The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-15
CHICAGO AGAIN IN
FLAMES.
A Terrible Contlagration.
Thousands Rendered Home
less.

Desperate Efforts to Stop it,
Progress.
CHICAGO, July IA fire started about 81
P. NJ. in some small frame houses, nea
Fourth Avenue and Market street. 1t was a
first blown southwark by stiff breeze, bu
the wind soon shifted, and by sunset thu
breeze blew a gale from the south, sending
the fire toward the central part of the city.
At $50 o'clock the fire had made almost a
clean sweep up to the corner Of Third Avenue
and Polk street, burning up the homes q
thousands OF people. At the above cornel
the fire department commenced the process
Of blowing up buildings with gunpowder, but
the buildings experimental with were but
small wooden affairs, and would only have the
effect OF making quicker blaze Of them, and
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 now in full blaze,
which takes many stately building in its
course and which offered haven OF refuge
in the winter of 1871. The fire is just imme-
diately in the rear Of the First Baptist Church,
and should that structure go down, the fire
will have a clear sweep to the northward and
eastward; and the Exposition Building will in
all likelihood be the final prey Of the fire, and
as that is Immediately 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 smoke is hanging over the
expected course OF the fire. dropping its adj
vance messengers of cinders on the roofs Of
the buildings, and although private citizens
are doing the utmost in their power in trying
| to prevent the fire getting a hold upon their
homes, yet their efforts are as futile as for a
| child to make the attempt. The roar OF the
advancing flames has the SQUAD of our old
calamity, and nothing short Of its final plunge
into Lake Michigan will quench it.
| Our streets, within mile of the confagra-
| ton, are crowded with teams of every descrip-
tion loaded to their utmost capacity with
household furniture, although the storekeep-
ers, who are SO fortunate as to secure a team,
are endeavoring to save their most valuable
stock Wherever vacant space north Of the
fire can be found, it is at once filed with goods
Of all des :riptons 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 pre-
viously in Is. Consider 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 q fire Of this magni-
tude and fury, and burning through as closely
rs settled district as this has, without calling
for many human sacrifice. As the Post
Office is directly in the line of conhagration,
its employees will have all they can do to
save the mail matter in the building, and con-
sequently there will be no mails leave the city
this evening and there can by no possibility
be and sent before tomorrow evening
Should the Department be successful in
saving their valuables, the principal lines OF
the Western Union Telegraph Go. running
through State street have all been burnt some
40 wires but as the lines on the Canal street
are out OF ill possible danger, there will be no
interruption of Geographic communication.
The fire has burnt over SO far about half a
mile in length a. some four blocks in width,
and although the explosion of the gunpowder
still is heard every little while, there is bnt
little hope of staying the fire short Of the linn
its given above.
SECOND DISPATCH.
As predicted in a previous dispatch the fire
swept into and over the elegant First Baptist
Church on Wabash Avenue, and what was this
evening before shutdown, one of the most ele-
CANT and costly church ediices of our city, is
now but Il smouldering heap of ruins. AS it
was very evident from the course Of the fire
and strength Of the wind at about $50 o'clock,
the post Office building was in all probable
ity doomed, Gen. Macarthur, our postmaster,
made arrangements at once to remove the
mails to a place of safety, and all needed
teams were at once pressed into service by
him, and by 8 o'clock the last loaded wagon
left the place, and the place that had been the
depository Of United States mails centering
here was deserted forever. At 10 minutes Of
8 o'clock the building first caught, and by
halfpast o'clock the building was mass Of
flames.
The wind by eight clock had almost died
away, which assisted our fire department
greatly in becoming masters of the situation
and at the corner where the POst-Office was
Mt the corner Of Wabash Avenue |
and Harrison street, the very point where
our previous great fire was stopped |
Our tiremen seemed to be inspired with |
superhuman efforts to prevent its spreading
into the rebuilt district; and here it was that
all their energies were 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 incoming
sheets of fames the prospects Of holding
venting the progress of the fire through to
Michigan Avenue, was quite promising at
half-past 8 o'clock, whereas the northeast cor
ner of these streets. occupied by Our post
office. was then Il mass of flames.
However, as very high and heavy brick
building adjoined the post-otfice on the north,
here is no doubt that the spread of the fire
north Wabash of Avenue from this point has
been checked.
Among the buildings destroyed on the east
side of Wabash Avenue was the church build
ng formerly occupied by the congregation OF
Robert Laird Collyer.
1t seems somewhat singular that this con-
iaglation should be checked at the same
place where our previous big fire was checked,
md the very building spared by the previous
ire should now be one of the last to succumb
his time. The mails were all removed to the
on the corner OF West Washington
al. a. H. L.