Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-11
A Dreadful Night Anticipated.
No Feed, No Light No Water.
Fears Of Outrage and Further
..-- .Incendiarism. R
NIGHT DISPATCHES.

[See our third page for afternoon dispatches
Vivid Description Ofthc Sea Of Fire. b
an Eye witness.
CH1cAGo, Oct. 10.-The following elc
queIf and truthful description of the fir
has been furnished by a gentleman VIII
participated in the work throughout:
None but an eye witness can form al
idea of the fury and power of the fire fen,
as he reFelled among the palatial building
and warehouses on the south side, with TN
wind blowing a hurricane at times.
seemed work Of but moment for III
fire to enter the south ends of the building
fronting ON Randolph, Lake and Wate
streets, and reappear at the north doors
the windows
BeIching Forth I'm Fierce Flames,
which often licked the opposite buildings
and the flames belching from the buildings
on both sides of the street would unite and
present a sold mass Of fire, completely fill
ing tie street from side to side, and
Shooting Upwards of One Hundred
Feet.
into the air above the house tops in tbei
mad career. Thus was street after stree
filed with flame and fire, and the exultatioI
Of the fire tieud was given vent to in
Roar
which can only be equaled by combining
the noise of the ocean, when its waters aTt
driven during tempest upon rocky beach
with the howl of the blast. The huge wall:
would tepple and fall into the aEtttf
Sftf7 7-ai Sea OF Fire,
without apparently giving sound, as the
all sounds were swallowed up, and the fall
Of walls was only perceptible TO the eye and
not TO the ear. If our readers viii recall to
their minds the fiercest snow storm in their
experience, aud imagine the snow TO be fire
as 10 surged hither and thither before the
fury Of the wind, they will be able to form
a faint conception of the flames as they
ragged through the streets of our doomed
city. Many of the buildings situated along
South Water street buried their red hot
rear walls in the water Of the river, into
which they
Plunged with Hiss
like unto nothing earthly, throwing up BIZ
low of water which would gradually sub
side until other walls would follow. The
heat was so intense at times from some of
the burning buildings that they
Could not be Approached
within one hundred and fifty feet, which
accounts for the manner in which the fire
worked back, and often against the wind.
The re-after reaching the business portion
of Randolph and South Water streets
Leaped the River
on TO the North Side in an incredible short
space of time, and thence among the wooden
h,,slI - Il Al -
shore, after teuching block after block, and
after sweeping dwellings with the fierce blast.
A scene Of more powerless effort TO fight an
enemy was never presented than that of
the people trying to combat the fire fiend,
nor was the combat Of long duration, for
The People Bowed Their Heads
in anguish of spirit, and suffered the fend
TO have untrammelled sway; and well
and thoroughly has he done his work.
Nothing Of the past history of civilization
chronicles efforts of his to which this
present one can be compared. So in all ftI-
ture time the great Chicago fire, when men
toned, will bring to the heart of its partici-
pants pang of anguish-to future genera
tions simile Of everything that is frightful
and terrible.
While there are a great many instances
of generous devotion in part of rich and
poor, in dividing with the destitute, there
are painful Instances of UneaSiness and
SeI6shness.
One was trying to remove valuable papers
from an Office, and asked two fremen to
help him, which they refused, unless he
paid them so. The papers were destroyed.
Drivers of express wagons have taken one
hundred add even five hundred dollars for
an hours use oftheir vehicles in getting dis
tressed people away. Among the sad ac-
compartments Of the calamity is the sight
of hundreds Of
Men and Boys BeastIy Intoxicated
around the streets of the North Division,
where the saloon keepers stock turned
ito the streets. furnished convenient OPP
pOrtunity fdf the qualification oftheir Slavish
propeHsities, and there can hardly be a
doubt that pany of these poor wretches
found their death in the flames, from which
they were too helpless to escape. One poor
man had crawled for
Refuge I'm a Water aRin
lying IN the street near the waterWorkS, but
the fire fend found him even there, and
before he could get his body wholly IN safe
ty, robbed him Of his life.
Hunting for Foods Dead Bodies
Found.
Tbe Ht'dlfS reporter furnishes the fol-
lowing: Women and children are going
around the burnt district vainly seeking
something to satisfy their hunger, they ask
for relief, but there is none 10 give them, no
one has provisions or money. What provis
ions Chere were III the city are now burned
or eaten, and Some few people have enough
10 last them for the day, not longer. Pro
visions have arrived from Detroit, Cincin-
natl, Milwaukee and st. Louis, and are be-
ing distributed as fast as possible. Twenty
three dead bodies have been taken to sta
ton on North Side. At the present time
it is impossible TO know who they are.
A Fearful Night ApproachfDg-NO 6sas,
No Candles, No Water.
The night comes on. The want of gas
is keenly felt. There are but few candles
in the city, and no water except what is
gotten from the lake. Very grave fears of
felt Oh every hand. Gen. Sheridan who
has been hard worker all through the FIRE
is still sending for troops from different
points to keep order. All business and
work is suspended and every one is intent
Oh eSCuTlugf hlSb CuuitLlliiS " tdl hilu ucAL
. shelter.
HeBrfrending scenes.
The suffering on the North Side is heart
rending. Men, women and children, So
900, are huddled together like so many
wild animals, and another place 10000
Germans and Irish are praying for relief,
helpless children are asking for bread from
keart-broken parents, who know not which
way to t,Irn or what to say. The distribu-
ton ofsupplies must at the best, be slow
proce ding, as there are parts of the burnt
diStrics over which it is almost impossible
10 travel. Women in the pains of child
birth and patients who have been moved
from beds Of sickness TO save their lives,
TINT at best were nearly spent, all exposed
to tbe rain of last night and the cold raw
winds Of TODAY.
Deaths from Exposure.
Several deaths have occurred in Lincoln
Park, and three women have brought
children into the world only TO die. There
arc people who, in the bitterness Of their
souls, ascribe The calamity to Gods iudg-
meut. A German said to me: This is a
second Sodom and Gomorrah, aud the
curse is on it. Another night must be spent
in Lin,ulu Park and the brick fields at Bi-
vision street, and yet another and another.
Each train aud the extras are loaded TO
their fullest capacity, taking people away,
who, in MANY instances, have no place to