Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-01-21
A WONDERFUL CITY,
An English Journalist Expresses His
Advertisement at Chicaxo's Growth
and Energy.

An English JOurnafst Expresses His
Astonish,nent at Chfcaso's Growth
and Energy.
George Augustus Sala, tie 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 10000 Inhabitants, and in
another fifteen will probably contain
100000, was n 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 1855 the entire district
was raised bodily to a height of nine
beneath the houses and worked night
and day by half-turns and with an inn
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.
ing several hundreds of miles south and
west. In 1870 Interpolation was about
100000. Now ponder yet again. In
October, 1871, Chicago was burnt up"
The fire originated on Sunday evening
in q 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 a
kerosene lamp, by the light of which
COW was being MIXED The kerosene
was Mantua and the COW Cremona. The
houses in the west division were mostly
of wood, and there were several large
timber yards along the bank of the adj
accent Chicago river. Through these
the flames swept with irresistible fury,
and were carried by strong westerly
wind into the south division, district
thickly covered with stores, warehouses
and public buildings of stone or brick,
many of which were enormously sup
posed to be freproof The fire ragged
| during the whole of Monday, crossing
the main channel of the Chicago ri T er
! and carrying all before 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
srnolder for months afterward. The
total area burnt up" was nearly three
and half square miles. Nearly 49, 600
houses were DESTROYED; 200 persons
lost their lives and 20O,O 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 $3.50, OOO, 900, out of
which aggregate some $50, 600, 900 were
recovered by insurance, although one of
the first results of the fire was to bank
rupt the fire-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
lars, and the consequence is that English
n Zoe
dong an immense business in Chicago
ever since; the Western business men
having shown steps of q pardonab]e
partiality 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 giart
blaze of 1871. In July, 1874, another
great fire swept over Chicago, DESTROY.
ing eighteen blocks or sixty acres of
buildings in the heart of the city. ana
annihilating over S4O0O,OOO worth If
property. On the Saturday night pre-
:eding my arrival here vast range of
bonded warehouses went up, and one of
the headings of the graphic account OF
the disaster in the Chicago press ran
thus: The insurance money not begin.
ming to cover the losses" A cheerful
representation! But Chicago has al
ways proved herself equal to the occa-
sion. 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
day after the first fire there appeared in
the midst of mass of smoldering ruins
apole surmounted by board on which
these words were writ large: Cali lost
but wife, children and energy. Real
estate agency carried on as usual in the
next shanty." And the undismayed
real estate agent is alive to tell the tale
"a prosperous gentleman who proudly
exhibits the "wife. children and energyh
placard in his handsome office. He has
reason to be proud. The wonderful
prairie city now ranks next in CONNER
cial Importance to New York. Chicago
is the largest grain market and empor-
ium in the world. The pulse of Chica-
COS board of trade must be felt before
Mark LANE and the Halle aux Bles Can
operate. Her lumber trade is tre,ren.
dious. Ste employs 70,n00 pairs of hands
in her iron and steel works, her flour
mills, her cotton factories, her boot and
shoe manufactures and her tanneries,
and in the year ending March l, 1879,
she slaughtered and packed 5,dO0. 900
hogs and $4,000 head of cattle, in add.
ton to curing innumerable hams