Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-10-11

rifeed, but how many and who can-l
not be known, until the progress Of
the flames has been . arrested. |
The alarm bell has just commenced
ringing an unceasing peal, which is in
tended to call every sleeper from his
bed. The panic is increasing, and the
people seem crazy with alarm. The
vessels in the river are catching fire in
every direction and in the south river
will probably be destroyed.
las A. MA raging, roaring hell of
fire is enveloping twenty blocks Of tho
city. 1t is already within a block of the
telegraph Office, where this dispatch is
written, and sweeping onward, a whirl-
wind of flame, against which human
efforts are powerless, and it is impOssi-
bic to tell where it will stop. The bridge
across Van Buren, street is burned, the
shipping in the river, the cars on the
Chicago, Alton and st. Louis railroad,
with an immense freight train are swept
away. No language can describe the
awful scene. The flames swept through
the blocks of wooden houses with the
rapidity of a prairie fire. Thousands of
people fill the streets, rushing out of
the buildings, in many instances barely
to save their lives.
At $3.50 A. n, the time at which the
last dispatch was received, all telegraph
ic communication with Chicago had been
cut Of. The operators in the Western
Union office had even been obliged to
leave. Efforts will be made to send fur
Their news from outside the city. The
fire is still raging with undated fury.
Later RepOrtS.--One Hundred and FIf-
ty Millions Dollars Worth Of Prop
erty Destroyed One Hundred
Thousand Persons Homeless.
CHICAGO, October 9.-The awful work
of destruction goes on with relentless
fury. From Harrison street south to
Division street north, and from river to
the lakes, and four miles wide, the flames
have swept everything before them. 1t
is estimated that at least one hundred
thousand people are homeless and in a
suffering condition. The streets in the
district still unburned are lined for
miles with lei household goods as have
been saved from destruction. The most
generous offers of assistance in money,
food, and anything wanted, are coming
from every city and town which possi-
bly, can send by telegraph.
The Mayor has responded to several
offers, asking that cooked food be for
warded as soon as possible. Firemen
are on the way here from Cincinnati, st.
Louis n other cities. The water
works are entirely destroyed. The fire.
men are now blowing up the buildings
in the line of the fire, attempting to ar
rest its progress.
LATER.
1t is believed that the spread of the
fire southwark has been stayed at Harri-
son street, but on the North Side there
is no diminution of its furry, and that
entire division of the city is evidently
doomed to utter destruction. and there
are grave fears that the flames may
spread to the west side of the north
branch of the river, and the inhabitants
of the streets nearest the river are al
ready moving into places of supposed
great safety.
The Western Union Telegraph have
now six wires working east and south,
and running into temporary offices on
the corner of State and Sixteenth street.
The North Western Railroad is running
trains on both its branches, which are
crowded with fleeing citizens. 1t is posi-
lively asserted by some, that the works
are still intact but the water has been off
from the South and West Divisions, on
account of the quantity being used OF
the north side.
A reliable gentleman Just arrived
from the North Division, brings the joy
full intelligence that the Water Works
are uninjured. God grant that it may
be truel 1t is impossible now to give
even an approximately correct state
ment of the losses, but a faint idea may
be formed when it is stated that every
bank in the city, except two small saw
ings institutions, one on Twenty-second
street, in the South Division, and one
on Randolph, in the West, and destroy
ed. AL the wholesale stores, and all
the large retail establishments, the Post
Office, Court House, Chamber of Com
merce, every hotelin the South Division,
except tho Michigan Hotel, which is
standing on the extreme southern limit
of the fire andhas escaped, though badly
scorched. Every newspaper Office, in
Guiding the Tribune building, have
finally suceumbed. Every theatre, the
six largest elevators, the immense de-
pots of the Michigan, Southern and Illi-
nois Central railroads, both the passen-
ger and freight depots of the latter, more
than a score of churches, and much of
the shipping in the river. Men who
were m~ilIionaires yesterday morning,
are nearly penniless to-day, but more
terrible than all, is the awful certainty
that many human beings have found
fiery graves. Nc one can now tell, per-
haps no n can ever tell, but some are
known to have1perished and there is a
Notwithstanding fear that the victims of
the fiery monster may be counted by
scores. Hundreds of horses. and COWS
have been burned in the stables, and on
the north side numbers, though released
from confinement, were so bewildered
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.
The progressing flames in the South
Division were finally arrested about n
o'clock tonight. sThis was accomplish
ed by the blowing up and demolishing
of several buildings on Wabash avenue
and Congress streets, by Lieutenant
General Sheridan. The district burned
over in the South Division, empraces
everything from the main branch of
the Chicago river to the lake, embracing
one hundred blocks, and this district
contained all the leading business
houses, banks, insurance offices, hotels,
etc, a large number of churches. The
newspaper establishments are totally
wiped out. The Tribune builing resist
ed the fire for several hours, but finally |
yielded, when McVicker's theater, i'm
mediately adjoining, also withstood the
raging element, finally succumbed. In
fact all the buildings in the district,
which claimed to be fire-proof, share the
fate of those which could make no such
claim. The Great Central depot, at the
foot of Lake street, became a heap of
ruins about nine O'Clock. Most of the
passenger cars of the Michigan Central,
Burlington and Quincy, and Illinois
Central railroad, were moved on the
breakwater and saved.
West of Clark street, in the South
Division, the fire extends south as far as
Polk street, sweeping everything before
it. The distance burned Over here, is
some three blocks wide and over half a
miles long, numbering about twenty
blocks. The buildings generally were
of a cheaper kind, embracing saloons,
small shops, poor houses, etc. The dis
trict burned Ove On the West Side,
commences at Taylor street, running
from DeKoven to jefferson; it ran
thence four or five blocks north, and
then moved ~diagonally towards the