Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-08-25
A Big Blaze in Chicago.

\ fire, when covered vast extent
of territory, began in that part Of Chi
cagoi known as South Chicago, about
five o'clock yesterday afternoon. With
in two hours the fire had consumed al
least thirty buildings and five blocks o.
the greatest industrial suburb Of Chi
cago. The fifty thousand residents Of
the town We're precipitated into pan,
ic. As the pine structures in which
lived the workingmen employed in the
large steel mills of the Illinois Steel
Company, and in which the smaller
merchants of the place made their
homes, were leveled by the roaring
flames, those whose homes had not yet
fallen fled 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 ca
lamity, fled in every direction.
The fire started in house at Super
ior avenue and Ninety-tirst street.
Those who saw the spread of the fire
say that it sprang from the ruins this
house to cottage joining on the west.
Brands falling upon a 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.
From the six houses then on fire the
flames sprang across Ninety-first street
to the south side, where the frame
structures quickly disappeared before
the sweep of the flames. South on Su-
perior avenue two-story frame house
caught fire from the current of hot air,
laden with sparks, and this structure
abaze, the increasing volume of flame
leaped across Superior avenue to the
west side, where three.story tenement
house was soon wrapped in the flames.
A dozen houses in the vicinity of Su-
perior avenue and 91st street now hay
ing been swept away, the people began
to give way to the panic, which, in an
other hour, precipitated flying army
toward the other portions of the city.
North Of 91st street, on Superior ave-
nue., the early stages of the fire burned
five one and one-half story frame cot
tages. Then, in quick succession, a
three-story frame building, a grocery
store, and a one-story building, were
swept away.
By this time, and with most of these
buildings ablaze, so great had become
the volume of heat and tlame-laden air
that was sweeping toward the lake,
that it was seen the fire must spread to
the docks, and before the scores of en-
gines had made the least appreciate
effect upon the progress of the flames,
the immense docks of the Sunday Creek
Coal Company were in ruins. Over
100000 tons of coal were stored in the
bins, which extend for 500 feet along
the river front. The earliest estimate
ventured was that the loss at this place
alone could easily reach $685. 900.
at the same moment the A. K. Beck
lumber yards, with deck frontage al
most as large as those of the Sunday
Creek Company, were found to be
burning, and here the first great battle
of the tiremen with the flames was be-
gun. The fire department had only by
this time succeeded in getting together
sufficient number of engines to give
it any chance at all against the roaring
mass of flames.
At 9 p. m. the fire was under control.
1t had burned $50 houses. Seven thou
sand people were homeless, and the
damage was about 5000, 900.