The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-07-17
Cruelty Cren,atees Chicago.
AcJOTHER TERRIBLE CONTAMINATION
TIRE BLOCKS REDUCED TO ASHES
GREAT. loss OF PROPERTY.

GREAT loss oF.PRoPEETY.
CHICAGO, July IA fire started about
80 r. NJ. in n small frame house near
Fourth avenue and Polk street. 1t was at
first blown southwark by a stiff breeze, but
the wind soon shifted, and by sunset the
breeze blew a gale from the south, sending
the fire to the central part of the city.
At half past SIX O'Clock the fire had made
almost clean sweep up to the corner of
Third avenue and Polk street,
BURNING UP THE HOMES OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE.
At the above corner the fire department
commenced the process of blowing up
buildings with gunpowder, but the. .bHild-
ings experimental with were small wooden
a.tYairs, and would only have the effect of
making quicker blaze OF them, the wind
blowing as it does very fresh from about
verge of the fire line of our big fire at Har-
lison street. The west side Of Wabash av-
enue. is now III ar-full blaze, which takes
many stately building in its course which
offered Il haven of refuge in the winter of
1871. The fire is just in the rear of the
First Baptist church, and should that go
down, the fire will have 4 -...
.... -. "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 i'm
mediately 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. .......r
A DENSE, BLACK PAIL OF. SMOKE
is hanging over the expected course of the
fire, dropping its advance messengers Of
cinders on the roofs of buildings, although
10,
do all that is in their power trying to pre-
vent the fire getting hold upon their
homes. Yet the Afort Is as futile as Tor
cnIld TO make the attempt. The
ROAR OF THE ADvANCING FURNACE
has the sound of our old calamity. Moth
ing short of its final plunge into Lake Mich
igan will quench it. Oar streets within a
mile of the conflagration are crowded with
teams of every description, loaded to their
utmost capacity with household goods, al
though store keepers who are SO fortunate
as to secure a team are endeayOring to save
their most valuable stock. Whenever a
vacant space north of the fire can be found
it is at once filled with goods OF all descrip-
tions and variety. Men, women and chill
dren are doing their utmost to save their
''little all, ," and bringing it to some place
of safety. a- ..C .r.-@
THE WORK OF THE FIRE ....r
minutes as it has previously in fifteen, con-
sidcring the value in dollars and cents.
The heat is very great, and no doubt that
III addition to the pecuniary losses we will
have to mourn the -....s.... ..-
LOSS OF LIVES,
as it is next to impossible for fire of this
magnitude and fury, and burning through
as closely 4 settled district as this has, with
out calling for many human sacrifice. As
! & Z
conttagration, its employees will have all
they can do to save the mail matter in the
building, and consequently there viii be no
mails leave the city this evening, and there
can by no possibility be one sent before to-
morrow evening should the Department be
successful in saving their valuableS. Tho
principal lines ofthe Western Union Tele-
graph Company running east running
through State street, have all been burnt,
some forty wires, but as the lines on Canal
street are out Of all possible danger there
viii be no interruption Of telcgraphic COM
munication.
The fire has burnt over so far about half
Il mile i'll length and some four blocks in
width, and although the explosion of gun
powder still is heard every little while,
there IS still little hope of staying the fire
short Of the limits given above.
STILL LATER.
On Wednesday afternoon another fire
broke out in Chicago, separate and distinct
from the. conhagration of the night pre-
vious, and destroyed eighteeu;houses, prin-
c1raliy wooden structures. The first fire
that of Tuesday night-was reported under
control when the second fire occurred. The
entire loss is computed at nearly $1,000, GCO.
three hundred and forty four houses hav-
ing been destroyed and fully fifteen squares
burned over. Five or six lives are reported
lost.