The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-07-17
CHICAGO.
CHICAGO.
Another Great COnfiagrati0n.
Burnt District Half a Mile Long.
Stately Blocks On Wabash Avenue and
State Street in Ruins.

houses near Fourth Avenue eAnd Polk
street. 1t was first blown southwark by
a stiff breeze, but the wind soon shifted,
and by sunset the wind blew gale
from the south, sending the FIRE toward
the central part of the city.
At half past & o'clock the fire had
made alnao<t clean sweep up to the
corner Of Third avenue and Polk street,
burning up the
HOMES OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
At the above corner the fire depart
ment commenced the process of blowing
up buildings with gunpowder, but the
small wooden affairs, and would have
only the effect of making quicker blaze
of them. The wind blowing as it does
very fresh from about south-southwest,
the fire is now on the verge of the fire
line of our big fire at Harrison street.
The west side of Wabash avenue is
stately building in its course, which Of
fered haven of refuge in the winter of
1871. The fire is just Immediately Ia
the rear of the First Baptist Church,
and should the structure go down the
fire will have clean sweep tothe north
ward and eastward, and the Exposition
building will in all likelihood be the f.
nal prey of the fire, and as that is i'm
mediately on the lake shore there will
be nothing further for the fire to feed
upon, provided we have the good fortune
to not have a change of wind.
A dense black pail of smoke is hang
ing over the expected course ofthe fire,
dropping its advance messengers of Gin
ders on the roofs of the buildings. AL
though private citizens are doing all that
is in their power in trying to prevent
the fire from getting hold upon their
homes, yet the effort is as futile as for a
child to make an attempt. The roar of
the advancing furnace has the sound of
OUR OLD CALAMITY,
And nothing short of its final plunge
into Lake Michigan will quench it,
Our streets, within a mile of the confia-
grafton, are crowded with teams of every
description loaded to their utmost capac-
ity with household goods. Store-keep-
ers who are so fortunate as TO secure a
team, are endeavoring to save their
most valuable stock. Whenever a va
cant space north of the fire can be found
it is at once filled with goods of all de-
scriptions and variety. Men, women
and children are doing their utmost to
save their little all, and bringing it to
some place of safety.
The work of the fire from this on will
burn up as much in one five minutes as
it has previously in fifteen, considering
the value in dollars and cents. The
heat is very great, and, no doubt. that in
addition to pecuniary losses we will have
to mourn
THE LOSS OF LIVES,
As it is next to impossible for fire ofthi=
magnitude'and fury to burn through as
closely a settled district as this has,
without calling for many a human sac
rifice
AS the Post-office is directly in the
line of the conHagration, its employees
will have all they can do to save the
mail matter in the building, and conse-
quently there will be no mails leave the
city this evening, and there will be no
mails leave the city this evening, and
there can by no possibility be one sent
before tomorrow evening, should the
Department he successful in saving their
valuables. The principal lines of the
Western Union Telegraph Company
running through State street, have been
burnt, some forty wires, but as the lines
ON Canal street are out of all possible
danger. there will be no interruption OF
telegraphic communication.
The fire has burnt over, so far, ab~nt
half a mile in length, and some four
blocks in width, and although the explo
sion of gunpowder still is heard every
little while, there is but little hopes of
staying the fire short of the limits given
above.
Later.
As predicted in the previous dispatch,
the fire swept into and over the
ELEGAN FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
On Wabash avenue, and what was this
evening before sundown one of the most
elegant and costly church edifices of our
city, is now but a smouldering he,p of
ruins. As it was very evident from the
icourse of the fire and strength of the
wind at about half past six O'Clock that
the Post-office building was in all prob
ability doomed, General Macarthur, our
Postm aster, made arrangements al once
to remove the mails to a place of
safety, and all needed teams were at
once pressed into the service by him,
and by o'clock the last loaded wagon
left the building, end the place that had
been the depository of the United States
mails centering here was deserted forev-
er, for at 10 minutes of 8
THE POST OFFICE BUILDING
First caught, and by half past O'Clock
the building was mass of flames. The
wind by o'clock, had almost died
away, which assisted our fire depart
ment greatly in becoming masters of the
situations, and at the corner where the
post-office was situated, at Wabash ave
nue. and Harrison street, the very point
where our previous great fire was stop
ped, our fireman seemed to be inspired
with superhuman efforts to prevent its
spreading into the rebuilt district, and
here it was that all their engines we're
concentrated to bar its further progress.
The building on the southeast corner
was large brick dwelling house, and
by making bulwark of this against the
ever on-coming sheet of fame, the pros
pect of holding this building and saving
it, and thereby preventing the progress
of the fire through to Michigan avenue
was quite promising at half past eight