Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-12-21
Statistics of the Chicago Fire.

The following statements are taken from
advance sheets of Colbert d Chamberlain's
"Chicago and the Great Confagration"
In the West Division about 1914 acres
we're burned over, including 16 acres
swept by the fire OF the previous evening
This district contained several lumber
wards and planning mills, the Union Depot
of the st. Louis and Pittsburgh e. Fort
Wayne Railroads, with few minor hotels
and factories, several boarding houses,
and host of saloons. The buildings
burned-about 500 in number-were near
" all frame structures, and not of much
value, but were closely packed together.
About 2, $50 persons were rendered home
less in this district.
In the South Division the burned area
comprised about 460 acres The southern
boundary-line was a diagonal, running
from the corner of Michigan avenue and
Congress street, west-southwest to the in
tersection of Fifth avenue (Wells) and
Polk street On the other three sides the
boundary lines were the lake and the
river-only one block (the Lind being
left in all that area. This district con-
tanned the great majority of the most ex-
pensive structures in the city, all the
wholesale stores, all the newspaper offices,
all the principal banks, and insurance and
law offices, many coal yards, nearly all the
hotels, many factories, the Court House,
Custom House, Chamber of Commerce,
etc. The number of buildings destroyed
in this division was about 1860, which in
cluded 900 stores, % hotels, and GO man
ufacturing establishments. About q, 800
persons were rendered homeless, very
many Of whom were residents in the up
per stories of the palatial structures de-
voted, below, to commerce There WERE
however, many poor families, and great
many human rats, resident in the western
part of this territory.
In the North Division the devastation
was the most widespread, fully 40 acres
being burned over out of the 2,53312
acres in that division. And even this
statement fails to convey an idea OF the
wholesale destruction wrought there, be-
cause the territory unburned was unoccu-
pied Had there been any except widely
scattered structures in the unburned por-
ton, theS too, would have been de-
stroyed, as the fire licked up all in its
path, and paused only when there was no
more food whereon to whet its Unsuitable
appetite. OF the ID, 800 buildings in that
division, not more than 500 were left
standing, leaving 13, 300 in ruins, and rem
dering "a, $50 persons homeless. The
buildings burned included more than 600
stores and 100 manufacturing establish
ments, the latter being principally grouped
in the southwestern part OF this DIVISION.
That part next the lake, as far north as
Chicago avenue, was occupied by hrst-
class residences, of which only one was
left standing-that OF Mahlon ID. Ogden.
Next north nf these was the Water
Works, and this was the initial point or
line of breweries that stretched out al
most to the cemetery. The river banks
were piled high with lumber and coal,
which was all destroyed except portion
near the bend Of the river, at klnzie
street. The space between the burned
district and the river, to the westward,
contained but little improved property.
Lincoln Park Law to the northward, on
the lake shore. The fire burned up the
southern part of this park-the old GENE
tery-but left the improved part I'M
touched. except portion of the fencing.
One of the saddest among the many sad
scenes that met the eye after the confia-
grafton had done its work, was that in
the old cemetery-the flames had even
made havoc among the dead, burning
down the wooden monuments, and shat
tering stone vaults to fragments, leaving
exposed many scores Of the remnants OF
mortality that had smouldered Tor years
in oblivion.
The total area burned over in the city,
including streets, was 2, 124 acres, or very
nearly ga square miles. The number OF
buildings destroyed was 17,45O; OF per
sons rendered homeless, SO, 500 VI the
latter more than go paid the last debt OF
nature mid the carnage-fell victims to
the Moloch of our modern civilization.
The losses foot up as follows:
improvements bpiIdinqs etc) ........ s53 O0O, 600
Prdpdnce ntn '"-'e' ~. 5262, 900
na" 49,, w. 13255D0O