The Portland daily press., 1874-07-16
THE GREAT FIRE.
Loss About $4,22j,.
600
SEVEN PERSONS KILLED.
Fifty-Seven Acres Burned Over
100 Buildings Burned.
Etc. Etc.

CHICAGO, July 15.-The limits of the fire are
as follows: On Clark street at No. $50, which
is above 18th street on the south and on the
north side about Polk street. On Dearborn
street, the southern limit is near 18th street and
the northern limit Polk street. On Wabash
avenue, Harmon court forms the southern
boundary, the northern limit being between
jackson and Van Buren streets. On State
street, the southern limit is Harrison court, the
line extending on the north nearly to jackson
street. Third and Fourth avenues are burned
the whole leugth. A number OF houses were
burned on Michigan avenue, but the street Is
not damaged to any great extent.
The l)ss is variOusly estimated, but cannot be
given with accuracy. 1t will not be less than
$4,000 600 and probably not over $6,0OO,0O0.
About two-fifths of this is covered by iusur
ance, divided among numerous companies.
Since the great fire, companies have been care
ful not to take large risks in one locality
Among the largest losses are the Jewish syna-
gogue, $50, 600; AdeIphi theatre, $4,000; st.
James hotel and furniture, $3.50, 600; postoffice,
$4,000; 1st Baptist church, 100000; Church
of the Messiah, $25, 600; Oliver Baptist church,
colored, $4,000.
The centre of the negro population of Chicago
has been swept out of existence.
The streets in the new burnt district were
very narrow, closely built and thickly settled
he number of unhoused is much less however
than IN the previous fire. The lake front park
between 18th street and the Exposition build
ing again presents the pitful spectacle seen in
October, 1871, of families with what furniture
they could save. There are some sad cases
seen, such as mother mourning the loss of chill
dren whom she could not rescue.
The fire touched Michigan avenue, OF
the fashionable residence Streets only at
point between Congress and Harrison streets.
1t destroyed, among others, the fine residences
of Thomas Hayne and George A. Walker.
Our citizens are reviewing tho situation this
morning. They congratulate themselves that
they have escaped the destruction of the most
important business portion. which was i'm
mlnent at one time.
The fire originated in a low frame building
used for storing rags, and adjoining an oil fac
tory that stood between 4th avenue and Clark
street, on Taylor street. There was q still sea
breeze blowing, so that by the time the flames
had consumed small dwellings, stables, etc.,
and reached State street where there were sub
stantIal business house, they were like the
heat of furnace and all consuming, in power.
Fortunately, after burning up nearly twenty
blocks and destroying the FIRST Baptist church
and two other churches, the post Office on Mich
fgan avenue and st. James Hotel several ele-
giant blocks erected after the fire of 1871, and a
number of fine residences, the flames were
stayed right at the very doors of the heaviest
business blocks and three or four of the best
hotels.
The space burned over is fifty-seven acres
and the number of buildings about 1900. The
loss of life is three chdfen, one woman and
three tremen. The loss of property about four
and half millions.
Ine IrlDune says eultOflally:
Every coolheaded observer of the fire must
have felt that we have paid a light penalty after
allowing our magnificent business centre to be
surrounded with wooden rookeres. We have
come off cheap. A great eilded martyr around
which faggots have been so profusely piled, has
not yet been burned to death. Perhaps this
small calamity will show us how to save it,
perhaps not. There are now some sixty acres
of burned territory between the fagots and the
victim This gap may be the means of saving
what is left Ii sO let us thank God. The
predestined fate of every wooden building in
large city is, to be burned sometime. We have
DOW offered up sixty acres of our combustibles
as a sacrifice to the genius of free Institutions
meaning thereby the freedom of every man to
keep tinder box and an oil factory where it
suits him best. Would that we could say that
this is the last of such mad folly, if not Chica-
go still has thousands upon thousands of wood
en- shanties to feed future Tires and go down.
The Times and Inter-Ocean both speak in
strong terms of the folly of allowing wooden
buildings within the city limits.
The most prominent among the business
losers are the following: st. James Hotel;
William Baee eeman, druggist; Remington EN-
pre Sewing Machine Company, E. Remington
u Sons. gun and pistol makers; p Smith &
Co., carriages; Rupsmessen Bros, boots and
shoes; q. G. Charles, lamps and refectors II
s. Lodo, carriages; A. Wheeler, hardware: G.
W. Cheney, sale stables; the Prussing Vinegar
Works; Schwarer & Huber, stoves; Givandan
& Tusted, rings, ETC.. p NJ Platt. clothing;
Chase & Co., saddlers and harness; Schrefcr-
stein & Bro, furniture; NJ. w. & f. Tester,
furnaces; Frost 81 Co., liquors; John d. Nc
Lean & Co., stoves; H. & NJ. Newberger furni-
ture. Van Bramer & Flood, hardware; Long &
Beck, billiards; Peters, Munich & Co., black
smiths; Mandel Bros, dry goods; the Berg
House; Horace Buck kminster's restaurant; p
M. Almina, artists materials; b A Murphy,
cigars, etc. Freeman & Strickland, pou. u.try and
game; Lowry & Co.. meal Joel Bigelow, 2eki1
Tea Company; w. L. Cole, blacksmith; Henry
Delhi, boots and shoes; E. ID Mosely, groceries;
Sinclair Bros, hardware; Mrs. E. Berg, mil-
ner; r. + Malcolm & Co., stoves and tinware;
Webber q Leckhardt, druggists; Salter 81 Co..
grocers; e. A. Jaminch, tailor; G. e. Lobman,
photographer; Ii. c. Klein & Schmidt, watches;
j. Wenjrove, Jr, & Co., gas fixtures; Adelphi
Theatre; PeDnoyer, Shaw q Co., carriages;
VIM. Spencer & Co., cutlery; Cowperthwait
ers; Post Office; Carney, Haskell & Kearney,
printers; L. NJ. Tassel, photographer; Our Fire
side Friend; Northwestern Lumberman; New
Covenant; Chicago Terracotta Company; Mrs.
Slaughton, millinery; Pat O'Nei, rum; Chicago
Fine Art Institute; NJ. Root, artist; Schureman
& Hurd, Mantel Company; w. Volk, sculptor;
James Norris Arnold and Daniel Bigelow,
artists.
A. T. Brooks, Laurits Halst, Arthur Picker
ing, J. p. Robertson, Fine Arts Institute
Academy, Thomas Brown, drugs; r. G. An
thony, livery stabe A. j. Hopkins, veterinary
surgeon; Bailey & Tyrell, china and glass
ware; Boomer & jerks, furnaces; Star Galva-
nIzed Iron Cornces Companys' works; Louis
Joegar & Brother, wines and liquors; Bangs
Brothers, hardware and slaves; w. Smith &
Co., mantel and CRATES; N. p. 1glehard g. Co..
real estate; State street savings bank: III.
Brinkworth, pork packer; Stocking and Sack
Manufacturing Co; Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific freight depot; Gass & Phillips, Manu-
factory; Handnett & Carters livery stable,
Aiaway & Larsen, painters; Kent Dc Goodall,
carpenters and builders; III. Willetts, carria
geS.
Among the residences burned were those of
Haroll White, editor of the Tribune, Hon. j.
Y. Scammon, j. K Forest, city clerk, e. G.
Hall. This last was very elegantly furnished.
Mr.. White saved his library.
Insurance.
The following are some of the insurance
companies sustaining loss at the fire: Home,
$150,0000; Phoenix of Brooklyn, $4,000; Ger
man American, $25, 900 to $3.50, 900; New York
and Yonkers $4,000 to $4,000; Commerce,
$4,000; Star, $1,000 or $4,000; Firemens Fund.
$500; Adriatc, $25, 900; Lancashire of London,
$4,000; Niagara, $4,000 to $4,000; Newport Fire
of Providence, $1,000; Tradesmen, $4,000 or
$1,000; Commercial $4,000; Hamburg, Bremen,
$52, 1850; American Central of st. Louis $15,-
900; Germania. $4,000; Republic, $7OOO I'm
derwriters Agency, $57 900; Hoffman, $500;
Atlantic, $4,000; Continental, $4,000; Hanover
$4,000; Standard, $4,000; North British and
Mercantile, $40, 900; Howard, $4,000 to $685.
600; Manhattan, $500; National, $4,000;
ClJlZenS, @ZO,UUO, irving, @I0UU, WiIllamS
burg City, $4,000; Buffalo Germau, $780,
American Of Pittsburg, $4,000.
The risks of the Hartford Insurance Co.'s as
reported at the home offices to-day are $173, 200,
as follows: Etna, $4,000; Hartford, $47 900;
National, $25, 10000; Phoenix. $l7 600; Connect
cut $50O0 Orient, $2500; Atlas, $1,000
The following are only Boston offices having
agencies in Chicago that suffered by yesterdays
fire: Franklin $500, Fanueil Hall, $500;
Manufacturers, $4,000 to $780, Shoe and Leath-
er, small amount, and Prescott not over $1,000;
Neptune, $4,000 to $500; North American,
$500,
Estimate of E,Osses.
The Times makes the following estimate of
the losses which are found to lie very nearly
correct. The area burned over partially covers
fifteen squares and is about half a mile long
by quarter wide
Loss is estimated on Clark street at $4,000;
on Third street at $4,000; on Fourth avenue
SlS5,O00 State street 81 300 600; Wabash ave-
nue. $l700,000; Michigan avenue S1S0000;
Taylor street $4,000; Polk street $40,000 Har-
rison street $4,000; Congtess street $75,0U0;
Van Buren, street $50,0 900; Canal street between
Wabash avenue and State street, $150,000;
making a total of S4,025,0 900.