The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-10-14


people in vehicles are on the roads iIom the
villages to aid the people in Chicago. The
firemen and policemen are working like he
ross The fire has extended over a circuit OF
three miles, and both sides of Chicago river
are in ruins. Great exeTtions were made to
save the Court House and Gas House, but IN
vain. The latter exploded with three re-
ports. but no lives were lost. The city to-
night will be in darkness. Thirty or forty
vessels in the river are now burning, and
many more are destroyed. The finest blocks
of dwellings and finest buildings in the city
are 10 ashes. Every fireman in the city is
called upon to do duty. Nearly all the
bridges across the river are burned. All is
terror.
BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
Chicago, October 81 P. M.-The fire has
swept every ytbing from the Chamber Uf Com
merce to the lake and the river. The whole
of the business por ton Of the city Is in ruins.
The Mayor of Chicago has called for assist.
ance aud supplies from all quarters. All
the telegraph Offices, including the Western
Union Telegraph building, a new edi6ce just
cum pleted Court Houses. the Sherman.
Briggs. and fremont Houses. the Post flee,
the Custom House, the Board Of Trade. the
Rock Island Depot, Pacific Hotel, in fact
everything is burpt from Twelfth street
North, aud from the canal, on the West side.
to the lake. All the city banks are burnt,
and all the business part of the city is gone.
The fire is still raging. Water has given
out and the fremen are exhausted. The
loss will be more than $500. 700 900.
THE PATH OF THE DESTROYING ELEMENT.
CHICAao. October 9-5 2. M-The awful
work of destr uction still goes on with relent-
less fury. From Harrison street. in the
South. to Division street in the North, and
from the river to the lake. an area of four
miles long by one mile wide, the flames
have swept everything before them. 1t Is
estimated that at least one hundred thou
| sand people are homeless. and in suffering
condition. The streets in the districts still
uuburned are lined for miles with such house
hold goods as have been saved FROM destruc-
| ton.
The most generous offers of assistance in
mouey food. or any thug wanted, are coming
| in from almost every city and town through
ont the country by telegraph. The Mayor
has responded to several offers, asking that
cooked food be provided as soon as possible.
Firemen are on their way here f!om Gin
! cinnati, St. Louis and other cities. Build
| ipgs are now being blown up on the line OF
the fire, to attempt to arrest its progress.
HOPES OF THE SAFETY OF THE WATER WORKS.
LATrR.-It is now believed that the
spread of the fire Southwark has been stayed
| at Harrison street, but on the North side
| there is no diminutiOn of its fury. and that
! entire division of the city is evidently doomed
to utter destruction. There are grave fears
that the flames may spread to the West side
of the North branch of the river, and the in
! habitants of streets nearest the river are al
ready moving to places supposed of greater
safety. The Western Union Telegraph Co.
have DOW six wires working East and South,
| running into temporary office at the cor
ner Of State and Sixteenth streets. The
North eslern Railroad Company are run
ming trains on both its branches. which are
crowded with fleeing citizens. 1t is now
positively asserted by some that the water
works are still intact. but the water has been
shut off from the Southwest divisions on &C
count of the quantity being used on the
| North side. A reliable gentleman, just ar
| ived from the North division, brings the
joyful intelligence that the water works are
unnjured. God grant it may prove true.
| THE LOSSES.
1t is impossible to give, even appro1i-
mately, a correct statement of the losses,
| but faint idea may be formed when it il
stated that every bank in the city, except
two small savings institutions, one Oh Tw en-
| ty-second street, in South division, and one
| on Randolph street, in West division, are
destroyed ; all the wholesale stores, all retail
establishments, the Postoffice. Court House,
| Chamber of Commerce. every hotel in South
division except Michigan Avenue Hotel,
which, standing on the extreme Southern
limit. escaped, though badly scorched. every
newspaper Office. the Tribune building.
which was supposed to be fire-proof having
fiually succumbed every theatre, ak of the
largest elevators, the immense depots of the
Michigan Southern and of tho Illinois Gem
trail Railroads. both of the passenger and
| freight depots of the latter; more than a
score of churches. and much of the shipping
in the river, all destroyed. Men who were
millienaires yesterday morning are nearly
penniess to day.
| LOSS OF LIFE.
But more terrible than all is the certainty
| that many human beings have persisted in
the flames. How many, no one can tell,
| perhaps no one will ever be able to tell, but
1t is known that some have persisted, and
there are only heart-strickening fears that
the victims may be counted by scores. Hun
dreds of horses and cows have been burned
| in stables. and on the North side numbers
| of animals, though released from confine-
meut, were SO bewildered and confused by
the sea OF t7e which surrounded them, that
they rushed wildly toward the fire and were
scorched and killed. Any attempt at a de-
scription Of scenes of the appalling calamity
would be the simple facts, that the once
great city of Chicago is destroyed that hum
dreds of millions of active capital here have
vanished. and nearly oue-third of Chcago's
Inhabitants are homeless dependents. are
enough. Any attempt to embelish would
be mockery. 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 a
sudden change of wind msy turn the flames
upon that portion of the city yet spared
| There seems, however. little cause for ap-
sprehsnsion, and the reinforcements of firsmen
from other cities are constantly arriving.
| Colonel j. j. Wilson. Superintendent of
the Telegraph. is in receipt of dispatches
from the leading cities announcing that aid
| ia heinO npnvi1a1 for ba