The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-07-01
LETTER FROM CHICAGO.
WONDERFUL GGsOWrH-ITs
WATERWORKs, SPLENDID BUILD-
INGs AND EN NrERPHIsE.
The Palmer HOuse-A Comparison Of
American with European Hotels
Fine Lumber Mill.

fssSbsthh WIN european HOttkS-
Fine Lumber MIL.
| Especial Correspondence OF the Democrat
CHICAGO, June 27, 1877.
This city Chicago situated In latitude
| 40 deg. 80 min. N, and longitude 10 deg. aJ
min W. from Washington. When tho geo.
graphies are revised for the school cbildrenof
the future the figures expressive OF the longf-
tude will be reduced to zero, since oil merf-
dians will of course be reckoned from the
METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD
| The population Of Chicago for 1877 IL estf-
mated ut 536,673 1t increases steadily at the
rate OF 10 per cent per annum; SO hundredths
OF per cent per month; 10 hundredths Of per
cent per week, and 27f ten thousandths of
per cent per day. 1t s not necessary to give
the rate OF increase per hour and per minute.
In five years 1t will contain $4,000 inhabf-
tants; in ten years 1,3s7,00o in fifteen years
2,232,O00 In twenty years s,soo,Ooo. or about,
the present population of London; In forty
| years
TWENTY MIIIfoNs.
and at next Centennial probably everybody
In the United States will be embraced in the.
population of this city. Chicago lies on threo
sides Of the Chicago river and one side of
Lake Michigan. Its principal suburbs are
Hyde Park, Calumet, Waukegan and st. Louis,
Mo- It's chief products are railroads. water
works, sub-fluvian tunnels and Boss Hesing.
1t Is noted for newspapers, enterprise, rapid
growth, and the Palmer House. It does n
large buiness In grain, lumber, provisions and
fires. Up to 1888 the cite Of Chicago was
AN UNRECLAIMED MARSH
with pestilential little bayou running
through It, 1t was the headquarters of the
North American Fur Company and of 81
United States military post, and the resort OF
wolves, Indians, and q few half-breeds. AS
late as 1910 it's population was only 4479. In
1850 it had increased to 29,963, and in 1860
to 109,2O6 Fifteen years ago the houses stood
at the level of the lake, and drainage was,
consequently difficult, If not impossible.
Since then the whole city has been raised
fourteen feet, an effort Of energy and skill.
which has never been surpassed. This ig only
one Of the many peculiarities of Chicag0
Another is the remarkable
SYSTEM OF wArERwoRKs
Lake Michigan contains as delightfully."-
pure fresh water as can be found on the globe.
but, ON the surface, and near the Shore 1T was
apt to become polluted by the neighborhood
OF great city. To avoid this difficulty a.
tunnel two miles long was constructed under
the bottom of the lake. At the lake end the
tunnel connects with a shaft sunk In the lake.
bed by means of coffer-dam above which is
a building popularity known as 'Thc Crib
Into this dam, and thence into the tunnel, the
flow Of water from the depths of the lake lis
regulated as necessity requires. From such
q reservoir the supply is of course, constant
and inexhaustibe.
THROUGH THE TUNNEL
the water is conducted to an immense we'll
beneath the great waterworks building ON
shore and thence 1t is raised by steam ma
cnlnery TO height from which 1t distributes
itself, by It's own weight, to all parts of the
city. 1t is proper to say that, In order to
meet the demands ofa rapidly growing popu-
lation, q second tunnel has Just been con-
structed, SO that the water supply now
amounts to
15O,000,000 GALLONS A DAY
| The cost OF this work was $4,000, 900. am
told by people here that times are very hard
in Chicago; that business is dull. real estate
down and affairs generally In bad way. I'm
fact, hear the same complaints that have
been rife in every great city of the civilized
world since the disastrous crash In 1878.
When you speak TO q Chicago man of the
nagnificence Of the city, of it's marvellous
growth, it's energy and its enterprise, he
smiles smile OF depreciation, and remarks
| that
BUT FOR THE FIRE
and the commercial crisis, Chicago would be
u good deal nearer finished than it now is.
But, in truth, the fire gave an opportunity
for such display Of energy and perseyer-
ance as, presume, has never elsewhere been
seen. | have looked upon many monuments
OF human enterprise-the underground rail-
ways Of London, the Thames Embankment,
the Mont Cents Tunnel-butI have never seen
anything to compare with the rebuilding of
Chicago after the destruction wrought by the
fire OF 1871. Not quite six years have passed,
and, save by here and there a. vacant lot, no
| trace OF the great confiagration remains The
city has
SPRUNG INTO RENEWED LIFE,
more vigorous and more beautiful than be-
fore.
The corporate limits Of Chicago embrace
about forty square miles AS at present built
it extends along the lake about five miles,
north and south, and about two miles west
ward, say an area Of ten square miles The
fashionable quarters are at either extremity.
The people Of the south side, believe, claim
the wealth and fashion, and the people Of the
north side the aristocracy. To Judge by ap-
pearances these qualities are about equally
divided, though the finest streets. at present.
both commercially and otherwise, are on the
south side. l know OF no commercial quar-
ters Of any city in the world that surpasses
the
sPLENDoR AND MAGNIFICENCE
OF the business part of Chicago, and the
splendor and magnificence are not confined
to one or two streets, but pervade dozen or
more wide and commodious thoroughfares,
such as State street, Clark street, Dearborn
street, Fifth Avenue, Wabash Avenue, Jam
dolph street, Washington street. Madison
street, Monroe street, etc. ALI of these inter-
sect one another at right angles-in fact, the
h<t1 nsA, Ii sir n