Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-10-10
Generous Assistance Coming From
Every Quarter,
An Appalling Spectacle.

Chicago, 9th-Noon. The whole business
portion of the city is in ashes from Harrison
street to Chicago avenue, and east of river
to Lake avenue. The fire swept a district OF
three miles in length to a mile or a mile and
half in width. Every hotel. bank, express
office, telegraph office, theatre and Newspaper
office, with all the wholesale houses in the
city have been totally destoyed. Many
thousand dwellings and water works have
been destroyed.
Early this morning the wind was blowing a
perfect gale from the southwest with sky
of brass. No one can tell what the end will
be- The only salvation for the remainder OF
the city is the wind keeping in its present di
rection. Fifty thousand people are homeless
and most of them in destitute condition.
The unburned streets for miles are lined
with house goods. No one can think what
the loss of life may be. The flames swept
through the city with the rapidity of prairie
fire and many must have persisted.
The Western Union Telegraph has sue
ceeded in getting up few wires from a
hastily improvised Office in the southern part
of the city, establishing connections in nearly
all directions.
Munifcent offers of assistance are coming
from every quarter.
o'clock P. NJ. The awful work of des-
truction still goes on with relentless fury.
From Harrison street in the south to Division
street in the north, and from River to Lake,
an area of four miles long by one mile wide.
The flames have swept everything before them.
1t is estimated that at least 100, 900 people are
homeless and in suffering condition. The
streets in the districts still unburned are lined
for miles with such household goods as have
been saved from destruction.
H. -E
food or anything wanted are coming in from
almost every city and town throughout. the
country BY telegraph the Mayor has re-
sponded to several offers and asking that
cooked food be provided as soon as possible
Firemen are on the way from Cincinnati, St.
Louis and other cities The water works are
entirely destroyed. Buildings are now being
blown up on the line of the fire to arrest its
progress.
LATER.
1t is now believed that the spread of the
fire southwark has been stayed at Harrison
street, but on the north side there no diminu-
ton of its fury and that the entire division of
the city is evidently doomed to utter destruc-
ton. There are grave fears that the flames
may spread to the west side of the north
bra nch of the river and the inhabitants of the
streets nearest the river are already moving
to places of supposed greater safety.
The Western Union Telegraph Co. has
now six wires working east and south run
ming into a temporary office at the corner OF
State and 10Th streets. The North Western
Railroad Company is running trains on both
of its branches, which are crowded with flee
ing citizens.
1t is now positively asserted by some that
the water works are still intact and water
has been shut off from the south and west d.
visions on account of the quantity being used
on the north sides. reliable gentleman
who has just arrived from the north division,
brings the joyful intelligence that the water
works are uninjured. God grant that it may
be true.
1t is impossible now to give even approx
imately correct statement of the loss, but a
full idea may be formed when it is stated that
every bank in the city except two small saw
ihgs banks, one on 22d street in south divis-
ion and one on Randolph street in the
west division, are destroyed. All the whole
sale stores and retail establishments, post
office, court house, chamber of Commerce,
every hotel in the south division except the
Michigan Avenue House, which standing on
the extreme southern limit, escaped though
it is badly scorched; every newspaper Office,
(the Tribune building which was supposed to
be fire-proof, finally succumbed.)
Every theatre, the six largest elevators, the
immense depots of the Michigan Southern
and Illinois Central railroads, both the pas
senger and freight depots of the latter, more
than a score of churches, and much shipping
in the river, all are destroyed. Men who
were millionaires yesterday morning are
nearly penniless to-day.
But more terrible than this is the awful
calamity that many human beings have per-
oh in no 40
tell, and no one will ever be able to tell but
it is known that some perished and it is
feared that the victims of the frey monster
may be counted by scores. Hundreds of cows
and horses have been burned in stables, and
on the north side hundreds of animals, though
released from confinement, were so bewil-
dered and confused by the sea of fire which
surrounded them, that they rushed wildly to
and fro, uttering cries of fright and pain, till
scorched and killed.
Any attempt at description of the .appall-
ing scenes would be idle. The simple facts
that the once great city of Chicago is de-
stroyed, that hundreds of millions of active
capital have been vanished, and that nearly
one third of Chicago's inhabitants are house
less. Any attempt to embellish would be
mockery. As this awful day draws to a
close, thousands of anxious eyes watch the
cloud of smoke which rolls over the burnt
district with evident dread that a sudden
change of the wind may turn the flames upon
that portion of the city yet spared. There
seems, however, little cause for apprehen-
sion and reinforcements of firemen from 9TH
err cities constantly arriving.
Co. Wilson, Superintendent of the tcle-
graph, is in receipt of dispatches from the
leading cities announcing that aid is being
provided for the sufferers.
Col Clowery of st. Louis telegraphs that
$4,000 is subscribed by merchants there.
Cincinnati promises 100000, and Cleveland
is proportonately generous. All this and a
great deal more will be needed to relieve the
immediate wants. Everything is being done