Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-10-20
The Chicago Calamity.
FACTS AND INCIDENTS.
We continue to gather from various sources
facts and incidents connected with the great ire

iacts and incidents connecteu WIN 'Ne sie
st Chicago:
TERRIBLE SCENES DURING THE coSFLAGRATIoS.
William Miller of Peoris, Ill who was in
Chicago during the fire, says that the most pita-
Bile sights were the sick children, half Dead ~
ing crouched on the sidewalks, in many cases
with barely any covering on them. In CisiK
Street one instance occurred where two niue
girls were lying terror-stricken check-oy-JoWi
With their dead sister, whose remains presenter
a narrowing spectacle. She had been 100 is'e
to escape from under fslling building anu
hsd Just been extricated and laid by the little
lscersted forms Of her almost dead sisters. The
whole Of the population appeared TO nave oeen
suffering from eyes-tbe dust, not, ohhu-
ing dust. having rendered many tempo1ariy
blind. Men, women aud children were 10 oe
seen running about for any gauze Ike material
thsi would act as protection to their eyes Lit-
tie children we're crying piteousy. rubbing their
ewes. which were swelling under the searching
influence Of the flying sparks and cinders Men
were seen carrying their families out OF what
they considered danger and depositng their
loads by the waysiie. A hurry and rush would
succeed, and when the disconsolsie parents Woull
return for their offspring, having been burnt
out Of house and home, they were nowhere 20 Dc
seen. Instances such as these were TO DC met
with st every corner Of the street; women run
ing wildly anout, shrieking out the names OF
their lost children, fearing lest they had got
crushed under come falling building or been des-
troyed in the seething fire.
Tuesday morning the greatest DRUNKENNESS
prevailed amoug the irish and the poorer por-
ZION Of the population Having tired themselves
considerably out, ard seeing nothing to show Tor
their aboVs, they had recourse to alcohol TO drown
81 atr l. il Nl1cauO
Us, 900 souls slept out in the prairies without
stitch to cover them save their every day apparel,
on that soaking Tuesday night. Msyor Mason
reckons that fully 500 souls must have persisted
through famine or fire, bat the people OF Chics-
20 estimate the number al close upon Z,uVO.
There can be no doubt thst the rain was BY no
means the staying agent sgslnst the hfe, Tor
had the wind changed to the east, 1t Is every
ones belief that not vestige Of lhicago Woald
have remained Proyidentially, the breeze
shifted to the opposite direction. and in so doing
brought three hours strong driving rain which
allowed the FIRE 70 burn Itself out. Tue popular
notion regarding the rain IS therefore Incorrect,
for it It stated thar hsd the wiad continued in the
same direction the whole Of the west side OF the
town would have been sacrificed. The two most
requisite articles Al the time Of leaving we're food
and tei-cloihing, not a single portion Of either
being apparent This narrator also mentions
the fact of the iron track being in uudulating
waves the whole Of the line, 90 intensely hot must
have been the heat 10 passing from one side Of
the street to the other The Mayor made hiu--
self conspicuous f9r bis uucelsiug attempts 10
maintain order.
The greate.t possible geuer- sity prevailed
among the inhabitants, one man having divided
bis money no less than three times during Mon
day morning. The narrator also met one Of the
Commissioners Of the Board Of Works who stood
in the public streets OF Chicago. sitter the de-
sruction Of his house, with wife and family by
bis side, and all the money that be possessed in
the world vas - tina, friend had given him
This iuan had formerly been immensely wealthy.
Citizen, who bad msnsged to rave their purses
were 10 be seen literally dividing their cash with
a li,te knot Of starving people around them.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC
CATHEDRAL
A gentleman heard the slarms Of FIRE at his
residence on Mchig gan avenue when just shout
retiring, AMI remarked TO bis wife that lie would
slip on his clothes and walk of h.s dyspepsia.
lie promised 20 be gone ten minutes and went
out 10 the street There Re net 81 Iltmate
friend, who raid % him " Mr. -. shall be
ga, 900 poorer tomorrow morning than ! an
nov, " E. fuat can't be. " he replied. a. the FIRE
cd that the loss hsl been placed at a low esti-
mate, and the FIRE did pass Wells street by many
blocks. Mr. - said be could compare the
scene to nothing but a terrac storm OF seet and
snow, substituting sparks and hrehrlnis, how
ever-wbich came down in perfect shower
for the .Css hsueful missiles brand - large
as ones hand aighted on his hat, and in the
confusion be ueeiei a friends warning 70 call .
his attention 70 II. spark Gightei on the .
Romsn Catholic church in the vest diyi,'1n, AID
in Al instant the roof SID whole building were
in hamet man vas taken cut Of oue Of the .
windows senteless, supposed 10 be the watch
msu, Fifty people were consumed III $ tene-
meut house a. TIE corner Of Indiana ami Clsrk .
streets, and their lhriess ami grosus we're ter .
rible enough. Very many took refuge in build
ings which were supposed 90 be hre-pr01f, aui
as a consequence we're burned with their shelter. .
No building was proof against such a c3udsgra-
ton As this, walls Of cold masonry and plates Of .
iron two or three inches thick crumblnc AID .
curling up in a tWlak.ilc, a1l Offering 10 more .
resistance THAI 81 much s,uttle 20 the element. .
Many merchants moved their goods again aa1 .
sgain So confused we're they that instead Of .
transporting them 70 the vin1ward they kept in
advance and 90 the leewart q tie TIRE which
overt0oz them, Of course.
Another gentleman, residing ST the corner Of
Tseuiy-sec.n1 ani STATE streets, heard the
alarm, All when j., had been ringing long
enough % attract serious attention, started out
in the direction o. the FIRE By calculating the
time, he judged that the flames spread with
ouch rApidity that in a bee line, one block was
consumed every eight minutes. As be passei
the Union Hotel. frame building, opposite the
Chicago and Alton Railroad depot, he observed
a number Of persons entering it, and al instant
after before thev had time To escspe, the house
was IN flames. He met among the thousands
rushing distrscteliy hither and thither, Ger
man family, who hsi iutt come over the Rush
street bridge, consisting Of four smsll chi dren
in their night c,other, the mother with child at
the breast, almost literally naked, having simply
a small Quit thrown around her shoulders. and
the father Clad solely pAir Of pants. They
had nothing whatever on their feet. which we're
hliste ell by the hot pavements lie saw very
few intoxicated. the salOOn-keepcrs very soon
seeing the proprie;y as well as the expeliency Of
shutting up their establishments. IN Italian
bar-keeper on STATE street closed bis doors, and
defended them against intrusion with loaded
shotgun FALCON On CLARK street, however,
was broken open, snt the beer kegs and whisky
barrels tapped freely One mAn, caught setting
S building on FIRE in Thirty-irst street, vas IN
stantly shot and his body tesrfully msngei. be-
ing beaten with charTed brands and clubs
Scores Of people ded for shelter to the freight
and baggage-cars. and tore up fences to provide
a temporary covering. When he left, on Welnes-
day, provisions had arrived in great abun-
dance, and steamers were playing on the Court
House vaults to render il possible 70 get at the
books and rec-rls
IHE DEAD.