The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-10-14
A CLEAR ACCOUNT.

The following account Of the: battle Of
the flames against Chicago is the clearest
and most satisfactory we have yet seen. 1t
was written by Rev. Isaac Errett editor
Of the Christian Standard, who was an
eyewitness of the sublime and terrible
spectacle:
Near midnight, moved by fears
was unable to suppress, ! assembled to the
roof of the house of my host-H. Ii. Hon
ore--on Michigan avenue, to note the
progress of the fire. 1t was evidently
spreading extensively, and the gusts Of
wind, which were sometimes so strong o,
to compel VI to brace ourselves on the roof
threatened immense mischief. But us the
wind bore rather west OF north, we felt
that our part Of the city was not in dan
ger, and we ventured to seek rest and sleep
Within an hour We were aroused with the
information that
THE FLAMES WERE APPRoACHING Us.
A hasty glance satisfied US that the
river had been crossed and the fire was
moving diagonally toward the lake in n
northeast direction. Still it was hoped,
from the northwest bearing of the wind,
which had risen to a gale, that its eastward
progress would be stayed before it reached
the most valuable portion ofthe city. 1t
was painfully interesting to look at men
whose whole fortune, in magnificent buil-
dlngs, was at the mercy OF the fire, trying
to persuade themselves that by some streak
of good luck the fire would be arrested be-
fore it reached their treasures. The wish
was father TO the thought. But in spite
of these agonizing wishes, the stream of
dcvourlng flame kept moving on even
against the wind or only lacking sufficient
y to pursue it, course diagonally toward
the lake. Now en- ued scene of widest
excitement. The people, aroused to a
| sense Of danger, made frantic effort, to
save their property, The streets were
soon thronged with
FRIGHTENED AND FRANTIC CROWDS
Of all clusscsaud descriptions, and the mix
| turc of the solemn and painful With the
| iudcrou- and divcrting was such as is sell
| dom seen. Horses, carriages, go.carts,
wagons, drays, hand-cnrl,, wheel-barrows,
| slclgh., some with men hurue--cd for hor,-
| c-, and women and children pushing be-
| hind-thc vehicles loaded with every kind
| of household accommodating to get be-
| yond the reach of the on ward moving river
| of flame, that surgcd and swelci and beat
| rclCntlc,sly against every obstacle, and
forced II channel through even the solide,t
walls of stone. Little boys and girls dragg-
| ing trunks through the streets with one
nand holding on with the other to some
cherished picture of the loved and lost
Women loaded with bed-slats, and care
fully bearing them to Il place Of safety
Big men carrying mirrors for squares and
laying them down only to be shiycrcd in II
moment. BaretoOtcd and almost naked
women and children gathered around theil
piles Of furniture many of them falling
| asleep in the streets from sheer exhaustion
only to be reused to gather up their good.
and rush tarthera way trJm the approachn.
danger. Millioniars Of Yesterday looking
, | in pale silence at the fire demon, sporting
recklcssly with their fortunes, and withcr
r | ing to ashes in an hour the tolls Of half
life time past, and the only hope of half
| life that lay yet in the future. The air i
q | filled with sparks and burning splintcrs
y | which the cruel winds in their wanton
a | ness lash into fury, and send them leapini
: | and darling, with fiery tongue, like enrag
= ed serpcnts to strike at the first object Il
. | the way. Some light on roofs, some ste
: their fangs into wooden cornices, or win
dow-frames; Others dart, rs if with demon
lcal intelligence, after awnings; and d
a | rectly another magnificent block is WraI
ped in flames, Soon the gas-lights go on
a the passwords being destroyed; tn
winds star: up with fresh bowling vcng,
ance just as mems hopes revive of checl
- ing the onward sweep Of the fire. I'll
- moon looks out of the sky with hue a.
IL death.sickness, utterly woe-begon-th
- sickliest, deathtliest hue i ever detected c
n, her half-hiddcn face Il sullen roar of u
n. explosion adds to the horror of the scene
r's aud the crash of falling buildings, wal
ms and tlmbers, and the frantic leap Of fam
H. high up into the air to burst into II delul
OF sparks and blazing splnters, and d
scend in fiery torrents on some near obie
,en Of vengeance, make up scene OF tumu
4 DEsoLATIoN AND AWFUL MAoSlFIcEN'
70 that no words can describe. Then wo
comes that the courthouse IL In lAmes