The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-07-22
FIRES RAGING AGAIN.



Chicago. H., and Oshk osh, Wis.
From the inter- Ocean, July Is.
Between and 5 o'clock p. m, yes
terday, a fire broke out in a rag shop
at No. 527 South Clark street, just |
north Of Twelfth street; and at this
writing, 11:3O a. M, the confagration
is still raging. The conditions as to
drought and wind were much the same
as upon the occasion Of the great fire
of 1871. Before the third alarm, call
ing out the whole fire department, had
been given, the flames had made aston
ishing headway in the low wooden
rookcries lining Clark street and
Third and Fourth avenues. and be-
fore the news Of the conhagration
reached the business centers, it be-
came apparent that a large and popu-
lous quarter of the city must newt
ubly be wrapt in flames. The wind
was from the southwest, and, under
the stimulus of the heated atmos-
phere, it soon blew hurricane. In
an hour many acres had been burned
over, and the streets, filled with ev-
cry manner of vehicle loaded with
furniture and baggage and with peo-
pie fleeing from the hot breath of the
fire, presented the same frightful
aspects which distinguished them on
the. night of the 9th Of October, 1871.
The flames quickly spread over
Fourth, and Third avenues, and State
street, and then to Wabash avenue,
threatening Michigan avenue. The
! FIRE Of 1871 struck Clark and State
streets at Harrison street. The fire of
last night swept nearly a hall mile
further south, but its course was in
the same ,direction-to the northeast.
I Before 6 O'Clock Milwaukee, South
Bend, Joliet, and other cities were
telegIaphed to for assistance, and
engines arrived from all points. There
was no lack of appliances with which
to fight FIRE, but the tinder-box char
acter of the buildings in the range of
the flames rendered thetefforts of the
fremen of but little avail. Five
churches. Aikens' (the Adelphi) The
ater, the Continental, the Michigan
Avenue, and the St. James Hotels,
and many other prominent and sub
stantial buildings, are heaps of ruins.
At least fifty acres Of ground have
been swept clear of buildings, and the
Floss cannot be less than So, 900, 600.
Clark and State streets, and Third
and Fourth avenues were occupied by
very poor wooden structures, and the
alleys between them by still worse
shanties. But these We're all crowded
from cellar to attic with poor people.
| - hro$la1
into the street with scarce moments s
warning, and, of course, without time
to save any of their wretched furni-
ture. The suffering of these rpor
people is incalculable. They are with.
out food or shelter, and without mon
ey to buy either Meantime it is the
hot summer season, business is dull,
the times are hard, and employment
difficult to find. In the better por-
tlons of the burnt district, Wabash
and Michigan avenues, the. notice was
longer, and, warned by the terrible
experience of 1871, household furni.
ture and stocks Of goods were carted
away to safe quarters. It is just to
say of the FIRE department that i,
fought the fire desperately. 1t tfough
| it in the face; it did not even attempt
to flank it. 1t might have been wisel
to have done SO. So far as "a deter
mined hand to hand encounter is con
cerned, it could not have done better
No buildings were blown up. I,
lockers on it appeared that the fir
might have been headed off by tn,
heroic method of pulling down ant
blowing up buildings at some di>tanc
from and in the line of the course o
the confagration. But perhaps tn
justest criticism which can be made i
that the fire apparatus of the presen
day is utterly inadequate to the tas
of graphing with a great confagra
ton under full headway. There
undoubtedly, in this field, the grand
est opportunity for the exercise OF IN
ventive genius. The postofice build
ing fell victim to the devouring ele
ment; but the notice was ample, an
the chief portion Of the mail matte
; and the papers of the Office we're save(
OF casualties it is too early to Civ
any list. Two men are reported
have been killed by falling wall.
is not unlikely that others have pei
ished, and that numerous serious al
cidents will prove to have accompanie
/ the great loss of property. The e1
citemcnt throughout the city was il
tense. 81
; The circumstances-a high wiz
and dry atmosphere-were so sim
lar to those Of Oct. 9, 1871. as to rou
: the most serious apprehensions: A
: the street approaches to the vicini
Of the fire were densely packed by &
excited throng Of men and wome
. Houses entirely out of the range
: the fire were cleared of furniture, ar
.t- hundreds of people went about Il
streets retailing the most gloomy pr
phesies.
: At / o'clock this morning the e
) was under control and the great mu
> titudes which watched its progre
: with absorbing interest dispersed wi
Y thanksgivings that Chicago had n
e suffered a repetition of the terrih
8 scourge and horror of two and b;