Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-07-25
NUMBER "A.
CHICAGO'S PLAGUE.
Corrected List OF Losses and Insurance
by the Great Fire.

by the Great Fire.
The fire that devastated Chicago last
week threatened at one time to destroy
the entire city but by the subsistence
of the wind and the strenuous effort
of the fire department it was checked at
last. Some six million dollars worth
of property was destroyed but the fire
swept over blocks that escaped before,
and many Of them we're covered with
flame buildings, which in that wind
swept city furnished tinder for the de-
vour.ng flames to feed upon. 1t begun
in the hovel of Pole, as the former
fire commenced in a barn and this fact
raises the serious question whether such
buildings should be permitted in great
city.
The actual loss was considerably
smaller than estimated at first. In all
about one Thousand buildings were con-
sumed, but very large proportion were
mere rookeries of the himsiest descrip-
tion, whose destruction involved com
paratively little loss. Some sixty acres
were burned over, most Of it lying west
of State street, yet the loss falls princi-
pally on the east side of that street,
where were located all the valuable
buildings burned-the First Baptist
church, Continental, St. James, and
Michigan avenue hotels, postofiice,
Adelphia treatre, Davis sewing machine
building, Jones's school, and one or two
other buildings Of modest dimensions.
All the important public buildings
burned are on Wabash avenue, and
these, together with few fine residences
on the avenue, comprise the bulk OF the
loss. Sampson, Gilbert Il Co.'S furni-
ture house was considerably damaged,
but at that point, corner Van Buren and
Wabash avenue, where the wholesale
palaces of new Chicago begin, the fire
was checked. The new postofilce build.
ing cost $4,000; Jones's school, $780,
900; Adelphia theatre, $4,000; st.
James Hotel, S1O0, 900; Michigan avenue
hotel, $40, 900 the Continental, $50 900;
Woods hotel, $4,000 The buildings
occupied by Herens h Co., Terra Gotta
company, the Inter. Ocean buildings,
were valued at about $40, 900 each: the
First Baptist church, 100000. OF the
! private residences a number Of them
were very fine and costly edifces, and
IuIilsneu III an elegahI manner
The losses OF state street cannot be
particularized, each being so small in
ITSELF but the grand aggregate amounts
to very large sum. A large number
of the insurance agencies furnish an
estimate of the losses sustained by the
companies which they represent as fol-
lows. While it is not complete ex.
hibit it is as full andaccurate as can be
got at present:
Hartford s8 800. North British s2o ooo.
Irving, $4,000; German American, $40. 600;
| National, $50 900; New Orleans. So 900; Frank
lin, $4,000 Imperial London), s37 900; Cen
| tral (St. Louis, $4,000; New York Standard,
/ $1,000 st. Joseph (Nlo.) Ss25; Scottish Com
mercial Glasgow, s37, 1000; Lamar IN. ",
| e. 500; Alemana, :36600 Mlllyilie IN. j.,
/ S36O 900; Trade s9yO Humboldt IN. ~,
| $4,000 Phoenix (HMtford) 500 600 Phoenix
| (Brooklyn), 100000; Queens and Commerce
! ALBANY sos 0Ol Traders (Chicago). s65,-
| 600 Northwestern National. Il, $50; Mercan-
! tile Chicago, S5 500; Hudson (Jersev Citv1
/ lBramen s 80 900. Rochester. 44.uJG: Adm
stic S2S OO0 Firemen's Fund, $500 Com
merciaj Union. $500; Shoe aud Leather.
81 600 Prescott, Sl3 1000: Williamsburg. S33 e
600: Peoples $1,000; Benjamin Franklin,
$4,000; Home New York;, Sle' g0O; Ger
mania z2CgJ c52 co9 Bl; Gnle[TIIetS 35 sVGCo 6Gg Cay
GIiI5' 80 a065. Frankjin (BostonI, Is 40G. Chicago
Association, $4,000 Atlantic and Pacific (Chi-
] !