, 1879-01-05
HONORE.
The Block that Bore
His Name Gone
Up.
The Splendid Building Gut
ted by the Flames.
Our Post-0ftice Compelled
to Make Its Third
Move.
And Takes Up Temporary
Quarters in the Singer
Building.
Stirring Scenes at the Burn
ing Building --- Hair
breadth Escapes.
Loss on Building and Con-
tents About $780,
900.
Gen. Sheridan Compelled to Beat
a Retreat Before the
Flames.
all The Stuff Removed from the Post |
0tdee.-E1it Of the Alton |
Folks.
The Fire Started in the Car
penter-Shop and
Ran Up.
Experiences OF the Eieyator-Boy
and His Machine.
A Survey Of the Bti1ding---Scenes
:. by Night.
at Other Poinh in the
Country.
The Fire Started in the Car
penter-Shop and
Ran Up.
Experiences Of the Eievator-Bo,
and His Machine.
A Survey Of the Bli1ding---Scene.
:: by Night.
Conaagrations at Other Point1 in the
Country.

THE FIRST FIRE OF 1879.
It is little over year, since the citizens
of Chicago have been interested or terrified,
as the case may be, by the sight Of la=ge
and disastrous confagration. It.was in the
latter part Of 1877 that the grand Singer
Building, on the corner Of State and Wash
ington streets, went up in smoke and down
in ashes, and since then there has been moth
ing deserving the name Of conaaeration,
nothing which could fill the streets in the
business centre Of the city with an eager and
excited crowd Of spectators, until the blaze
of yesterday, which destroyed one of the
most beautiful buildings of Chica-
60. one Of those which rose from
the ashes Of a predecessor soon after the
fire of 1S7l,-the Honore Block. :: 1t seems
rs if institutions, as well as men, had their
fates. This is emphatical1y true of the
Chicago Post Office, which yesterday made
its third move since 1871, and this move,
too, not, rs it was hoped, to the Government
Building, but over to the Singer Building,
which was just constructed in time to &C.
comraodate it, as the Honore Block opened
its Aospitable doors in July, 1874, 10
receive the City PostO flee, then
evicted from its headquarters on Wabash
avenue. It is fortunate that this last move
was executed with much less loss tLan any
of its predecessors. There was more time
than in 1871, it is true, and there Was also,
perhaps, more system, and the destruction
OF the letters and other public property CAL
not be compared with that which occurred
in that memorable confagration. It was in
1871 that the Post Office moved first. Then
it established itself in the old Methodist
Church, on the corner of Harrison street
and Wabash avenue, WAS driven out Of there
by the fire of 1874, and is now once more
to move Oh extraordinarily short
notice.
A little after 3 o'clock yesterday after |
noon, an alarm Of fire Was given from Box
No. ~, at the corner Of Monroe and LaSaue |
streets. A very few minutes afterwards a
alarm Was turned in from the |
same box, and the engires for radius of |
niles around we're hurrying to the spot and |
in brief time, had made their
connections with the hose and were /
It work upon. the flames, which had, /
owing to neglect, the
peculiar construction Of the building, and !
is inflammable character, gained such head
way that it was impossible to stop them;
md, though the fremen worked with the
zeal, knowledge, and determination charac-
e1istic Of Benners boys, it YRS impossible
or them to do more than to save the sur
ounding buildings. The grand structure
n which their attention was chiefly concen-
rated was practically ruined, involving
eavy loss not only upon the Connecticut
Iutual Life-Insurance' Company, into
7hose hands it fell by the foreclosure Of
. heavy mortgage, and which had also
xpended. during the spring and summer Of
ast year, $50, 900 in renovating the struct-
re, but also upon the hapless law firms
5hose costly libraries were in great part con-
umod, upon the Chicago j. Alton Railroad,
'hich had its headquarters there, and also
pom the Military Department Of the Mis-
ouri, whose records, though probably saved
! great part, were still somewhat damaged.
The destruction is the more to be regret
ID, and is the more surprising, since the
uilding was fitted up with al1 the appara-
1ses for giving early notice Of fire, and
so for extinguishing it. It was provided
throughout with the mercurial fire-alarm,
nd also had aprivate q pump Of it's own, of
Eeat capacity, and was furnished with stand
ipes which, it was expected, would supply
the water that was needed. Part of
1ese advantages were neutralized by the