The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-04-13
The Rebuilding OF Chicago.

The Rebuilding Of Chicago.
\ letter from an occasional cOrrcS-
pendent Of the Cincinnati Commercial,
written from Chicago last month, gives
an interesting sketch of the progress of
rebuilding the burnt district. We give
some portions of the letter:
Here you will see what is to be seen
! nowhere else i'll the wOrld-:l living
city and dead one occupying the same
ground. 1t is a strange conglonlcr;,tion
of ruins, shantics, substantial buildings
and rubbish. Here you will sec the
biackcllcd ruins, the gloomy walls of Il
palace guttcd by the flames, and next
to it a rough board shanty with one
window, and Il stovc-pipc running up
through the roof. Then next to that is
II handsome tivc-story brick building,
put up since the fire, and filled from top
to bottom with merchandise; then more
shantics, then great bare walls of build
ings in course of erection, then more of
the BLACKLIST, gloomicst, sadtlcst ruins
human eye ever looked upon.
And, withal, the streets are well nigh
impossible. Teams that no man can
number, loaded down with building
material, file through them; heaps OF
brick, rock, lumber, lime, sand and
rubbish are sstacked" all along. There
are no sidewalks, and getting about in
the burnt district is Il matter of cX-
| treme difficulty.
The number of buildings under way
in the burnt district, in all stages of
construction, from cornerstone laying
to roof-titting, is enough to convince
/ 4. fO,<,p u,s
live again us grand and as massive rs
ever.
What has been done since tho fire is
an indication of what will be done this
summer. Already there is but one lot
on River street that has not a new
building upon it or one in course OF
erection. Water street is also coming
up out of its ashes. Nearly the whole
street is under contract, and many OF
the new buildings arc already far
enough along to bc occupied. Wabash
and Michigan Avenues for several
squares south of the river are full OF
building material and noisy with the
sound OF the hammer and troWcl. Both
these streets will be walled in within a
few months.
On Lake street, building permits have
been granted for all the lots upon it
with only one exception. Within the
next two months that section Of the
burnt district bounded by the South
Branch, the river, the lake, and Lake
and Randolph streets will be built UP
solidly.
1 But business in the burnt district
will be carried on ut great disadvantage
for Il year yet, at least. The streets will
be TANNED with building material to an
thnp, >yrll ,i,r1
sible, and retail dealers are Il little shy
where they locate themselves, on that
account.
\ singular fact in connection with
these gigantic operations and plans OF
operations is the abundance of funds
| Everybody seems to have money to re-
build, Or, ut least, to make Il start. Tho
money to rebuild Chicago seems to bt
already ut hand. Currency is album
tl:tnt, more abundant than bricks, III
fact. This is readily accounted for
Mon Of wealth in Boston, New York
Philadelphia, and, in fact, all over tn,
country, were largely Interested in rca
estate here before the fire, and, not be-
ing seriously injured by the burning O
the tcncmcntS thereon, they set ,bou,
immediately to rebuild. Men who
have made fortunes in Chicago town
lots uo not propose to withdraw from
the field now-now when there is IL
good Il chance rs oyer. KcniS arc tive
and three times AS high as before tn,
fire, and notwithstanding the amount
of building done still remain at that
stir figure. Real estate iluctuutcs :;
good deal as centres of trade are formed
and the locations for public buildings
fixed, but amid all the fluctuations
there is, taking all the city over, Il
steady advance, not very slow, but very
sure.