The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-10-19
oTrUMwA WAPEIIO COUNTY OCTOBER 1871

COUNTY, IOWA, THUR
could be procured, the flames had
devourcd the interposipg structures
and in loss time than it takes to wrlte
it had seized upon the pics offurni-
turc and driven tho owiers away to
sock security. This occurred in
thousands Of instances. Many suc-
ceeded in reaching what they consid,
ered q safe distance from the fire, but
in half an hour were forced to fee
again and again, many families
.moying" halt dosen.times inface Of
the fearful element, each time leav-
ing behind tho portion Of goods they
had saved, until finally they found
that they had lost al. Towards the
lake, uorthward, northeastward,
westward, aod towards tho north
west, flocked the thousands Of pallid
featured citizens, in all conditions Of
health and distress. It would take
too much time and space to describe
the heart rending spectacies which
were presented and Witnessed. All
means Of communication with the
South Division were cat OF which
fact rendered q. rendersthe genersl
horror. dismay md oonfneion tho
more general - the Aanes steadily
pressed onward, and 10 one knew
whore to so or whore shs dreadful
conhagration would snds
All Of that portion Of the city "
| ing between the river. est OF Clark
street and west Of the lake and as
fas north as Fullerton Avenue, is en-
tirsly destroyed except the residence
W. B. Ogden, CORNER OF Clark and
Oak streets, and near tho glass con-
servatory, and also three or four
buildings west of Lincoln Park.
These few land marks are all that re-
main of that once beautiful part OF
the city; even the Getty Of the dead"
the old burying ground-was not
exempt from the ravages of the fire,
| it being burned over, leaving the
tombstOnes looking sad.
The wind, when the fire was rag
ing south of Lincoln Park, was so
strong as to blow down shade trees,
and ut this point some four blocks
were consumed in twenty minutes.
Even the vaults in the burying
ground were burned.
Among the hundreds of buildings
on Lake street that in themselves
would have made an extensive con-
fiagrat;on, not even the walls of one
is standing.
The northwest part of the north
side, being the outskirts of that part
of the city remains. This, however,
is SO small part as to furnish but
little house-room for sufferers.
! The burned district covers about
five square mites. The general
scene is one that cannot DO des-
| cribed-langaago tails-the whole
| district being covered with people
searching for what is loft, and Tor
what was buried in the earth TO keep
| it from the flames, as was done by
! some
On the South Side the southern
limit was practically Harrison street.
From that 1T swept nerthward rs
long rs there was anything for il to
feed upon.
At this writing, only one vault has
been opened. that of the Commercial
| National. Everything was found in
a perfect state of preservation.
There was all sorts of wild rumors
afloat about the total destruction of
this and that bank. including vaults
| and safes. Many safes may be scon
| among the debris of tho burnt dis.
tr;ct, apparently in q good state OF
preservation.
The Post Office and Western Union
Telegraph Company are both located
I in Burlington Hall, corner Sixteenth
and State streets. Nearly all the
| mail mattor, letters especially, they
succeeded in saving from the debris
of the Custom House building.
All the records of deeds and mort
cages are destroyed. This includes
all the real estate not only in Chica-
90, but in Cook county, with its nu-
merous suburban towns. There il
great hope that when the vaults are
opened at the abstract Offices, the
record books, which are intended to
be perfect copies of every real estate
transfer in the county, are safe. AS
to the value of real estate, it is now
entirely indeterminate, because it is
impossible to divine whore the future
business center will be. The latter
will depend upon the location select
cd, by the leading business houses
which are already in consultation.
There is not a law Office nor q law
library left in Chicago, except the
few small duplicate libraries in the
residences Of the leading lawyers.
There is not paper showing that
there is suit pending in any Of the
six courts OF record in Cook county,
including the Federal Courts. Thcre
is not an indictment in existence in
the county against any one, not Q
Judgment, not . petition in bank
ruptcy in the Federal Courts. Even
the duplicate files that the lawyers
kept in their Offices OF important
cases are hll gone.
Five Of our large elevators fell vic
Wins to the flames in the great fire,
bu: there is sufficient quantity OF
grain in those left standing to supply
all present demands.
| Al Union Street Station all is bus
tlo and activity, sending dead bodies
to No. 81 Milwaukee avenue, to an
undertaken who is employed by the
city to take care OF them. Not less
than one hundred persons have been
killed, and it is thought that the
number Of dead bodies will yet far
exceed this. Eight miles and quar-.
ter from the court house, twenty
| four hours after the fro, such was
the lurid brightness, that "a quarter
to nine" was read on the dial face OF
watch in tho opcn street, and not
star shining in tho heavens.
Thoro is not bank in all Chicago
unless it DO some little houses re
mote from what was the centre 0
business. The actual loss OF th'
, bankers cannot be computed ever
' | 80 opx- npa cNaa I'm,