National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-07-16

the loss of Oliyet church, and many of their
dwellings on Clark street and in that vicinity.
Jones' school building, corner of Harrison
street and Eldridge court.
The loss to insurance companies will be from
two to two aad half millions of dollars.
ESTIMATES OF THE LOSSES.
The Times makes TIA following estimate of
the losses, which are found to be very nearly
correct The areR burned over covers fifteen
squares, taking bits and half blocks. here and
there and Jumping the whole. The burned
area is about half q mile long and little
less in width, and embraces tumble-down
shanties and palatial avenue residences. The
losses are as follows On Clark street, $50, 600;
Fourth avenue, S175, 900; Third avenue, $780,
900; State street, 81, 300 900; Wabash avenue,
81 zoo, 600; Michigan avenue, $780, Tayler
streetN $50, goo; Polk street, $4,000; Harrison
street, So, 000; Congress street, SIS, 900; Van
Buren, street, $4,000; the court between Wa
bash avenue and State street, $4,000.
Total, S4,025 900.
CHICAGO NEWSPAPER OPINIONS.
The Tribune says editorially: "EverY cool
headed observer of the fire must have felt that
we have paid light penalty. After allowing
our magnificent business center to be sur
rounded with wooden rookeries we have come
off cheap. The great gilded martyr around
which fagots have been so profusely piled has
not been burned to death. Perhaps this small
calamity will show US how to save; perhaps
not. There are now some sixty acres of burned
territory between the fagots and the victim.
This gap may be the means of saving what is
left. If so let US thank God. The predestined
fate of every wooden building in large city is
to be burned some time. We have now offered
up sixty acres of our cOmbustible material as
a sacrifice, to the genius of fire institutions;
meaning thereby the freedom of every man to
keep finder box and oil factory where it suits
him Dest. We would that we could say this is
the last med folly. If it is not Chicago has still
Thousands upon thousands of wooden shanties
to feed future fires and go down.
The Times s=s9 inter Ocean speak in strong
terms of the folly of allowing wooden buildings
within the city limits.
PROGRESS OF THE FIRE DESCRIBED.
The following general description of the
progress of the fire, and the efforts of the fire
department to get it under control, is furnished
by the Times:
Nearly east of the shanty where the fire
originated was the large brick oil refinery OF
Fitch Bros, the interior of which, with its large
tanks of oil, was all ablaze before the arrival
of the second engine. The heat emitted by the
burning of its contents was intense, and when
the walls fell, which was but a few minutes
after the first stream began to play upon it, the
whole neighborhood within a radius Of forty
rods seemed to burst forth in one simultaneous
blaze. Just north of the rag shop was one
and half story barn filled with hay, which
famed up in an instant, aud flying whisps of
burning hay lit upon roofs nearly a block
away. With such rapidity did the fire spread
after 1t was first fiscoveredfhat two horses in
this barn were burned to death before they
could be rescued. Eight or ten engines in the
First district were speedily on the ground, and
most Of them took their stations on Clark
street, when Marshal Bonner attempted to
check the northern spread of flames. Engine
No. q and one other we're stationed on Fourth
avenue, and vigorous
FIGHT WITH THE ADVANCING FOE
was commenced at this point in ten minutes
after the first alarm. The pine shanties
stretching eastward toward Fourth avenue
were all in flames for nearly half square at
4:40 o'clock. Eleven minutes after the first
alarm Assistant Marshal Sweeny turned on a
second alarm, and engines from greater part
of the southern division and from several of
the west side engine houses were soon at the
scene of peril. The heat arising from that
half acre of blazing pine shanties was terri
BILE, and the breeze stiffene& as the heat in
creased, bearing destruction to the dry roofs
that lay in the path of the destroyer for rods
ahead. A large part Of the augmented fire
force was concentrated on Fourth avenue, half
way between Taylor and Twelfth streets, where
they worked with terrible energy to stay the
progress of the advancing enemy. In twenty
minutes after the first alarm the roofs of build
on Fourth avenue wers all aire for the width
Of dozen buildings north of 2S5. At 4:51
o'clock
A GENERAL ALARM
was sounded. This last warning brought out
the entire fire force of the city. At the time
the alarm was struck seven of the west side
engines were at q small fire OF the corner of
Ashland and Twenty-second street, and we're
thus retarded nearly half an hour. In less
than half an hour the engines that we're posted
on Fourth avenue, directly III the path of the
fire, were compelled to retreat, and all sue
ceeded in getting away except engine company
No. q, the colored company, which delayed
minute too long, and the flames bursting upon
them before they had attached their horses to
the engine, they werescompelled to abandon it.
The fire had swept diagonally~ across the
block to the corner of Taylor street and Fourth
avenue, and was rapidly eating its way through
the remainder of the block fronting on Clark
and Taylor streets.
The marshal stationed no engines on Clark
street, and every effort was made to stay the
northern progress of the flames along that
thoroughfare, but the shanties from which
poured
A SWARM OF FALLEN WOMEN
laden down with wardrobes and furniture were
ripe for destruction, and no sooner had the
torrents Of water extinguished the fire in one
building than the roofs of the finder boxes
still further to the north would burst into
flame. But most of the marshals attention
was directed to the front on FIRE, and every
energy was exerted to stay its eastward march.
At the corner oil Taylor street and Fourth ave
nue. large amotnt Of hose w6s concentrated,
and every effort was made to keep the fire on
the west side of tie avenue, but the driving
wind was laden WITH burning brands which lit
on roofs beyond and kindled them in an in
slant. The Olivet Baptist church was the
first building to go. On the east side of the
avenue.
In little over an hour after the frs. alarm
the fire had swept over a space between Clark
street and Third avenue, aud had reached Pok
street on the north. The southern boundary
of the burnt district extended cast in almost a
straight line, running nearly parallel with
Twelfth street about three hundred feet north
of It. The aim of the marshal was still to
fight the fire from the front, and to contest as
ably as possible its onward march toward the
better built portion of the city.
The front line of the fire was nobly httled
with by the fire boys, who were doing Their best
and brayest when the gale, to which waI due
over their heads and enclosed them with
WALL OF FIRE.
They pulled up stakes and went to the frpnt
again, where the unequal battle was renewed,
but their efforts were powerless to save the
acres of dry pine roofs to windward, and the
fire swept wherever it pleased, and was hardy
turned from its course an inch by the efforts Of
the department until it reached Stale street,
which the flames now attacked.
Having reached State street the fire was 10
its glory. Two-story frames was the rule, and
substantial structures the exception. The
flames leaped from building to building, now
and then skipping O structure or two to tacili-
tate its progress, but never negleetng to bring
up the rear and make clean WORK OF II.
The fremen fought YRlianly
AMONG THESE sEANTIEs.
The most that could be done was to prevent
It spreading southwark, and this was accom-
plished. A steamer was stationed at Harmon
court, which forms nearly the southern limit
on State street, and thG boys connected there
with did valiant service. They fought the fire
into its very teeth, and to enable them to do so
they made baTEfeade out of q theatrical sign
board which was held In front of the pipemen,
and thus the fire was approached so closely
that the sign board took fire. The wind in.
ereasing in fury the fire broke through an alley
dividing State street from Wabash avenue
Now, for the first time, about six o'clock, the
fire began to
FEED UPON ARlsTooRACY.