, 1873-09-18
THE FIRE.
Ten Acres Of Ground Denuded
Of Shantios.
Fifty-Tllrec Frame Buildings Re-
duccd to Ashes.
Scores of Poor Families Rem
derel Homeless.
The Number Of Gin.Mills Consid-
erabIy Lessened.
Total Loss About a Quarter Of
a Million Dollars.
4 Great Con0agration Prevented by
tho Gallant Firemcn.
The Department Effectually
Aided by the Citizens.
Scenes. Incidents, and Accidents
A Attending The Fire.
Total Loss About a Quarter Of
a Million Dollars.
4 Great Connasration Prevented by
tho Gallant Firemcns
The Department Efectuany
Aided by the Citizens.
Scenes, Incidents, and Accidents
Attending the Fire.

Nearly Two 5cnys havo elapsed since tho great hrc+
Tho circumstances arc remembered by every ono.
Aftor long and warm evening, when everything waa
dry m insignificant blnzo broke out, and bepB famed
by Btrong southwest breeze, wrought tho rpi which
haa bocono historical siuco that time the cry Of are
1as made persons tia, especially when the Wind 1s
blowing from whnt to 10 fatal QUARTER anu IL
blowing strong. Consequently, when tho fro alarm
struck at halfpast o'clock yesterday afternoon, with
o stiff breeze from tho southwest, thorc
,yua reason to anticipate eeri0us connhBra-
ton. Tho alarm sounded from Boz 36s.
at tho corner Of Wright and Morgan streots. This
locality, for blocks around, was built Of combustibo
material tho houseB Of lumber, and 80 wero tho
stores, barts anu packing houses to say nothing Of
yards full Of lumber mol fur of. It was
JUST THE rLAcE ron 4 r1nE.
nco started thcro plenty Of food for tho flames.
Tho cause Of The alarm waa tho tsauing Of aos from
u largo hay-ahal at tho corner Of Ncwberry avenue
and tho G., D. 4 O. H. II. track, Sixteenth street.
This shed built according to the requirements Of
tho fro ordinance which, with regard to shedsf
scoms to be All impotent INV. According to tho
ordinance this shed was legal structure long a.
ono end Of 1t was open. Formerly this ahod Was CO.
cupiod by tho Elastic Btone Roofing Company a
fnctory but recently 1t uHed for transferring hoy
from the Chicago Burlington Quincy to the North
westorn Railroad It standing near the track
exposed to sparks from passing locomotives md yea-
terdny one Of these
-Four times before the hay caught fire in the sATe
way but 1t wns e1tingushel beforo damage
done. Not 10 yesterday. Tho hre spread,
nnd tic wind blowing through the open end,
9ormed It into hamo, and III lcss than no
time burst out In the root, md enyooped tho shhny
and is contents. The iA,ucs roso high. Tho englnH
began to arrrc hut, usual theEe somo Iefects
which rendered. fute al tho bravery and noble e1cr-
1tons Of tho men. stable next to tho hayshod sue
cu1nbei1 in few minutes, md then saoon OH Hal
eted atreet, Immediately north Of tho viaducs vas
wrapped III shcot Of hame. by thia timo
THE BEcoHD AND Tn1nD ALARMS
were sounded, bringing reinforcement Of tho fire.
Brigade Tho men worked with will, fighting their
olttfoe house by house, bnt still 1t Spread turning
round the corner Of Hastcd street, jumped two vacant
lots and. sozing dry goods stoEc soon reduced 1t to
nothing. from the dry goods store 1t lcaped ncros
1a14od street 10 tho Of McaRheE, where II at-
tackled small drug storo, and kept on Its doaructre
course up AIcsghcr street, swallowing mp four frao
buildings Tho wind blowing from the southwest, drove
tho flames towards tho North and northeast, until Cah-
erine street reached It hoped that tho street
would s!ay tho progrcss Of tho flames, but they
took no account Of 1t, srringlng across the
gap. swcepiug up tho cast eide Of ua1stud, across
Wright araot eating up tho block between Wright aud
Barber,
LAYING Low TUE HOUSES
in the next llpck between barber and Catherine
streets, and continuing its progress to the corner OF
the alley botwecn fourteenth and Liborty atrceta.
Hero tho fire arrested the east stdo Of Halsed.
IN TIE MEANTIME,
the HeHt side Of the sTeGt presented front Of flame
Here were sn,all two.story frame houses fronting tic
street. They occupied storea and Baloops be-.
low and as residences above. Tho wind swept ths
1ncrcie&R famcs down upon them, tho inhabitants
fled, and soon tho site Of their ho,nes waa bazinB
1nBss which WINS quickly reduced to blachenod rutng.
At the corncr Of HalBtcd and Catherine stood
THE PACKIsa.ilouBR
OF Richard Af Oliver. It waa hoped that this would
bo al obstacle to the Aa.nos. Tho hremen poured
streams upon It, hoping to mako it the last ditch, aud
tho end Of the fire. Il avail, however. The
heat by this tiMc lntenBe Tho nauaes rolled Ia
bows the burning 1uns, beat againAt tho south
wslt and mounted to the roof which caught easily
and then tho ro burst down into tho body Of tho build
irg, licking up tho greasy and oily matter which
saturated tho floors. 4 large quantity Of hams
wero removed from tho house and saved, but In thu
basement was stored quantity Of lard, This was
soon on frc, aud that waa tho end at tho packing
house, The lard waa
CONVERTED INTO VL4MEt
emitting a f}erco heat unbosrabe block away. Tit
walk cracked and split nnd tun.blcd In until nothn
rcmanf but ;4o!4 In the ground. At this tins thing
looke. cheerful. The G::st eulsdcd and tho Firo Dc
partuent with renewed loao aud Aerosm, work
lug at its boat Water was poured into tho burntn
1ard to reduce tho heR There was no hopo OF saTtn
anything tho flames once took hold OF, and q
efforts wore concentrated to c!rcurnscIibo Tho Limit
OF the fire. Owing 10 tho o1ertlons OF e<-Ftr9 Mar
ehai Williarns tho house OIL tho coFnor opposite th
packlnghouao de!uged with water, md tho fur
ther progreEH Of tho nfe atAye1 In that direction.
Tbs burnoA blocks wore narrow. Tho IRE olssrod
out the buildings between Newberry avenue and Unto
whe En- s1S m e1s1 east and % tho pr
giyoa above The following diagram ahows ths limit
Of tho confederation, the black squares Eoproaoutiu
tha burnt district: