National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-11-29
Chicago ana Boston.

had come TO look upon 1t as daily vista
ton; and, Notwithstanding two entr
blocks had been consumed the previou
night, no serious fears were created BY
the fresh outbreak. This alarm was til,
precensius of the city's doom. The fire
spread with fearful rapidly, continuing
all through the Sunday night, Monday
and Tuesday, being only extinguished
when nothing was lett to burn. 1t de-
stroyed all the theatres, all the hotels,
nearly all the churches and every public
building of note. The loss in property,
real estate and personal, covered more than
two hundred million dollars; 10000 per-
sons were rendered homeless; the com
merce of the city was for the time swept
AWAY: the grain interets were almost
killed. and the flourishing and beautiful
Queen City of the West was left mourn
ing her desoation amid the ruins OF her
greatness. A disaster so sweeping and
destructive in the history OF conilagra-
tions swept upon the country like thun.
der bolt. and when the crisis was passed
men fervently thanked God that such n
visitation came but once in century.
On November Q, 1872, the mighty heart
of the American Continent was shaken
by the fearful intelligence that Boston,
the sedate, the staid and the conservative
capital Of the New England States, was
enveloped in flames in all its business
part, that the Chicago tragedy was be
ing repeated, and all that was finest,
noblest and best in the far-iamed hub of
the universe was threatened with sweep
ing overthrow. In some respects the
two fires in the Western and Eastern cities
have wonderful similarity to each other;
in Others they were widely different, and,
as your correspondent has had the good
fortune, or bad fortune, to have been
present in both cities in the period OF
their destruction, a comparison between
the two and the manner in which they
were assailed by the flames may prove
interesting. Boston is one Of the Oldest
cities on the Continent, teeming with
historical recollections and impressedly
associated with the gro'"th and the great
ness of the American 4.epublc. Built
after the old English models, its narrow
streets, crooked lanes and winding alleys
have long been the abomination of travel
ers accustomed to the more noble
tHDTtuGlldTcs vi 4NtN YIN, l ulIIutlIlI4i
and Chicago. Its buildings are construct
ed with view that they should endure
for centuries, and its massive blocks Of
bricks, granite and marble met the eye
of the stranger on every side. No waste
ground has been left by the designers, and
every available spot is covered with
structures of every kind down y the
waters edge, the warehouses and stores
extended, and the whole city presented
the appearance of compact mass of
masOnary and brick work. During all
the changes of these centuries the salient
features of Boston had not changed until
an element burst upon it, which respected
not antiquity, durability nor historical
associations, but enveloped all in one
common ruin. The Chicago of the past
was in every respect different from Bos-
ton. 1t resembled it not in the formation
of the streets or construction of its build
ings and public ediices. 1t was, in the first
place, the youngest of all the cities of all
the West which has risen to greatness,
it having though youngest in the race,
outstripped all rivals in the struggle for
supremacy, and gained the proud title of
Queen of the Western portion of the Con-
tinent. Forty years ago the Indian hunt
ed where one short twelvemonth since
stood the monument which enterprise
had risen to science, commerce and art,
and dismal swamp tlourished where since
a city has been raised on foundations OF
granite. Modern in its growth, Chicago
was modern in its appearance, and though
it had many drawbacks in its design, as
its sudden destruction had proved, it had
many excellent features for the transac-
ton of trade and commerce. Its streets
were spacious lengthy and wide, and the
buildings which lined them were elegant,
handsome and comlnodous. The public
edifices were erected with lavish but
prudent outlay, and were designed to be
fireproof, with what result the fire has
long since shown. In one respect Chicago
was infinitely interior to Boston, that was
in the more fragile nature OF her dwelling
houses, which, springing up at an early
period of the city's existance were mainly
composed of lumber ald boards. This
was the fatal cause and origin of the
fire, and FRONT it valuable lesson has been
learned by the architects of the
new and more flourished community
which is rapidly springing up from the
ashes of October, 1871. In another re-
spect it differed from Boston it covered
larger area of ground in proportion to
its population, and the buildings it con.
tanned were scattered at wider intervals
from each other. In hotel accommodation
it was superior, and in this feature was
unexcelled by any city of the continent
There is a wonderful resemblance to be
traced in the condition Of the weather in
Chicago on October s, 1871, and in Bos-
ton on November 0, 1872. The Sabbath
evening in Chicago was calm and placid
refreshing and beautiful as Summer eve
Before the fire broke out q gentle brecz
was blowing, which was delicious after
the heat of the day, and the streets were
crowded with pedestrians of both sexes.
In Boston, on the evening of the fire, the
weather was a tritle cold, but not cold
enough to be unpleasant. The street,
were thronged with people, shopping was
going on in endless variety, and all went
merry as marriage bell until the deep
funereal knell from the brazen- mouthed
voices Of the big alarm bells Announced
the near approach of danger. 1t was on
n moonlight night the fire broke over
Chicago. A beautifl moon shone in the
heavens over the city of Boston. The
harbor looked sea of glass and the
tall masts of the shipping stood out like
sentinels of the deep. The wind in
Chicago was blowing from the northwest
and in Boston from the northwest.
Neither cities had been visited with rain
for several days before their respective
visitations. The ground in both was
parched and dry and the atmosphere
singularly conductive to sudden conflagra