairs
de is certain that old Colonel Stone pufTo-
Gated, and, from the Iudden thrush Of
deaso amoke, there is cause for fear that
nearly all the others who were in there
shared the same fate, bexildered by the
tunes, and unable to find their gaV out Of
building with which they were unae.
qualpted. Mr. Corkran ran up the cellar
stairs and went into the reading room ,,n
the ground floor, and thence hurried mn
INTO the hbrary-room. At that time thsre
dld not seem to be any symptoms of fire
IN the rocf. Then, gong down stairs AGAIN
IN TO the lecture and pamphlet room he
saw the flames rushing up stairs. and
made his exit as hurriedly as possible
Nothing was saved from the building. not
even the Emancipation Proclamation. and
1t Is now an utter and hopeless wreck.
AT CHICAGO AVENUE.
It was ten o'clock when the fire cot to
Chicago avenue, and all down CLARK and
Wells streets was in state of terrible ex-
element. The fire had crossed the river
at another point, or rather, the fyino
sparks had set fire mp near Ontorio street,
Encouraged by the absence of policemen.
the roughs along on Kinzie street broke
into the saloons there, and began seizipg
and drinking the liquor. Many others'
at the very moment when they NEST need
ed all the self possession they had fud-
died themselves, and in many cases. were
surrounded by the flames and stihed bv
the smoke. Some were found living on
the sidewalk, and, since no one paid any
particular attention to them they met
their fate there. Some women, and their
children, lingering too long, and were Ell
ther lost in the houses, or compelled To
Jump out Of the windows, and receiving
injuries, remained where they were. The
incredible rapidity Of the flames passed all
comprehension. They sprung from side
to side OF the street, aud skipping exten-
sive tracts, returned to complete their
work. Often before the flames had reach
ed house, the thick, black smoke began
to roll out of the chimneys, the result of
the action Of the intense heat on the pine
wood work within. The Church nf the
Hoy Name, which has alate roof, was
espeolahly noticeable. From the crevices
of the slate poured ont eddying whirls OF
black smoke which, after rising a short
height, burned for moment with intense
fame, and then went out. At an early
hour in the morning, it was possible to
get teams, but 1t was not very long be-
fore they were all occupied, It is repor-
ted, but not not on the best authority,
that
FIFTEEN MEN WERE LOST
At blacksmith's shop on Rush street.
All these fires, at whatever point they
crossed the river, soon ignited, and swept
on unobstructedly northward
ACROSS CHICAGO AVENUE.
The people living north of Chicago av-
enue and rather west of LaSalle street,
were exceedingly hopeful that they would
escape, and that the IRE would drift stead
lily eastward, not expecting that it would
make any progress against the steady and
furious west wind They also had great
hopes in Chicago avenue, which is a one
hundred-foot street. But the flames, run
ming up Clark street, and catching Turner
Hall and the new building north of it,
worked west, and got into the brick
blocks on the east side of LaSalle. and
then jumped that street and got into the
blocks on the west side. At about the
same time 1t crossed Chicago avenue and
caught McEwen's planlng inill, on Wells,
near Pearson and then rushed on north
ward among the wooden buildings situa-
ted there, blowing them down almost be-
fore they were on fire. Numbers of the
citizens seized what property they could
piling it on drays, which they sometimes
dragged themselves, and took the goods
thus temporarily rescued over to a vacant
lot on Franklin street beyond Elm, where
there was nothing but earth and green
celery, and there bestowed their posses
SlOlS III 4llbiC nCSpSg Win WHICH luG sur
face of the ground was soon covered. But
this material with which the earth was
numbered was of the most ineongruous
and often infamable nature. Irish Wo-
men brought straw-beds, and others piled
up chairs, bureaus, trunks, and every
conceivable article. 1t was not very long
before the cinders, falling in dense masses,
began to make of the surface Of this lot a
succession of small bonfres, and the own
ers, having no water, and no means OF
covering With earth what they had, were
either compelled to stamp out these flames
or to let their stutf 60, and confne them
selves to regretting the useless waste OF
time, or TO pick up the most portable ar
ticle and march of with it. One man
was seen marching off with glass kero-
sene lamp, and after he had carried it
a block, he met friend, who asked him
what was the use Of carrying thing like
that any further He looked at it, OBJ
served that there die not seem 10 be emuch
use in it, and tossed it away. Another
man had secured rickety and tremulous
cart, TO which was harnessed rickety
and tremulaus horse, and in IL he had a
beer safe, with great regard for the prop
erty of others, he was carrying out of
harm way, on the prairie or elsewhere.
Other men took their goods up to Lincoln
Park honipg that fhara az laask fbaxy