Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-10-18

"'Ng 10 f' ''''''N
stroycd by fire. More than ten thousand
buildings have been burned, and over hun
dred thousand people havo been made home
less. Hundreds have persisted in the flames,
and hundreds more have received injuries al
most as bad as death. The destruction Of prop
crty has been immouso-somc estimating the
loss as high rs two hundred millions Of dollars
The insurance will hardly equal twenty-five
millions and many Of the losses will be paid
only in part by roaon Of the failure Of in.
surance companies The contributions Of
this country, aud of others, will reach per-
haps, the total sum Of five millions The alb.
soluto and immediate loss to Chicago itself
viii probably fall not far short Of O. hundred
aud fifty millions Of dollars We doubt 81
the history of the world makes record Of so
appalling calamity happening to any city
Rome burned for six days and seven nights
but the buildings were, for the most part,
wooden structures, aud it was supposed that
the emperor ordered the conhagration in Or
der to consume the unsightly dwellings, so as
to rebuild the city on graudcr scale. Lon
don suffered a terrible couhagration ia 1866
but it was attended neither with loss of life
or property equal to that in the burning Of
Chicago,
Language is entirely inadequate to describe
the sublimity or the terror Of this conaagra-
ton. The fire swept over sevensquare miles
Of the finest and most densely populated part
Of the city in little less than two days. At
its height while it was raging through the
splendid blocks along the river and Lake
Street, its roar is said to have surpassed the
terrible sounds OF the battle field, or the thuu-
dorous crash Of tropical storm. The his
sing Of the flame the cracking Of the wood
under its fierce wrath, the crumbling and fall
ing of walls, and roofs and timbers the
rushing Of towers turrets and spires through
the air; the screams Of women and cries of
children and the shouts Of men the unoarth-
y means and shrieks Of terrified aud burning
beasts--all mingled to form such chorus of
misery such a sevenfod diapason Of agony as
never before assembled to the God of Heaven
The lake was lighted for miles with burning
ships, aud the very river that flowed through
the city was heated seven times hotter than
its wont Such an extent Of horrors was
never before compressed into so brief a space.
And after the fire had ragged for two DAYS. it
was extinguished by the mercy of Heaven.
A severe shower Of rain put period to the
progress Of the flames, and lent its effective
aid to the exhausted inhabitants in quenchine
them entirely
The more we contemplate the calamity the
vaster and more dreadf, if seems Lilo
some awful sublimity of nature the mind can
only approach its greatness by degrees. As
we think Of it, its true dimensions gradually
unfold themselves. To one at all familiar
with the city, it must seem as if the city itself
was destroyed, for all its MODEST and fairest
huhAAhr' hlN lllNo VI lulAs AL NlAh 10 NOl
burnt is the suburbs Of the great city. The
heart of its business its amusements its
science its art its religious order, is gone.
The hotels the opera house the city hall :;
the splendid churches; the magnificent stores
the palatial residences the great railway
depots the bridges, are all gone. The rich
have become poor in moment, and the proud
have fallen into misery. The dread excite
ments of the conhagration, the houseless ex-
posures afterwards, have carried hundreds Of
souls out OF the world before their time, and
brought hundreds OF souls prematurely into
1t. The restitution and wretchedness Of sew
eniy-hve thousand people turned into the open
parks and fields, without shelter and without
food, form the terrible back ground to this SAD
picture OIL premature i''' ana death
We are glad to learn by the latesta accounts
that the stories Ell incendiarlsm and terocious
executions are all a fable that IN that sea
OF lire and death, none Of those iiagitious anC
desperate crimes were committed, which were
so naturally anticipated and which the re-
porters communicated before they happened
On the other hand--h we may credit the re
? ports -scenes much more honorable to human
nature were enacted IN the very face OF thai
hell oil lame and despair Feeble womeI
bore away SICK husbands or inhrm and ageC
fathers as the plous Eneas did Anehises
from the names oil their houses Rich men
Impoverished by the destruction OF thei
property divided the contents OF their purse
with their more destitute neighbors' Many
died IN trying to save the lives OF Others, an'
over against the rapael'y aud cruelty Of few
desperadoes, we may place actions as hero
g anu sa'iH'''g is any 'na' nave iounu a pIac
!" "'''O'y'
Nor has the calamity failed to evoke uni
versal sympathy and help Never did a fir
more painfully and perfectly enforce the grea
law oil christian love, Bear ye one another