The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-07-15

Inc excitement l8 intense.
The Destruction OF tho Post Omoo-The
First Baptist Church IN Ashes-super-
human Efforts OF tho Firemen-The
Saving OF Goods and Chattels.
CHICAGO, July 14-10 P. M.
AS expected in q previous despatch, 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 elegant and costly church
edifces of our city is now but shoulder
ing heap of ruins.
DESTRUCTION OF THE POST OFFICE.
AS it was very evident, from the course Of
the fire and strength of the wind about half
past six P. NJ. that our Post Office building
was in all probability doomed, General Near
thur. our Postmaster, made arrangement at
once to remove the mails to q place
Of safety, and all the needed teams
were at once pressed into the service
by him. and by eight o'clock the last loaded
wagon left the building, and the place that
had been the depository of the United States
mails centring here was destroyed forever, for
caught fire and by half-past eight it was
mass of flames.
CALAMITY OF THE FTREMEN.
The wind by eight O clock had almost died
away, which assisted our Fire Department
greatly in becoming masters of the situation.
At tho corner where the Post Office was stu
ated, at Wabash avenue and Harrison street,
the very point where our previous great fire was
stopped, our fremen seemed to be inspired
with superhuman efforts to prevent the fire
spreading into the rebuilt district and here it
was that all their energies were concentrated
to bar it's further progress The building on
the southeast corner was o large brick dwell
ing house, and by making bulwark of this
against the
EVER oN-CoM1Na SHEETS OF FLAMES
the prospect of saving it, and thereby pre-
venting the progress of the fire through
to Michigan avenue, was quite promising
at half-past eight o'clock; whereas the
the northeast corner of these streets, occupied
by the Post Office, was then mass of flames
AS very heavy and high brick building adj
joined the Post Office on the north there is no
doubt that the spread of the fire north of
Wabash avenue from this point has been
checked. Among
THE BUILDINGS DESTROYED
On the east side of Wabash avenue was tho
church formerly occupied by the congrega-
ton of Robert Laird Collyer 1t seems some
what singular that the confagration should
be checked and the very building spared by
the previous fire should be one of the last to
succumb this time.
THE MAILS WERE ALL REMOVED
to the sub-station on the corner of West
Washington and Halstead streets. Between
Eldridge court and Harrison street, on the
east side of Wabash avenue, some dozen hand
some buildings were destroyed. The whole
of the west side of the avenue between these
limits-every building-was levelled with the
ground, and looking west the same dead level
of ruins is presented as was so wildly en-
eraved on the memories of our inhabitants in
1871.
THE LOSSES ENTAIIED
by this fire in the destruction and removal of
goods and furniture is, in all probability, as
stroyed up to half-past eight P. NJ, for it
takes but moderate sized fire to induce
Chicago people to clear out their goods and
chattels The owners of nearly every store
along Wabash avenue and State street
as far north as Monroe street were moving
their goods, or the most valuable part thereof,
to places of safety and jewellers in houses in
this apparent line OF the fire were not slow in
following the same instinct of self-preserva-
ton by the removal of everything portable
from cellar to garrett The destruction en-
tailed by this
SPEEDY AND HURRIED EXODUS
will never figure among the losses
sustained by the insurance companies. 1t is
very probable, should the fire be stayed where
it now is, and considering the area burned
over, the losses to insurance companies will
be very light, although hundreds and
hundreds of families have lost their all and