Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-10-13
THE GREAT CALAMITY.
The Rest and Worst Phases of Bu.
man Nature DevelOped-ElOque uenL
Desc crfptiOn of the Fire

The Rest and Worst Phases of Bu-
man Natu re eDevelOped-EI0qu
Description of the Fire,
CHICAGO, October 10.-The following
eloquent and truthful description of the
fire has been furnished by gentleman
who participated in the work throughout:
None but an eye witness can form an
idea Of the fury and power Of the fire
fiend as he reveled among the pala tial
buildings and warehouses on the Sonth
side. With the wind blowing a hurrica ne,
at times it seemed but the work Of n II o.
ment for the fire to enter the south eD,ls
OF the buildings fronting on Randolph
Lake and Water streets, and reappear a
the north doors and windows, belching
forth in fierce flames, which often licked
the opposite buildings, and then the
flames belching from the buildings on
both sides Of the streets would unite and
present ut1t
SOLID MASS OF FIRE,
completely filling the street from si5te to
side and shooting upward an hun lred
feet into the air, above the house-top 3, il
their mad career. Thcs was street af.
ter street filled with flame and fire, sald
the exultation of the fire fend was give II
vent to in way which can only be
equaled by combining the noise of the
ocean when its waters are driven during
a tempest upon a rocky beach with the
howl Of the blast. ss tAsrlt
HUGE WALLS WOULD TOPPLE
and fall into the sea of fire, without ap-
parnetly giving sound, as the war of
the fierce element was so great that
all the minor sounds were swallowed up,
and the fall of walls was only percepti-
BILE to the eye and not to the ear.
If our readers will recall to their
minds the 6ercest suow-storm in their
experience, and imagine the snow to be
fire as it surged thither and thither be-
fore the fury of the fend, they will be
able to form faint conception of the
flames as they ragged through the streets
of our doomed city. .l.
Many Of the buildings 81 tuated along
South Water street buried their red-hot
walls in the water of tt river, into
which they plunged with hiss
LIKE UNTO NOTHING EARTHLY,
throwing up bilow o. water, which
would gradually subside ntil other walls
would follow. The heat was SO intense
at times from some OF the burning build
ings that they could not be approached
within one hundred and fifty feet, which
accounts for the mann er in which the
fire worked back and often again st the
wind. The fire after reaching the busi-
ness portion Of Randolph and South
Water streets,
LEAPED THE RIVER
on TO the North side in an incredibly
short space of time, aud thence among
the wooden buildings on that side,
reached the lake shore, after touching
block after block, and after sweeping
dwelling after dwelling with its fierce
blast. A scene Of more powerless effort
to fight an enemy was never presented
than that of this, the people. trying to
combat the fir, ,-fend. The combat was
not of long Duration, for the people
bowed their eads in anguish Of spirit,
and suffered the iend TO have untram-
meld sway. And well and thoroughly
has he done his work, and nothing in
the past hi story Of civilization OF in the
and efforts of the present can
be comp Ared to it, la all future time
the great Chics 90 fire, when mentioned,
will bring 10 the hearts Of its partici-
pants a pang of anguish. TO future gener-
atoms simile OF everything that is
frigktful and terrible.
While there are a great many instances
Of generous devotion on the part of rich
and poor in dividing with the destitute,
there are painful --t
INSTANCES OF SELF IsHSEss. I
A man wai trying to remove valuable
papers from his Office, and asked two
firemen to help him, whic b they refused
unless be paid them $500. The papers
were destroyed ed
Drivers OF, express wagons baYe taken
Sl00 and even S500for aii hour use Of
their vehicles in getting distressed peo-
pie away. Among the sod aeeOmpani-
ments of the calamity was to see hun
dreds Of
MEN AID BOYS BEAsTLY INTOXICATED
around the streets Of the North Division,
where the saloon-keepers' stock, carried
into the street. furnished convenient
for the qualification Of slav-
ish propenslties, and there can hardly
be a doubt that many Of these poor
wretches found their death in the Il ames,
from which they were too helpless TO
escape.
One poor man had crawled for refuge
in water-main lying in the street near
the water-works, but the 6re-hend found
him even there, before be could get his
body wholly in safety, and robbed him
Of his life