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

)TTUMWA, WAPELLO
From Tuesday Evenings journal.
HicHTHHN HUNDRED ACRES OF
PR0PUHTY DHvA1TATBO.
airhsssu TAsusaaa Builaiags Dss-
tEoyea.
over Hundred Dead Bodies RscsvsssN
from the Debris !
4 Lake city witAsst Light o. water =
Three Hundred ThsNeanA Cttts
xens In Search 81 Ihsm.
Some idea Of the fearful ravages
during the Great Fire of Chicago
may bo entertaiood by comparing it
with tho other two greatest
Of fiery visitations in tho
history of the world--those Of LON
don and Moscow. The great fire Of
London covered 500 acres Of ground,
rendered homeless 100000 inhabi
tants and $4,000 houses. Those OF
Moscow burned over = space Of 400
acres and destroyed 10000 houses.
! The great fire Of Chicago laid waste
over 1900 acres, upwards Of 1900
buildings and rendered about 9, GOO
persons homeless.
As to pecuniary loss no fire which
ever occurred in the world has been
attended with that suffered by
Chicago, as in no city was there such
an amount Of valuable merchandise
or go may expensive buildings des-
troyed. Most Of our merchants had
received their winter stock Of goods,
none of which they were able to
save. The loss in merchandise alone
Ut this last great confagration will
be double that suffered by London
and Moscow combined.
The great calamity which has tai
len upon our city, rs overwhelming
as ii is, has not broken the spirit OF
our citizens. @
With heroic courage the people at
present, not thinking of their own
losses, are evory whore setting to
work TO relieve the distresses OF
othors. The grea. heart of Chicago
is not broken. nor her spirit of enter-
prise crushed. She will arise from
her ashes, with an energy which
will eclipse oil her former efforts, and
speedily regain her former position.
WHAT is LEFT.
The only buildings left in fact be-
tween the river and the lake, and the
river and Madison street are Hatha-
ways coal Office, one of the Bucking-
ham elevators, on tho lake shore, and
tho Lind block, at the corner of Ran.
do olph and Market. Nota vestigc Of
any wooden structure is left in sight,
and the walls of the majority Of the
buildings in the district described
are levelcd with tho ground. In
some instances, partitions walls have
not altogether fallen, but rear their
pointed heads high above tho sur
rounding ruins.
From Madison to Washington
stree all buildings are levoled on both
sides of Market. Between Washing
ton and Randolph streets, Hathway's
coal pile ls still burning brightly.
Alithe business blocks north to the
river, on the east side OF Market are
destroyed. Among these were the
new buildings owned by the Garrett
Biblical Institute the walls of which
are nearly all down.
From the bridge to La Sale street,
Lake street was built up on both
sides with business blocks of brick
and stone, remarkable more for their
commodiousness and convenience
than beauty. All are gono.
From the fremont to the Great
Union Depot is not far, but its wealth
of merchandise and stately edifices
we're known far and near throughout
the West, but the eye dims and the
pulse. COOS slowly whom the ruin OF
this noble mart meets the sight.
The scone on the south side ofthe
city is 100 appalling to DO dwelt
upon with other words than those
which will in the most adequate man.
ner convey an idoa Of the reality
which seoms beyond the power OF
tongue. or pen TO relate. The streets
that are burnt over are Madison,
Monroe, Adams, jackson, Van Bu,en
Congress, and Michigan Avenue
where it was checked, the Michigan
Avenue hotel being saved. On Wa
bash it burned through to Harrison
street. The last house burned on
the east side of Wabash Avenue. On
the west side, DR.. McChesney's (the
Wabash Avenue Methodist) Church
was burned ut the northeast corner
of Harrison street and Wabash Ave
nue.. On State street, 356 was the
last number burned. This was the
south limit so far west a. the track
of the Michigan Southern Railway
The long freight bouse Gin and out
fieight) were burned with all their
contents; cars and everything as Tar
south OF Taylor, and west OF the east
track. Taylor street, the north lim-
it of great lumber district was
not crossed, TO the south Thus, in
short, there is only ono building
within the limits above described
which is not burned to ashes, and
this seems to have escaped through q
m,racle-it Is numbered 81 to SO Har-
rison street, on tho corner of North
Avenue. The streets which run
north and south are Michigan Ave.
| nue., Wabash Avenue, State, Dear.
born, Clark, LaSallo, Wells, Shcr
| nan, Griswold and Market streets
This section OF the city contained
the glory OF our architecture, and the
palatial residences OF some of oul
most wealthy citizens.
All of the bridges from over thu
river from Madison to Twelfth
streets arc burned. On the Wes
side the ravages were dire, sweeping
away tho great manufactures AM
mills, aud tho elevators OF that sec
tion.
/ Tho appcx Of the fold Of dosolatio
which Is q horizontal cone, is Vt tn
corner of Dekoven and Jetlerso
streets, and from thcre the burn
tract sweeps northeast, widepin
and Widening for distance Of soul
five miles, while tho distance to th