National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-10-27
Incidents Of the Chicago Fire.

a some women and children aud one mt
J. exhausted lay down in the cutters to d
Il IN the hopelessness OF desperation
n Others wonld seize aud urge them alon,
q Smoke and cinders and flames an
:, scorching heat filed the air. Childre
I. screa med in terror aud begged for waite
t Some would catch up water from puddl,
I near hydrantS and moisten the mouti
a This is he,l-fre !" This is the da
a of judgment ~ :" This must be the en-
{ of the world !" were the exclamation
4 heard. The degree Of sympathy thi
2 prevailed was wonderful. There SCENE
s to be one instructive throb of feeling
. and the strong helped the weak l be
3 lieve that thieves had great deal to d
, with the fire. If they did not start it i
0 the first place they kindled flames i
fresh places. l saw houses that ha
4 been deserted entered by ill-lookiL
fellows, who ansacked bureaus an
| closets. There was no time to speak b
them Once or twice when they wer
spoken to they professed to have been sen
J by the owners to save things Man
, people in the haste of their esca,9
abandoned everything, even to jewelr,
and money. ! saw one fellows pocke
half full Of jewelry and watches.
spoke of it, but in an instant he los
himself from my view in the crowd.
saw villainous- looking man with O
lady's chateaine chain suspended awk-
wardly at his vest. The little girl I had
walked until the hot pavements blistered
her little feet, then We carried her. Il,
papa and mamma burnt up. Is Neddy
burnt up dead o. she piteously asked.
Late at night we found them all safe 1t
vas nearly morning before We obtained
shelter and food.
All the banks in the city will, with
scarcely a doubt, be able to resume bus.
mess. A number of bank vaults have
been opened, and their contents without
exception We're uniniured. Every bank
III the city claims that in time it will be
able to'pay every dollar of its debt.
The total loss of grain is now definite
ly ascertained to. be l,600,0 ,0C0 bushels.
-Four vessels We're loaded with grain for
the East to-day, and the Eastern move
ment Will continue, as there are fully
5000, 600 bushels now in store About
five hundred people escaped on barge
which fortunately lay in one of the
slips in the river, floated out and down
to pier, where steamer towed them
into the lake, where they remained until
yesterday.
Among the saddest scenes of the ca
!amity was the appearance of hundreds
Of men and boys in state of beastly
intoylcation, around the streets of the
North Division, where the saloon-keer-
Frs stocks of liquors were emptied into
the street, thus furnishing convenient
opportunity for the qualification of their
slavish propensities, and .here can hard
ly be any doubt hut that many of these
poor wretches found their death in the
flames, from which they were too help
less to escape. One poor man had
crowded into the water main, near the
Water Works, but the fire found him
even there and he was burned to death.
The reports state with grave horror
the methods adopted to preserve order. |
Thieves, pillagers, aud incendiaries were
not arrested. More than fifty have been
shot down in the streets or swung to the |
lamp posts at five minutes notice. For
mer. reports with reference to the proba-
hle loss of lie seem to he confirmed. |
Over one hundred blackened corpses
were removed from the ruins where
small portion of the burnt district has
been searched. Doubtless there are
many who will never be distinguished |
from the heaps of ashes into which they
fell. Meanwhile sad reports are reach
ng us of deaths IN large numbers from
exposure and over-eXcitement
fEl,n :.
crbed by an eye witness One amoug
he thousand rumors that were fiying
hickly about, and the widest it would
eem it must be, was of the sudden ven
yeance that beiell bold thief. Seeing
he cashier of one of the banks rush into
lis office as the flames we're bearing al
most upon the building, he watched his
Kit. 1t was not long before the official
with some money packages and
'onds, and no sooner had he appeared
han the thief prostcated him with blow
lpon the side of the head, and grabbed
portion of the treasure. A policeman
n an instant saw what was done and
rabbed the william, who drew a pistol
nd shot the faithful officer through the
cart, and then sprang through the ex-
tied crowd brandishing his pistol and
ndeavoring to make good his escape.
'ut the sight, with all the surrounding
had maddened the by !,
landers to frenzy, and they tell upon . :
ne wretch like so many tigers, tearing
i'm limb from limb, and literally dis =
him.
That which is everywhere apparent in .
pite of the horrors OF the scene and its .
ld hopeleSsLeSs, was the indomitable
luck which the Chicago men showed, :,
|! which no losses could damp and no
'retchedness subdue. Chicago will =
e hard mp for time" said Cne, "but
'e must try and pull through 1T .
Ill take a long time to build it up !.
gam, said another. II thought | = :
as pretty well of yesterday" sud .
oang man, cheerfully smoking a cigar e
now all have in the world is the snit II
clothes | have on. F" Il think ] Eight 3
ave saved my Law library, said rising ;
Dung lawyer, "but, hy Jove it did I"
OF seem The thing t. do, when every u
ody else's property was burning up so y !,
picked up few papers in my office, ~
,ok some volumes OF Kent given me by =,
friend, took of my hat to my old =, :,
ooks, and left them to burn" y
The territory burned over comprises a a
oout $500 acres, and upon this only =
lree buildings are standing. Here and L
lere portion of IA wall remains. 81
1t has been ascertained from official -
ports that $4,000, 900 feet of lumber II
ere destroyed. leaving "a, 200 feet u u
The loss Of life viii probably reach as =
gh as 800. but it will be impossible to ca
certain the exact number Eighty :
lad bodies Law in the Morgue at one L
me. The Coroner held an inquest on IL
xty-four bodies.