, 1881-10-09


ceeding the fire, embraced material from
which the following summary was then
made: Three eight-story stone-front build
ings, I seyen-story stone building, Z six-story
stone buildings, ~ five-story stone. IS four
story stone, % three-story stone, 46 6ve-story
brick, 143 four-story brick, 164 three-story
brick, s five-story iron, four-sto-y iron, and
6 tive-stofy cement. Many Of the new build
ings, such as the Bryan, Otis, and Major
Blocks, the IIonore Buildings, and the big ho-
tells, covered nearly half Il square. Making
due allowance for this difference in 'front.'
Z. age, the story Of that twelyemonth's work is
best told in the statement that the recon-
struction spread over space having 'front.'
age Of 81, ,619 feet, or nearly eight miles of
solidly
- MAGNIFICENT BUILDINGS,
representing q very closely estimated cost
of sc, 1333, 600, distributed among the three
divisions as follows: South Side, &, ,991
feet 'front.' S334 e9a 100; North Side, TOSS
feet front, S3,s4s, 500; West Side, 7,54o feet
front, ST SOC, 900. While the effect of the
flames on limestone generally was disastrous
in the = extreme, . it still continues to
be used, side by side with Ohio
and Lake Superior, sandstones, rich
and sombre for very general use. The ''brick
mania" was followed by a reaction in favor
of stone, though Of late years the reaction has
been good deal the other way, and Illinois
limestone found competitor in Buena Vista
sandstone, Kankakee stone, and the two
varieties Of sandstone already mentioned. In
addition to the massive blocksb before referred
to, the resurrected city saw reared, OF in pro-
cess Of construction, On the blackened ruins
of year previous, such ornate structures Of
the Chicago renaissance period as THE TT1B-
uSE Building, the Fidelity Savings Bank, the
Chamber of Commerce, the Grand Pacific.
the Palmer, Booksellers Row, the Kendall
Building, the Portland Block, the Sherman
House, the Superior Block, the Reaper Block,
the Union Bank Building, the new Govern
nlent Building (then III embryo, though since
completed after fashion,, the Lake Shore&
Michigan Southern Depot, the Times, Stats
Zeit,tng, and Journal buildings, and others.
Passing from the great rebuilding to the
trade and commerce Of the city during the
twelyemonth succeeding the fire,
THE COMMERCIAL RECORD "
of Chicago during that brief and early period
of the renaissance is little else than marvel
ous The receipts Of the leading articles of
II.
for which there was no report for 1Ss0,
represented a total value Of S1S5, l54,o 600,
against 4 valuation of Sill ,3s6 900 for the re-
ceipts of the same articles in 1870, or an in
crease Of little more than per cent. The
receipts Of mercantile goods, based on re-
ported sales, brought up the increase Of the
value Of the receipts over those Of 1870 to II
per cent. The produce movement sustained
III, ~ h1n q nnrTfaT
the storage capacity of the city was burned
up aud the railroads were so cr1ppled tha1
they could not deliver grain. But the check
was only temporary. In the iirst week atter
the fire, 1,6S5 car loads, or nearly G5o,-
600 bushels, Of grain were recei'ea'
and 2a0.4G0 bushels shipped. In one
month the business had nearly recovered us
normal activity Reducing flour to wheat,
the receipts Of grain from Oct y, lo'1, 10 oct.
Q, 1872, were s., 3,456,721 bushels, as against
1875, 7o3 bushels in 1870, or an increase OF
ssk per cent i'll volume.
TIE GROWTH OF TIE WHOLESALE TRADE
was similarly gratifying, the comparison
with 1870 showing gain OF 10 per cent on
the transactions of that year, OF which prop
ably about 10 per cent should be credlted 10
the prosperous part OF 1911 anu tne r.
ma1ndcr to the year after the ire. Nltn
growth in population within sixteen months
Of fully 20 per cent, an increase in the r.
talt- trade was naturally to be expected.
careful estimates ~ showed that it ;:t had
been even more prosperous than the
wholesale trade. While the manufacturing
interests recuperated slowly, the result OF
the years effort was truly surprising. In
stead of a large falling OFF in production, as
nearly every one had anticipated would pc
the c5se. there was an actual increase OF
about 35 per cent in the value OF manufact-
ured articles, as compared with 1870, ex-
elusive of the item Of buildings.
TIE LEADING BRANCHES OF MANUFACTURE
l. :: ING INDUSTRY