The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-03-31
A WONDERFUL CITY.
An English JournaIist Expresses His
Astonishnent at ChfcaKo's Growth
and Energy.


George Augustus Sala, the eminent
English journalist, writes from Chicago,
giving an interesting account Of that
city, as follows Just ponder little.
Forty years ago this city, which now
contains 100000 inhabitants, and in
another fifteen will probably contain
100000, was a petty Indian trading
post. The business portion of the city
is now fourteen feet above the level of
Lake Michigan. 1t was formerly much
lower, but in 1856 the entire district
was raised bodily to height of nine
feet by means of jack-screws inserted
beneath tho houses and worked night
and day by half-turns and with an i'm
perceptible motion. The city stands on
the ridge dividing the basin Of the Miss
issippi from that OF the St. Lawrence,
and is surrounded by prairie extend i.
ing several hundreds of miles south and
west. In 1870 the population was about
100000. Now ponder yet again. In
October, 1871, Chicago was " burnt up" ."
The fire originated on Sunday evening
in small barn in De Koven street, in
the south part of the western division
of the city-the proximate cause of the
conhagration being the upsetting of q
kerosene lamp, by the light Of which a
cow WAS being -milked. The kerosene
was Mantua and the COW CremoDe. The
houses in the west division wera mostly
Of wood, and there were several. large
timber yards along the bank of the ad-
iacent Chicago river. Through these
the flames swept with irresistible fury,
and were carried by strong westerly
wind into the south division, a district
thickly covered with stores, warehouses
and public buildings of stone or brick,
many of which were roneously sup
posed to be freproof. The fire ragged
during the whole Of Monday, crossing
the main channel Of, the Chicago river
and carrying all beforeit it in the northern
district, which was chiefly occupied by
dwelling houses. The Last house which
caught fire was reached on Monday
morning, but the ruins continued to
smolder for months :afterward. The
total area 6. burnt up }. was nearly three
and half square miles. " Nearly $4,000
houses were destroyed; 200 persons
lost their lives and 200, 900 more were
rendered destitute. Not including de-;
probation of real estate and loss Of
business, the total loss occasioned by the
fire was set down at $l90, 900, 900, out Of
which aggregate some $50, COO, 900 were
recovered by Insurance, although one of
the first results of the fire was To bank
rupt the tire-offices throughout the
Union. Policies to heavy amounts were,
however, held in English offices, which
paid promptly. The Liverpool and
London and Globe, for example, is said
to have disbursed many millions of dol
Iars and the consequence is that English
fire insurance companies have been
doing an immense business ia Chicago
ever since; the Western business men
having shown steps OF pardona5le
oartiality to insure their property in
offices which do not bust when fire.
risks fall in. But the prairie city saw
not the end of her miseries in the giant
olaze of 1871. In July, 1874. another
great fire swept over Chicago, destroy
ng eighteen blocks or sixty acres of
buildings in the heart of the city, and
over S4,OOO,000 worth Of
On the Saturday night pre-
,cding my arrival here vast range Of
bonded warehouses went up, and one of
The headings of the graphic account of
;he disaster in the Chicago press ran
;hus: 1.-The insurance money not begin
lins to cover the losses" A. cheerful
orognostication! But Chicago has al
ways proved herself equal to the occa-
zion. Whether the city was to be
screwed up or burned up she has pre-
served her high spirits and her untiring
enterprise and go-aheadedness. On the
lay after the first fire there appeared in
;he midst of a mass of smoldering ruins
/ pole surmounted by q board on Which
;hese words were writ large: "All lost
out wife, children and energy. Real
estate agency carried on as usual in the
next shanty." And the undismayed
zeal estate agent is alive to tell the tale
"a prosperous gentleman who proudly
exhibits the "wife. children and energy"
,Iacard in his handsome Office. He has
'eason to be proud. The wonderful
prairie city now ranks next in CONNER
,ial Importance to New York. Chicago
8 the largest grain market and empor-
um in the world. The pulse Of Chica-
yo's board of trade must be felt before
Mark Lane and the Halle aux Bles can
operate. Her lumber trade is trenen-
lous. She employs 70, 900 pairs of hands
n her iron and steel works, her -four
mills, her cotton factories, her boot and
shoe manufactures and her tanne-ies,
md in the year ending March l, 1879,
,he slaughtered and packed 100000
hogs and IS, 900 head of cattle, in addi-
ion to curing innumerable hams.