The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-07-23
Chicago's Calamity
A Succinct Account of the
Great Disaster.
The Old Fire Reporter in Har-
ness Again.
[From De chioago Times.l


= which, with its large tanks of oil, wa
/ all abiaze before the arrival of tn
! second engine, The heat emitted b
+ the burning of its inflamnable con
! tents was immense, and when tn
wallis Tell, but few minutes alter tn
! first stream began to play upon it, tn
whole neighborhoodH for radius o
! thirty rods around, seemed TO burs
/ forth in one simultaneous blaze. Jus
! north Of the rag shop was d story ant
a-half barn filed with hay, whicl
, famed mp in an instant, aud the Wisp
OF burning hay lit roofs nearly d blocl
away. With such rapidity did thi
fire spread after il was first discovered
that TIVE horses in the barn werI
burned to death before they could bt
rescued. The eight or ten engines ii
the First District were speedily on tht
ground, and The most of them tool
their stations on Clark street, where
Marshall Renner attempted to check
the northern spread of the flames
Engine No. q and one other were sta.
toned on Fourth avenue, and q
vigorous fight with the advance
ing foe was commenced at this point
In ten minutes after the first alarm
the pine shanties stretching eastward
toward Fourth avenue were all Afame
4 for nearly half asquare.
At4 40 O'Clock, eleven minutes af-
ter the first alarm, Assistant Marshal
! Sweeney turned in the second alarm,
and engines from the greater part Ot
the South 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
i pine shanties was terrible, and the
breeze stiffened as the heat increased,
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 concentra-
ted on Fourth avenue, half way be-
tween Taylor and Twelfth streets,
where they worked with terrible en-
ergy to stay the progress of the ad-
VanciRg enemy. In twenty minutes
after the first alarm the roofs of build
| ings' on Fourth avenue were all afre
for width of dozen bull iings north
| of No. 265. AT 3 81 O'Clock, eleven
minutes after the second alarm, the
general alarm was turned in by As
sistant Marshal Peters. This last
warning brought to the spot the entire
fire force OF the city. At the time the
alarm was st ,uck seven of the West
Side engines were at small fire on
the corner of Akhland avenue and
Twenty-seeoud street, and they were
thus retarded nearly half an hour. In
less than half an hour the engines that
were posted on Fourth avenue, direct
ly in the path OF the advancing fire,
compelled to beat a retreat. All sue
ceeded in beating retreat except En-
gine Company No, 81. the eolored
company of the force who delayed q
minute too long, and the flames burst
ing upon them before they had at
tached their horses to the engine, they
were compelled to abandon it, and the
handsome steamer was warped and
twisted into a mass Of iron and steel,
hall melted in the frey furnace that
girdfed 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 re-
mainder of the block fronting on
CLARK and Taylor streets. The Mari
shal stationed a number of 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 roof
of finder boxes still further to the
north would burst into fame. But
the most of the Marshafs attention
was directed to the front of the fire,
and every energy was exerted TO stay
its eastern march.
At the corner of Taylor street and
Fourth avenue large amount of hose
was concentrated, aud every effort
was made to keep the fire on the west
side of the avenue. But the driving
wind was laden with burning brands, |
which lit on the roofs beyond and
kindled them in an instant. The Oil
yer Baptist Church was the first build I
ing to go on the east side of the ave-
nue.. In little over an hour after the |
first alarm th5sfire had swept over the
space between Clark street and Third I
avenue and had reached Polk on the |
north. The southern boundary of the |
burnt district extended east in almost !
a straight line, running nearly parallel |
with Twelfth street, and about three |
ICOl uOELu vi u6 6kAll vi |
the marshal was still to fight the fire |
from the front and to contest as ably |
as possible its onward progress to-
wards the better built portions of the
city. The front line of the fire was
nobIy battled with by the fire-boys,
who were doing their best and bFavest
when the gale, to which was due the
most mischief carried destruction over
their heads, and inclosed them on Ell
ther side with a wall of fire. They |
pulled up stakes and went to the front
again, where the unequal battle was
renewed. But their efforts were in
vain. The efforts were powerless to
save the acres of dry pine roofs, to
the windward, and so the fire swept
on as it pleased, hardly turned from
its course an inch by the efforts of the
department until il reached State I
street which the flames now attacked.
Having reached State street the fre /
was in its glory. Two-story frames
was the rule, and q substantial struc-
ture was the exception. The flames
leaped gayiy from building to build
ing, now and then skipping structure /
or two TO facilitate progress, but new
or forgetting to bring up the rear aud /
make clean work of il. The flremen
fought vaiiently among these shanties. |
The most that could be done was to
prevent its spreading southwark, and
this was accomplished. A steamer
was stationed at HarmaH court. which
forms nearly the southern limit on
State street, and the boys connected
Herewith did valiant service. They
fought the fire Into its very teeth, aud
to enable them to do so they erected q
barricade out of a theatrical align /
board, which was held In front OF the
pipemeu, aud thus the fire was APP
preached se closely that the sign-board
took fire. The wind increasing In
fury, It broke through the alley di-
Yiding State street from Wabash ave.
nue.. Now, for the first tine, about
six o'clock, the fire began to feed on
the aristocracy. It began putting on
airs 40 "a sneak IL efruek nm hfuh /