Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-09-01
A Big Blaze in Chicago.

A fire. which covered vast extent OF
territory, began in that part of Chicago
known as South Chicago, about FIVE
o'clock Thursday, afternoon. Within two
hours the FIRE had consumed at least
thirty buildings and five blocks OF the
greatest industrial suburb Chicago.
The fifty thousand residents OF the town
were prscipitsted into q panic. As the
pine structures 10 which lived the work
ingmen employed in the large steel mills
of the Illinois Steel Company, and ia
which the smaller merchants of the place
made their homes were leveled by the
roaring flames, those whose homes had not
yet fallen fed with their goods and house
hold utensils to the other portions Of the
city. Streets were blockaded with
wagons containing the effects Of the
frightened and fleeing residents and men
and women, appalled, By the calamity,
fled in every direction.
The fire started in house at Superior
avenue AID Nnety-frst street. Those
who saw the spread Of the FIRE say that
it sprang from the ruins this house to q
cottage joining on the west. Brands
falling upon building at the corner Of
Buffalo avenue and Ninety first street
spread one square further west and soon
started blaze which continued from the
origin of the FIRE to four two story frame
houses on the north side of NInety-first
street, and they were soon swept away.
Frem the six houses then on FIRE the
flames sprang across Nnety-frst street
to the south side, where the frame
structures quickly disappeared before
the sweep Of the Games. South on Su-
perior avenue a two-story frame house
caught FIRE from the current Of hot air,
laden with sparkle, and this structure
lablaze, the increasing volume of fame
leaped across Superior avenue to the
west side, where a three-story tenement
house was soon wrapped IN the fumes.
A dozen houses In the vicinity of Su'
perior avenue and 9lst street now having
been swept away, the people began t.
give way to the panic, which, in another
hour, preclpitsted flying army toward
the other portions of the city. North Of
91st street, on Superior avenue, the early
stages of the fire burned FIVE one and one
half story frame cottages. Then, in
quick succession, three-story frame
building, grocery store, and one-story
building, we're swept away.
By this time, and with most of these
buildings ablaze. so great had become
the volume of heat and fame laden air
that was sweeping toward the lake, that
was seen the fire must spread to the it
docks, and before the scores Of engines
had made the least appreciate effect
upon the progress of the fImes, the
immense docks of the Sunday Creek Coal
Company were in ruins. Oyer 100000
tons Of coal We're stored in the bus,
which extend for 500 feet along the river
front. The earliest estimate ventured
was that the loss at this place alone could
easily reach sl2j, 900.
At the same moment the A. r. Beck
lumber yards, with dock frontage al
most as large as those Of the Sunday
Greek Company. were found to be burn
ing, and here the first great battle Of the
fireman with the flames was begun. The
fire department had only by this time
succeeded in getting together a sufficient
number of engines to give it any chance
at all against the roaring mass of flames.
At p. m. the fire was under control,
1t had burned $50 houses. Seven thou
sand people were homeless, and the dam
age was about 100000.