Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-10-10
Terrible Fire 4!
CHICAGO IN RUINS !
The Business Portion of
the City Entirely
Destroyed!
MILLIONS on MILLIONS
OF PROPERTY GONE!
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE
Thousands Rendered Home
less and Destitute!
All UNPARALLELED CONFEDERATION |
The Fire Still Raging !


raging in Chicago. The best and
wealthiest portions Of the city are al
ready in ruins, and yet the flames
! dev curing work goes on with more
than trcbled fury. Houseless and
distracted people are fleeing in all di-
rections. The widest excitement
prevails, not only in the doomed and
vanishing city, but in every town
and home and hamlet in the land
whittier the awful tidings have al.
ready been carried. 1t is the all.en-
crossing topic of news and converse
ton. Every where the terrible dis
sster is spoken Of with grave and APP
prehensive faces. The loss of prop
erty thus far sustained is almost too
vast for human computation. Thou
sands Of families who dwet in ease
and opulence yesterday are wander
ing in distress and beggary to-day
Homeless and destitute, they are
! thrown from their abodes of wealth
and luxury upon the charity of a
plying and Wonder-wounded world.
The dire calamity has no counter.
part in history, and yet tho end can
not be foretold. From dispatches
kindly furnished us by Capt. Burdick
of Boscobel, Rev. Eaton and Mr.. Dew
ey, of Lancaster, and received at this
office up the hour Of going to press,
we learn the following calamitous
particulars
| CHICAGO, Oct. 8, 1l:3O a. M.-The
most terrible confagration that ever
occurred in this city broke out about
an hour and half ago, and having
already swept over six entire block ;,
is still raging with almost undated
fury. The fire started in large plan
ing miIl, situated between Clinton
and Canal and Van Buren, and Jack
son streets.
Oct. SO P.M.--A ire is now rag
ing in the West Division which APP
pears to be as large as the great fire
last night. The alarm was given at
9:45 PM, from the corner Of Halsted
street and Canalport avenue, dis
lance Of about two and half miles
| g,cp, n (NNurt UO,,on
f; Oct. S,-11:3O M-The fire com
menced near Taylor street, midway
between Delavan and Jefferson, il
spreading in every direction, and GOV
ers at least ten blocks at this hour
and still seems beyond cotrol. Tn,
blocks are built up solidIy, almost OK
clusively Of two-story frame houses
occupied as residences, boarding
{ houses, saloons, groceries, etc.
CHICAGO, Oct. 9-12:45 A. NJ. To
night is the most awful in the annals
of the city. The fire which com
menced at 10 P. NJ, has already
swept over space at least three
times as large as that Of last night
and still rushing on in its path of de-
! structiou with greater fury than has
marked any stage Gifts progress, the
engines appearing to be almost pow
erless. Fire Marshal Williams has
: just telegraphed to Milwaukee fol
, all the steamers thy can spare The
conhagrauon has already devastated
at least twenty blocks, mostly com
posed ofthe smaller class ofdweltingi
Q inhabited mainly by poorer people
Oct. 9-1:15 A. M.-The fire il
still raging and with increased fury
and has now reached a distance OF
more than a mile from where-it first
started The district already burned
embraces All immense number Of lum
Der yards the freight depots of the
: Chicago 4 st. Louis, Pittsburg Fit
Wayne Il Chicago Railroads. The
! flames are spreading in every direc'
ton. The Court House is now il
flames, and the telegraph offices il
danger.
Oct. $50 A. M-The Sherman
house, the Michigan Central and Hi
nois Central Depot, the Chamber o
; Commerce, the Western Union Tel
egraph office and all intervening
blocks are burned. In order to stol
the progress of the fire southwark
, from this line, powder has beer
brought from the arsenal and a mum
n Der of whole blocks blown up, an,
our town is in ashes.
Oct. 800 A. M.-Farwel Hal
=. the Opera House, Field, Letter
Co.'S dry goods house, Tremon
: House, Tribune and Post office an
Water Works are all burned, Tn
/. whole city is burned TO ashes be
r tween Twelfth street and the NORTH
= and everything between the rive
and the lake.
Der. 9-10:30 A. M.-The Who'll
. central, eastern, and nerth side bu,
|, mess portions of the city are con
Q sumed, and the fire is still unde
{ Roadway. No description can cor
4 vey an idea ofthe suffering commur
!. ity.
Der 9-10:45 a. M-Tbe Chicag
dock, owned BY Nelson Munger an
e Armour III. Wheeler, and the Galen
?. elevator were completely destroyed
n the Central was safe at last account,
Il Der. 9-11:35 A. M.-The Post OF
n flee is gone, NJ. c. depot, Wells stree
: depot Court House, Sherman Hous,
Revere House, Field & Letter, an
u all that section of the city, includin
L the Board of Trade clear down I
IT Michigan avenue. All the best par
&c of the city is in ruins, and nearly a
u the south and north of Chicago is i
y ruins. Several persons are burne
mp, and some thirty tiremen and
'. lot of laborers that are known to b
} consumed in the Sherman House
's 1t is estimated that the loss up to
d o'clock this morning is about 300,
n 600 900, The city water works ar