Rock Island daily Argus., 1893-08-25
HAVOC AND DEATH
Is the Story of Day the Tele-
graph Tells.
GREAT BLAZE AT SOUTH CHICAGO.
Two Hundred Houses Laid Low, s,oco
People Homeless, and $500, 900
in Properly in Ashes.

Five Blocks of Residences Licked Up in
Two Hours, and the Docks. Lumber
Yards, and Coal Sheds ImperiIled-Ter-
rible Loss of Life on the Atlantic Coast
-Forty-seven Sailors Drowned in a Gale
That Does Great Damage Ashore-Ihe
Record of Disaster
CHICAGO, Aug. ga fire which in the
extent OF the territory it covered almost
rivals, comparatively, Chicago's historic
conflagration, has swept that part of the
city known as South Chicago. The $4,000
people comprising the inhabitants of the
town wereprecipitated into panic second
only to that which characterized the con-
fiagratiCn Of 1871. The loss is estimated
al $5o0,0i0 200 houses were destroyed, and
people We're rendered homeless. The
fire arted near tree story
brick bpilding at the corner of
Nine-frst street and Superior avenue and
within two hours had Consumed at leass
200 buildings and five blocks of the
greatest industrial suburb of Chicago.
Among the first buildings to fall were the
First Methodist church at the corner Of
Ninety-first and Superior avenue and the
German Lutheran church on the opposite
corner.
Help Sent From the City.
Hardly had three more pretentious
strUctu es been leveled to the groend than
the fire was detected blazing in dozen
places farther east After Superior avenue,
the flames reached and crossed Ontario
avenue, Buffalo avenue, Mackinaw avenue
and Green Bay avenue to the Lake The local
fire department w9s Iowcrless to check
the progress of the FIRE and when engines
and fire tugs were sent from this city
their efforts were directed TO the saving
the immense lumber yards lying within
q few blocks of the FIRE. The district be
tween Superior avenue and t t lake was
filled with frame structures that burn d
| rapidly as the strong wind carried clouds
OF smoke laden with sparks and embers in
all directions. Tie steaples OF The two
large churches had hardly to9pled over
before the whole area of five blocks was
full of small fires.
Panic of the Inhabitants.
As the pine structures in which lived
| the workingmen employed in the large
steel mills and in which the smaller mer-
chants of the place had their home were
leveled in she roaring furnace, those whose
| homes had not yet fallen fled with their
goods and household cEattels to the other
| pol' ions of the city. Streets were block
| AIDED with wagons containing the effects OF
| the frightened and fleeing residents, and
men and women, appalled, by the calam
| ity, fled ir ,very direction Before the
scores of engines had made the least ap-
preciable effect upon the progress of the
| flames the docks of the Sunday Greek Coal
| company at Harbor avenue and the river
| were burning. Over 100, eco tons of coal
were stored in the bins belonging to this
company, which extend for 500 feet along
the river front.
| Hardly Time to Save Their Lives.
At the same moment the \. r. Beck
| lumber yards, with dock frontage almost
/ as extensive, were found TO he burning.
When the fire began in the coal yards ev-
| cry engine that could be spared, and the
powerful steamer Yosemite as soon as it
reached the harbor, was brought to fight
the confagration. After hard fight the
| fire was subdued at the docks. From be-
ginning to end the flames spread with
amazing rapidity. Starting; as was the
most accepted theory among the citizens
| of South Chicago, from a smouldering
bonfire, the fire spread with such ra-
pidity that families had barely time enough
in some instances to escape with their
lives. Cottages were swept away, their
| owners and occupants not able even to save
their household effects.
| Two Boys Caused the Trouble.
About 4 o'clock in the afternoon. ac-
cording to the statements made by those
who claim TO be possessed of the facts.
two boys were playing in the yard back of
| William Gillis' house on the north side of
| Ninety-tiyst street, between Ontario and
Superior avenues. They had been baking
potatoes and, tired of the sport, left the
| dying embers to resume their play in an
other part of the yard. They did not see
that the live Goals were blown in several
directions by the wind that swept lake
| ward and no thought of danger entered
their minds. a piece of blazing wood, it
is claimed, was blown near the high board
fence and frcm thence communicated tC
a barn containing two tons of hay. From
| thence it swept the town