, 1874-07-15
hcnsivo tile part north Of tho fro aooncd doomed
to Immediate destruction.

| to Immediate destruction.
| TO THE RouTn.
Tho flames At o'clock lad nwopt north Of
Harmon court aud tho danger soelnod over to
tho south Of tliiH point. No valuable buildings
Ind yot boon burned, and great hopen woro c1l-
tortained that nov tho min portion Of tho low
frameH in this locality lad gouo, tho fire could
! bo stnyod.
This lopo wab doomed to disappointment, for
minute later tho fro broho through WabaHh
avenue at No. 515 just below Eltlridge Court,
and very soon both alos OF tho stroot woro liter
ally aea OF i1amo.
Tho draco Mothodist Church and tho Jewinh
Synagogue, tho Commercial Hotel OF State
etrcet, md Robert Laird Oolllor's old church,
soo,ned to take fire at about tho Same moment
Very shortly nftor tho root Of tue First Baptist
Church. caught and rms aoon consumed.
| THE WIND.
Tho wind came swooping down toward tho cir
clio Of aamos In auch power AZ to almost carry
| pooplo oil tholr fcet. A blaoknoss gathered
| oyor tho lake, and tho lurid torrents of fro
streamod upward from tho burning buildings in
| a maunor both Mn oatio and terrifying. Every
ono aeemod to gire up hopo. aud conceded that,
| with such volume Of air bac1t OF 1t, tho Aamoa
! must be driven into tho llonrt OF the city, aud
| that tho scono OF gouoral obstruction would bo
repeated.
THE BATTLE or THE ELEMENTS.
! Whom tho fire had roachod tic corner Of Wabnsh
avonue aud Van Buren, stroot, 1t seomod to bo
under control to tho weBtward, and censorod all
Its forco upon this ono point Two engines had
located here, and, facing tho oncomiug 1a,neB.
mado heroulean effort to stop 1t. Tho store
on fire wau TINT occupied by Gilbert Il Sampson
as furniture establishment, and 1t burned With
terrible lerconoss. Engines Nos, II aud u
alone faced It. To tho eaHt and hero tho da1-
ger lay. II tha fro crossed the streot there
seemed no chance Of saving the city, tor should
tlis occur It would DO impossible to stand tho
heat, and the storos adjoining the fro would
surely 60. With these great blocks in flames.
who could tell wloro it would end Tho fro
men recognized
TuiB TERRIBLE EMERGENCY,
md stood to tlIor work untlinchlng1y. Tho two
pipoa from II aud IL wero "samosod," or put
into ono and D heavy strostn Of water roao to
the top Of tho ayo.atory building. Again and
again tho flames burst forth iu torrents, aud
threatened tho opposite buildings. Twice thoy
wero on fire, but the stream was turned upon
thom for momont, aud tho course Of tho fro
was stopped, and the ongiues again returned to
tho task Of staying tlo flames. Tue wind would
of1AJ uoh hHu tubA III bEent KuEk
blow tho water aside. but IN mo-
ment tho stream would ouco moro be
seen amid the smoke pouring its steady torrent
of water into tho fory furnace before It. It
seemed email aud pitiful to fight such battle,
but here, If ever, 1t must conquer. The crowds
In the streets
WATCHED THIS coErEsr
with batod breath, and. MS tho Eames or water
tn entr' f1,nr VII.
or cheofs Of sympathy.
was indeed desperate one. At one timo tia
farnoa would shoot up high above tho surround
Ing buildings as it aefiantly, mud thon again, as
tho steady stream continued to pour in its
volumes, 1t would sink to q rod glare, and writho
and toss as though In agony. For full lnlf
hour tho battle continued, and norer once in
that time did the heavy stroam ccuso to pour in
to the burning warehouse.
Tho tremen wors buttresaed behind heavy
barricadcs to keep them from boiug acofcl,el
or burned alive, and they
STOOD TO THEIR POSTS
in the milst Of danger fow would face, aud tho
huge enginen just in their rear, almost ready to
burst with the force they wore Using, kopt urg-
ing on tho only power that could successfully
combat tho 1Rmos. At Just tho fiery strca,ners
paled and sunk. Again they started up 1tfully,
but Il was plain that thoir power waB gone,
and they again sunk darker and darhor.
The smoke rolled forth In grcat volumes.
hopotu1 sign, and then tho flames dnall5 died
away. With q great Sigh Of roliof the people In
tho streets turned their stops Aomoward, thank
ing God thnt the city was saved. In all the mig
takoa and inaf1cioncy Of the Firo Department.
this honor must ba accorded to them, tlat here
they made noble fight, aud earned great VIC
tory.
Tho elimination and end Of the fire was
in tho middlo Of the aolld brick block On tho
west side OF Wabash avenue, between Tan D1ron
and Adams streets. Hero, on each side of the
broad avenue was solid briok-front five
stories in height. II the fire should cross Wa.
bash ayonue it would inevitably destroy at loast
n million dollars worth Of property, including
tho Gardner House. tho Matteson Hoto], the Ex-
position building, and massive row OF business
fronts. The Fire Department evidoutly saw tint
this YaB
VITAL POINT,
and tho crisis OF the catastrophe and 1t was
nothing else than grand to 500 the concentrated
power Of forty engines brought to boar upon
thia email space. The flames would ever aud
anon leap up and apan the streot |
40 - ADLc4lAAllpA u AttoAk LILO HtIuCEuTp4 IN |
tLcir front. Tho next instant they would aink
in mass Of steam aud smoke, to burst out |
again after d moments repression, With fully
renewed Vigor. Tho broad avenue was packed |
solid with people, oil Of whom fully grasped tho
importance Of the crisis. Probably 100000 |
people witnessed tho grand elimination aud |
close Of tlis battle botwoen fire and water.
TIE NORTHERN Limits
Of the fire aro Us follows: From 400 South Clark
street in noItheasterly direction to
No. 1s2 Fourth ayonuo, few houses
south Of Polk street; thence aloug
Fourth avenue to Harrison street, burning
everything on the cast sille Of tue street. Weat
On Harrison to third avenue, and mp on tho cast
eide Of this street to No. 65, about half way be-
tween jackson and Harrison streets, tleuoa
oast to No. 3t0 State street, at the hoad of
Congress- street; along tho cast sido Of State
street to No. 271, two houses north OF Van p,,-
ron thence In southoastorly direction to Mich
[gan ayenuo.
BUSINESS HO1THES nEgTRDYNn