The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-10-19

si7- la CHICAGO, October 10, 1871.
The, following. eloquent and truthfu
description of the fire has been Furnished
by gyutietasn who participated in th'
work throughout: 80 -3.is,- l. Il ..lss
"Ncne but ap eyewitness can form an
idea of the fury and power of the fire
tiend as he reveled among palatial build
ings and ware houses ON the south side
aWith'the wind blowing aShuFFieme Al
times it seemed but the work of mo-
ment for the fire to enter the south ends
of buildings fronting on Randolph, = bake
and Water agtroets,i and reappeare ut the
north doors and windows, 6elchingt forth
IN fierce flames, which often licked the op-
posite buildings and thea tie flames
.belching from buildings on. sboth sides Of
-lthe street, wonlamnite and present a solid
s-mass of fire, completely filing the street
from side 70 side and shooting up. one
hundred feet into the air, above the house
tops an their mad csrser Thus rwas
street after street filed with flames and
DIRE, and the exultationoof the fire fend
was given vent TO in g roar winch can on
5Yi be ecualled by combining the noise of
the ocean when its, waters are driven dur
iag a tempest npona a rocky beach, with
the howl Of tire blast Huge -Rallslwo1ld
'topple and fan into a sea Of fire without
Apparently giving A sound, as, the roar Of
the horce element was so great that all
minor sounds were swallowed up, and the
fall of walls was only percePtible TO the
eye and not the ear. ..-- l.i l3s--7
our readers will recall to their minds
Ghe fercest snow storm IN their experience
and imagine snow to be fire, as it snrged
hitherand rthither before the fiery fend,
they will be able TO form a faint concep-
tion of the flames as they ragged through
the streets Of our doomed city. irs
MANY Of the Bnildjngs situated along
South Water street, buried theirred hot
rear walls in The water Of the river into
which they plunged with hiss ike unto
nothing earthly, throwing up billow Of
water which SEoald gradually subside un-
other walls would follow. & s..5l
ssThe. heat ERaz zso.intense- atimes from
SoIne of the burning buildings that they
could not be approached within one hun
dfed and ffty feet, which aecountsfor the
manner in which the FIRE worked back of
ten against the wind. The FIRE after reach
ing the buainess porti0n Of Randolph and
South Water streets, leaped the river to
the north side in an lneredlble short space
of tims.X and thence among the wooden
buildings on that side reached to the lake
shefe. sfter touching block after block Of
happy dwellings with its fierce blast. A
scene Of more poYerless efforts to fight an
enemy was never ,presented than that Of
the people trying to combat the ire hend.
for the combat was uot of long duration,
ilor the people bowed their heads in an
,Kuish Of spirit and suffered the hend TO
have untrammelled sway and will, and
lthoroughly, be has done his work, and
nothing Of the past History Of civilized
nations chronicles any efforts of his to
which this present one can be compared.
So in all future time the great Chicago
fire. when mentioned n will bring to, the
heart Of its participants pang Of anguish;
to future generations a simile of every
thing that u frightfui and terrible. Il
'qFhile there are q great many instances
of generous devotion on the part Of. rich
and poor ih dividing vitll) the destitute,
there are painful instances OF mesnness
and selfshness. One was trying 70 re-
move valuable papers from an ofiiee, and
asked two 6remen to help him which |
they refused TO do unless he paid them
nifty dollars. The papers were destroyed
The drivers ofaexpress wagons have taken
one hundred and even i've hundred dol
lars for an hours use of their vehicles IN
getting distressed people away.
Among the sad accompanlments OF the
calamity was to see hundreds of men and
boys beastly intoxicated around the streets
of.the north diVisionss where 1.-The saloon,
keeping stock was turned into the street,
and furnished q convenient Vpportppity
for, the qualification Of their slaylsh pre-
pensities, and there can hardly be, any
doubt hat nany of these poor wfetehes
fsand their death in the flames from
.whieh they were TOO hsipless 70 escape.Sq 4
- s'Onaip poor man had crowded into the
water vain lying in the ktreet near the
water works. -bit lhe FIRE found him even
there before be conld get his body wholly
in saisty. ana rob bsd biip of his liie-' > S 4