New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-10-16
XMos0 THE RIJfHa

THE HORRORS OF THh Last MaHf Qk1hh-flhh-
THE RUINED DISfRICr-RKnHnkss W.
THEIR HOPES AND YEARS. Il FlE
49, CHICAGO, Oct. II. The day ct tia Ere was ono
SsSosd sSo r%as q aro VI ishsha ssdr Il da
and sand bnding TO thS Fainine cyes q the huryins
throngs which Eed De stfe6sA W. eine OF course
compared with thestber miswtes sssfs eayos efsAtw
now svorv Wind Ebst blows sim vasts Of ashes and
Kma. sctoas valcA arsuD and sesfowns Thongs tramp
al day Ione IN md go a1ng the rsnnnns 81 essSe
buIdInu over the ehArreA payenepts4eysr satiHred
with gazing on sSAf which perhaps may never % 70
uastSd An accounts increase more knd more The
evidence Of tho most terrible intensity In the proese
the ans. mo ae@Aof House VITA TIE whole
front Of the block open the south and the same on he
NORTH suddenly bursting into Hight haine a. nom on
eSSy limited By fntense heat meh IN point - any
me faot was that me burning heat which Clipped The
heaviest stcne to such nEuar exteht, cansed simul
tsneous combustion Of large hreas Of exposed surface be-
fore any flames wore actuEfy communicated, or upon
the first touch tOf fana ct any ops point Among the
tindery wooden budtnkt, which abounded especially on
the north sde rush OF hot Arafr that was alostred
hot-wouid rnet roof or waIs a. II they had been ths
ghtest hummery And these jets Of heat went splitting
about in the mogt capraeous fashion sometimes ine1
pca1y avoiding exposed corner, then returning 70
CLEAN what remained It this In part which MADE
70 useless ali efforts to head on TO stop the connaGa
ton, though undoubtedly q moro dreadful perplex1H
was to meeths shower OF rebrands which were sweep
ing along the heated gales 1t was remarked on Sun
day. ct Robert O0Iyefs church, that pleas OF burning
pine fell Saturday night to miles or nearly thA nom
the fire of that night land set fire to where they
feIl and 1t was then said that it would seem
az II q nre once under way In the city must
sweep everything before It. Ths maxi d hours
proved thu justice Of thiA apprehension rex
THE LJNs OF FIRE. D.. a.. .,....,
The powers Of the air deed interference coon as
Of intense heat created On the south line OF the
burnt district the evidence s conducive that the IRE
took all that was In its path and took only from
circumstances very little Influenced by human nterven
ton The original fire burned east along the north line
Of the street witch it's Limit to the buildings of the
Michigan Southern Railway, where the immensely long
freight houses with the breadth OF tracks west OF them
proved barrier which saved large section of the city,
Behind east Of these freight houses s row OF peou-
liary inHammable low houses. Happily the railroad
buildings which burned furnished less flying fire
than that elsewhere, the wind may have favored at
the critical moment At any rate fire took east OF
these freight houses while round the north end OF the
north one the line of confederation went directly east
along Harrisons to within one block OF the Lake On this
block you still where the work OF demolition was
commenced but suspended because the fire did not
take hold Of either the west south sides OF 1t Along
the line Of Harrisonst mentioned justnow, are two or
three structures saved just as they Stood because the
fire Glanced round them. The eastermost OF these
q
cant space west Of which the houses OF brick
kinded from the rear and top and burned out without
very great intensity Of conhsRraon 1t becomes plain,
therefore, that much backing Of the fire as took
place Miohiganave. was only in CONJUNCTION with con-
hagraton west of those blocks which brought them un
der currents Of fierce heat and finally helped to destroy
them Some large stories told Of how the fire was
checked on the south, and how 1t might have been
stayed on the north; but the simple fact is that
1t took its course In the one quarter with o vol
lence which could have stopped only by measures
farther from the fire than the actual limit OF burnlng
and that the other quarter the north there was
ghost OF chance to head of or check or In any
way whatever deal with the hurrying doom.
SOME INSTANCES RUIN
No calculation begin to tell the tale Of ruin Banks
hotels wholesale houses, all gonethis is indeed fear
fully significant; but Of the amount and multiplicity Of
losses no estimate be brought home to the mind
volume need be written to portray all that Burnt
Chicago means. at railway station the other day
by a gentleman who told me his story. he had had
nothing burned up. But nearly all that he possessed
was in the keeping Of the banks Twenty years ago he
went into business with dentist who has been OF late
the in the CITY, He prospered greatly but worked
too hard for three years he has been wandering
into all lands and all cmes where possibly he might
find relief from intense pain He looks young man
STILL but broken down. and VII the Banks Pay Is his
problem Of existence. His is typical one IN this
respect the illustration which he is Of prosperity gained
here by too great strain upon body and mind. There
is no more terrible feature of this calsm-
ity than the condition, from excessive overwork OF
many Of the minds which it falls most heavily. Can
they into the gulf Of madness which this ruin opens
at their very sobered instead Of crazed win they
plunge the brink, either into instant insanity or
into utter madness of of exeron The rage
of speculation which has such course here vastly
complexities all the perpexiies OF present stuation
All these speculative vauesboulevards, suburbs, South
Side 60. &c.-are gone for the present. What might
have available resources in the hands OF active
business men have been rsked and lost One move Of
fate has blocked the whole game. Here s neighbor
who was considered worth million and half over his
debts yet was under many mortgages that he must
be pennress now; and when he is away look
ing for the power TO sleep. I might emu
merate many typical instances OF enterprise
overwhelmed by the descent Of this storm
while carrying too much sail The men that had great
liabilities on of real estate speculatons and
those who had taxed in brain and already to
the breaking point far too many in CITY, even
compared with the average downward tendency Of civil
izaton this respect at the present time Then there
very many, including many widows and heirs, who
had obtained very comfortable means by the rise In value
Of cheap and lots and whose property had behind
1t no habit or capacity Of sehelp great deal OF the
property of this class was In small loans on property
Now all is gone. Time may give value TO the titles
or the caimB but all income Is cut Of Even the metes
and bounds are blotted out.
THE END OF THE FIRE AND THE RESULTS.
HOW THE FLAMES OVERWHELMED THE NORTH
aDE-A WEDDING PARTY THE NEXT Day
EFFECT ON THE NORTH SIDE PRoPERTY-UL-
INNATE CONSEQUENCES TO THE CITY.
CHICAGO, Oct. 12.-To give due credit to the
Intervention Of Gen. Sheridan IN stopping the progress
Of Mondays fire southwark. should mention partiou
lary in partial correction of the account In my last
that efficient aid rendered by the blowing up