, 1875-07-11
PROGRESS.
The Destruction Wrought by
the July Fire.
What has Been Done Toward Re-
building the Burnt District,
Erection Of Structures Costing Over
a Million and a Quarter. .
Increasing Activity Among
the Architects.
Lists Of the Principal Buildings Under
Contract Here and Elsewhere.
An Extensive Sale Of South Park Bou-
levard Property--The Biggest
Thing of the Year.
Lists Of the Principal Buildings Under
Contract Here and Elsewhere,
THE JULY FIRE.


YEAR AGO NEXT WEDNESDAY
Chicago was visited by q very disastrous con-
fagratiou. It broke out in the afternoon OF
July Il in the house Of a Polo living On Fourth
avenue, NOT far from Twelfth street, and Wae
supposed to have been the work Of an incen-
diary, though the arrest Immediately afterwards
of several suspected fparties and searching ill.,
yestiga1ion failed to establish this. The at
mospheric conditions we're favorable to large
fire. The air was hot and dry, no rain had fallen
for number Of days. and d strong gale prevail
cd from the fateful southwest. Add to those
the fact Of acros Of ground On every side OF the
place where the fire originated covered witt.
material as inaammable as tinder, and the fact
OF an insufficient water supply, and it must be
eeen thst tho fire started under tho most favor:
able ausplces. 4 cloud Of dense, black smoke.
arising from the burning oil in IN oil factory
with which the flames soon communicated, told
that the fire was one Of no ordinary magnitude.
The full strength of the department Was
called out before 1t had been long IN
progress but so violent Vas the wind that, with
the narrow streets, and above all short supply
o1 water, it impossible to check its progress
aud succesaigely Third avenue, State street, Va
bash avenue. and Michigan wero reached and
devastated to q large extent before 1t was at
r.ak corjuuered. Az night set in. and the hight
Of the flanes illumiped tn" Whole city
:: ;: TIE SCENES or OCTOBER
Q and 10, 1871, we're to n'great extent repeated
People left their homes by thonsanas, ano re-
pared to the scenes Of the conaasraton and
tho cousternation and confusion Of the other
thousands retreating from their burning homes
could be understood BY noue but bu1nt~ons
Chicagciau. AZ the flames swept out OF and
hevond the interior, buildings which they had
mt thn .6NHT6H
night began to attack the edge OF the rebattt
business district, there we're not few who ba-
Eeved that the new Chicago vas to follow the
fate OF the old. But the solid character OF tue
new buildings in tie confines OF tue rebuilt terri
tory. and several vacant spaces which
in:errened, assisted to- stay the fio>
and it was finally checked near the
corner Of Michigan avenue and Jackson street,
after having devastated territory thfee-quar-
te,s OF milo in leng1h aud fully half mile II
width, aud entaied d loes Of about 81 ,599.ooo:
The details Of lhe events are eos1y recalled and
it 1s not the purpose to 20 into them here.
insignificant as this fire WAS when compared
With tie destructive and unprecedented con
1agration Of October, 1871, it produced
DEEPER FEELING or INSECURITY
agairst fro, and urough: moro important and val
uable reforms. The great fire was looked upon ae
purelv of an exceptional character No one was
wild enough to believe that .Chlcaso could again
bo similarly visited. The fact thas it had once
been destroyed WIS advanced rs an argument IN
favor OF it's future immunity ftom contagrations.
on the same logical grounds On which people
maintain that lightning never strikes twice 10
the same place. The lessons Of the great fire
we're therefore dsroRardcd, and it induced the
adoption Of no special safegnAsds. Tue July ilie
{royed that great fires Ect exceptional sothl"
caco, 1t deluonstratedthe truth that the causes
which produced the fire of l571- wore Still IN
Active force, and that tha same conditions were
ready at any time to produce similar de. asta-
ton. It aroused people to sense OF this
danger, and it WAS not lo1E before
VALUABLE PRECAUTIONS
against fire had been taken. The Common
Council made the fire limits coe1teosive with
those Of tho city. Larger wa:er malus wore
placed in the streeta whlca had proved to be Grim
inally deficient. An attempt. but PARTIALLY snc-
cessful, however, WAS made to raorgauize tho Fire
Department. Reforms in insurance matters
were effected, and people urged by underwriters
to exercise mora individual precauticn. Hence
Chicago in general has benefited largely BY tts
last ti1e and is considerably better prepared
against fiery visitations than ever before.
THE REBUILDING
of the territory burned over has protected lts
splendid business quarter With durable de-
fense ct brick and stone, aod has largely in,-
proved chat territory itself.
vrovemens o. oEt tbaa anysh'ng % elso lac that hat this
article has bean written. An accurate
idea Of the extent and quality OF the rebuilding
cau be gained by the Information produced be-
low. As the anniversary Of tho Are is near at
hand, it will be interesting to note the changes
winch Tho year has wrought. They hare been
many ani valuable, 4 large extent OF territory
has been redeemed from most wretched de-
scriprion Of buildings whose presence continu-
ally Threatened the safety Of the inside architec
turA fplondor. and has rebuilt much Of
it with commodious,, substantial. and
often elegant structures. While tue Ne
cesaity for IN unusual ACTIVITY was not
80 groat, the same energy and enterprise seen
after the great fre have been ahown. The work
has gone on With marvellous celebrity, aud the
buildings have sprung up with rapidity little
short Of magical.
Each street in the burnt district has been
canrassed, and every building, it's character,
cost, and every vacant lot are mentioned below: