The New York herald., 1871-10-16
THB CHICAGO FIRE.
"A Ride Among the Ruins
of the City.
Scenes and Incidents Along
the Route.
STATEMENTS OF VICTIMS OF THE FIRE.
Narrowing Details of the
MA Disaster. N-H4aess
- s fsNt settF8 cAl ,tRlet
STATEMENTS OF VICTIMS OF THE FIRE
coR9RlBurIoNs 70 THE RELIEF FUND.

A~sY CHICAGO. Oct II, 1efL
little tnyiEht the hast time paid visit 70 the
Queen city of the West BBtn TOOK strangers
delight In riding ana rOamtuy tfrough the imncusc
S,isshess lnor0u&h1asSs n visiting the great marts
Of trade. and wMdeMSng the hustle and confu-
SON .lp 10 strsetA which 20 iorcitij reminded
one Of ne MctrcpoiiA Mst before hricf
year would nnpe fc4ioo by IN the course Of time
Should be caned upon tell the tale OF her total de-
struction; 10 tel how IN single night life and
wealth had been changed into death ana dcsoiA-
tIoc. we have already been informed by telegraph
OF the terrible effects OF the great fire, and how
thousands upon thousands have been deprived Of
the actnai necessities Of life who once were NUN.
bcred among
THE MILLIcNNAmBs or TIE cry,
but 90 not think that people outside or the dread
limits OF the dead CITY nave as yet obtained any
thing like correct Idea OF the awful scene when
now conironts every passcr-by here who has the
heart wander near wncrc once the real city stood
In her PRIDE and glory In the rst place let me 60
back little before attempt TO tell you how
RODE THROUGH THE RUINS,
yesterday. and what saw and heard In the deecrt
waste, and say a word about the way managed 10
get into the .dis.ric: oil despairn When arrived
here I found everything III confusion. No one
seemed 10 know where he had lived Bwo days pre-
vious aud no one appeared 10 care to know where
Each family bent upon It's safety, and out
side Of each individual circle thought was given
TO the fate oil others. The railroad depot was
crowded with a dense mass OF men, women and
children as got Oil Inc car, who we're struggling
in a desperate way win one another to secure
stanilng ToODl-for seats out CT the question
IN the cars hat were constantly leaving for the
East The SIGHT was q narrowing one, but
1 had made up my mind to close my
eyes 10 all misery unt had actually seen
what the ire had done, ana as ,ne crowd strug-
gled and tie hundreds OF women wcpt ana hugged
thcr babes closer to their breasts as they were
borne along by the waves Of
THE STRUGGLING MASSES, FL
Eager 10 abandon the scene OF their early days, ]
went oc, quietly dctermihed TO be undismaycd
by aught that l could sec or hear But
That ] found after all an lmpossibili,y. Tie
depot wLetc ieit the cars was on the south side,
III the suburbs, and as cot out or the car and be-
1cid an entire row o. frame dwellings in front OF
NE, ana several blocks OF the same Kind OF
buildings few hundred feet beyoad, the
Grst thought that struck me was that there
had been great deal Of cxaggera,ion about
the Chicago fire: FOL hadn't we all in New York,
raid 10 myssi, heard how the city hac been des
.rOyed and bow thousands had been left homeless
and that, without the aid OF sister cities Chicago
would go down among the
~ @N RUINED THINGS OF TIE PAST.
Yet IN the lace OF al that had read there stood
row after row Of buildings, aai through
the streets crowds followed crowds on the
Sidewalks, carts and wagons went along
III the usual jogging way, as though tocge never
had been fire IL the city. SHOPS or ali Kinds
open, and wares OF all sorts were displayed as
freely and with as Inviting signs as Ihoue nothing
had ever happened TO mar
THE GENERAL PROSPERITY
Of thciown. IwaKei along through the crowds,
wondering wneFe The great lre had been, and as
got into State street, looked down TO where the
"ciiyn used TO be- anu saw nothing but a cloud
OF smoke, and here and there o dasn OF light that
gave me casual insight into the vast waste clear
beyond way to the north Tie sidewalks passed
over were Of wood. The houses l beheld on Oil
sides OF me were low and mean, aud as wretched
as though every man was Dent upon
wondered how 1t was that Chicago could be con-
edercd ruined with oil these crowds about and all
these houses s' GAssErnAs sianens IN ~, H%Se
made my way TO a house, where received lodg-
conyDced I'd .na mai alter ali What was lett or Chicago
was not the city or any good part OF it. II was USE
less found 10 try TO get room at hotel as there
was not, so0n learned hotel left, and so after .
great deal OF Ll.
secured, Dy aying good price and making large
deposit az guarantee OF good character the soft side
of a scttee OF boarding house, q pillow without q
cover and an army blanket being thrown an by way
OF luxury. 1hls once secured became convinced
that something mad gone wrong with Chicago after
AL, and at once determined 10 go out in search OF
what was left OF the city. This was easier to re-
solve than to execute. IL was an mpossibility 10
20 over
THE BURNED DISTRICT
or to reach 1t without horse, and to get one not
Saon f rom somebody Better Known Il than myself
II was In vain that told livery man tnat l was
good for any amount and wouldn't steal horscnesh
the fun of he OprsiSte0 that 1
should give him either good-sized fortune as de-
posi-, ior oony nag inat no " veterinary M , surgeon
some man about town who knew that when took
> ride on horseback would be certain to take the
horse back to the stable with oil the acc0utremcnis
gnaininlshed. shed A. E 4asY H., sirSss 'SasY me that
had good deal to say about matters and things
generally and 20 or posted to where the oficeTs
most oid congregate Let me say right here that
one oi Se ocers and after one Of the ea orderies iris
had called upon the lvcryman. by noon the ami
Strapped on his BACK, was driven up to the e"r door
n.a +, oe,oouar,.Ia TrS Y ss 20; be een,,,,
known--and Will 80 state It here-that the nre did
more than the rebellion did as far as Little phi
rum for 1t made clean sweep Of hrs oilce on Mon.
day and took no more notice OF the American nag
hanging over his door than II It had been the ma
honal banner Of the King Of the CannInal Islands.
assure you when after q great deal OF roaming
ne e w ~ p S Un
them, reached the headquarters OF the military
people Il felt myself considerably relieved found
General Sheridan seated ut small pine table in
small room OF house on wabash avenue, formerly
occupied by club society. There was no furniture
IN the room other than
THREE WOODEN CHAIRS,
which smelt, In my opinion, very strongly OF
powder The General was seated OF a small pine
liable and had map Of the city, with the burnt dis
trlct mai ked In black before him, and was buslly
engaged in designating here ana there on the map
the posts the sentinels should be placed for tile
night The scene IN the ONCE was one OF the great
est ACTIVITY, and recalled 70 my mind the days
when Little Phn' had his headquarters
In the shenandoah Valley, and mad pretty
mnch the same kind OF headquarters a. far as
the room aud furniture was concerned, as he
was now occupying. Stan officers and 0rderlies were
gong 70 and iro and orders were being issued every