The record-union., 1893-08-25
Special to the REcoRD-UNIoN.

CHICAGO, Aug. A.-A fire which in ex-
tent of territory covered is the largest
known in this city for many years, began
in that portion known as South Chicago,
about o'clock this afternoon, and before
being brought under control it had de-
stroyed over 200 buildings, mostly frame
residence structures occupied by work
ingmen, and rendered many hundreds of
people homeless.
The fire started in three-story brick
building on the corner of Ninety-first
and Superior avenue, occupied as a resi-
dence by William GILES. 1t was caused
by his daughter, who accidentally upset
lamp while heating a hair-curling iron.
From there it grew rapidly in volume,
famed by a gale from the west, and the
flames ate their way over block after
block of small frame residences, until it
reached the lake.
Within two hours after the fire started
it had consumed at least five blocks of the
great industrial section of the city. The
residents of that portion of the city were
in panic second only to the one which
characterized the great fire. AS the pine
structures in which lived the working
men employed in the various mills were
leveled by the roaring flames, those
whose homes had not yet fallen fled with
their goods and portable chattels. The
streets were blockaded with wagons con-
tanning the effects of frightened people,
and men, women and children fled in all
directions.
Before the engines in the district could
make the slightest impression upon the
flames, they had bounded eastward be-
tween Ninetieth and Ninety-first streets
in the direction of the lake. House after
house went down, and soon the First
Methodist Church and the German
Lutheran succumbed. Hardly had these
structures gone than fire was seen to be
blazing in a dozen places further east.
Brands were being carried long distances
by the furious wind.
The Assistant Marshal in charge of the
district, seeing that the utmost efforts of
the department were necessary, if the
greater part of the town was to be saved,
notified Chief Marshal Swenie of the con-
dition of affairs, and twenty fire engines
were started down from the main por-
ton of the city as soon as possible. The
largest fire-boat, the y Yosemite, was also
hurriedly started out on a thirteen-mile
trip to the burning section. Before it
reached the harbor at South Chicago the
fire had eaten away five blocks between
Superior avenue and the lake. and the
Yosemite turned its attention to the i'm
mense lumber yards on the river front.
By the time the additional engines be-
gan to pull in from the city new danger
was encountered in the veering of the
wind, which started the fire toward a
new district. Between the river and the
district in which the flames originated
extend immense lumber yards and lum-
Der docks along the Calumet River and
harbor. The burned territory is just
north of the business center of South
Chicago, and was given up almost ex-
clusively to residences.
The fire sprang from the ruins of the
GILES House to a cottage adjoining on the
west. The brands carried to building
at the corner of Buffalo avenue and
Ninety-first street, one square farther
west, soon started a blaze, which spread
north and south on Buffalo avenue, while
the original fire ragged along Ninety-first
street and Superior avenue, soon becom-
ing perfect tornado of flame.
One dwelling after another went with
incredible rapidity, and after the churches
named above had been DESTROYED it was
feared the fire must spread to the docks.
from which it was anxiously desired to
keep it. The fears of the firemen were
well founded, and before the dozens of
engines had made much headway the
immense docks of the Sunday Creek Coal
Company were burning. Over 100000
tons of coal were stored in these bins.
and the fire boat Yosemite brought to
bear all its powerful streams in an en-
deavor to head OIL the flames.
few minutes later A. r. Breck's
lumber yards were seen to be burning,
and now the real great battle of the fire.
men with the flames began, for they had
only by this time succeeded in conceu-
trating a sufficient number of engines to
begin to make an impression on the ter
rife fire. From this time on forces of
the firemen gradually increased, and the
flames were gradually brought under
control.
ByS o'clock the work of nearly forty
engines, besides the fire boat. had told.
and the coal in the Sunny Creek docks
and Peck's lumber yard were the only
places where the fire was still uppermost,
and in short time it was practically
under control.
Then the panic-stricken people began
to return to where their homes had stood,
but IN very few instances were they able
TO find any signs of them.
Most of the buildings DESTROYED were
light frame affairs, and occupied almost
exclusively by workmen of the Illinois
Steel Company. The damage in none of
these instances was of large amount. but
conservative estimates put the aggregate
loss in the residence district at S4OO 600
The Sunday Creek Coal Company's loss
will be 200 and the Peck Lumber
Company 100000. The latter concern
recently made an assignment and had
just resumed business after making ar
rangements with its creditors.
The number of people homeless is
variously estimated from four to five
thousand, but it is thought these figures
are little exaggerated.
Despite the rapidity with which the
flames spread and the confusion which
prevailed, no lives were lost as far as
known tonight, and only few people
were injured, and those not fatally.