Connecticut western news., 1872-12-06
Chicago and Boston.

upon their ears. It had been ringing in- cessantly for several days, and the people | had come to look upon it as daily visita- tion; and, notwithstanding two entire blocks had been consumed the previOAs night, no serious fears were created by the fresh outbreak. This alarm was the precensius of the city's doom. The fire spread with fearful rapidity, continuing all through the Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday, being only extinguished when nothing was lett to burn. It de- stroyed all the theatres, all the hotels, nearly all the churches and every public building of note. The loss iR property, real estate and personal, covered more than two hundred million dollars; 150, 1000 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 fourishing and beautiful Queen City of the West was left mourn Ing her desolation amid the ruins of her greatness. A disaster so sweeping and destructive in the history of conhagra- tions swept upon the country like thun. der bolt, and when the crisis was passed men fervently thanked God that such visitation came but once in 8 century. On November g, 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 it's business part, that the Chicago tragedy was be- ing repeated, and all that was finest, noblest and best in the far-famed 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 winch 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 growth and the great ness of the American Republic. Built after the old English models, its narrow streets, crooked lanes and winding alleys have long besn the abomination of travel CTS accustomed to the more noble thoroughfares of New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. Its buildings are construct cd with view that they should endure for centuries, and it's 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 to 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. It resembled it not in the formation of the streets or construction of it's build ings and public edifces. It 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
 
 stood the monument which enterprise had risen to science, commerce and art, and a dismai swamp flourished where since city has been raised on foundations of granite. Modern in its growth, Chicago was modern in it's appearance, and though it had many drawbacks in it's design, as its sudden destruction had proved, it had many excellent features for the transac- 0ff ln Tk,o o&n a%a were spacious, lengthy and wide, and the buildings which lined them were elegant, handsome and commodious. The public edifces were erected with lavish but prudent outlay, and were designed to be tireproof, with what result the fire has 1sng since shown. In one respect Chicago was infinitely inferior 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 and boards. This was the fatal cause and origin of the fire, and fremit valuable lesson has been learned by the architects of the new and more fourished 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 te it's population, and the buildings it con. tained 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 wonderful resemblance to be traced in the condition of the weather 1T Chicago on October 8, 1871, and in Bos ton on November g, 1872. The Sabbatf evening in Chicago was calm and placid refreshing and beautiful as Summer eve Before the fire broke out gentle breez was blowing, which was delicious afte1 the heat of the day, and the streets wer, crowded with pedestrians of both sexes In Boston, on the evening of the fire, tn, weather was a trife cold, but not colo enough to be unpleasant. The street were thronged with people, shopping wa going on in endless variety, and all wen merry as a marriage bell suntil the dee, funereal knell from the brazen-mouthet voices of the big alarm bells announce the near approach of danger. It was ol a moonlight night the fire broke ove Chicago. A beautiful moon shone in tn
 heavens over the city of Boston. Tn
 harbor looked sea of glass and tn
 tall masts of the shipping stood out lik
 eentinels of the deep. The wind il Chicago was blowing from the northwes ana7 in Boston from the northwest Neither cities had been visited with rail for several days before their Sespectiv visitations. The ground in Doth wa parched and dry and the atmospher singularly conductive to sudden confagra tioR and combustion. Another point o resemblance. The Fire Department il both cities was partially demoralized fo some time previous to the fires. In Chi cago, the incessant demands which ha, been made upon the firemen for nor than month had completely wosn then out. The fire bells never once ceased t.