Fair play., 1893-11-04
The Great Fires g; History.

The four grea; fires 1T history were
those of the city OF Ruiue IN the tent!
year Of the Emperor Nero. or about
( s. years \. d.. London ia 1906. Mos.
cow iii lSl2 and Chicago III Is7l. Oh
these the latter wa- by tar the great.
est and most disastrous, though 4ta.
! tisticai details are not ohtaiuable ~
closely for either of the three preced-
ing il. Those for Rome are especially
rneager, the historian Taci,us neglect
ing to state how many houses and
insui9 were destroyed, and he notes
but briefly tie famous fauc- and
monument, which were swept away.
The first fire lasted for six days, uni
just As the wretched people were be
ginning 10 take breath and visit the
ruins OF their former homes u second
fire broke out which lasted three
days. In that respect the cOntlagura-
ton partially paralieled our own, a
the fire which began here Sunday
night was preceded by an extensive
one Saturday evening. Or the four
teen regions of Rome three were ell
tirely DESTROY ed, seven others were in
iUrGd more uG ic-- rtvi,ty uHL un!.
iour escaped unEurt. Whether or not
it be true that the Emperor played OF
his fiddle while the city was burning,
there is no reason TO doubt That the
people were so thoroughly eXasper
atcd with him tha; he Judged it
necessary TO divert their suspicious
that he had deliberately set the city
on fire in order to rebuild it to his
own glory. SO he saved himself al
last by sacritcing the little band OF
alien sec'arics, already the objects OF
their hatred and reviliugS, to whom
the vulgar gave the name of Chris
tians."
The great fire of London lasted four
days and nights, reducing to ashes
five-sixths of the whole city within
the walls, the population of which
was estimated to he about 200 600 1t
had been much reduced bv the great
plague of 1868. The area burned
over was 1856 acres, being about one
third of that laid waste by the fire in
Rome. London was rebuilt within
the next four years on much in
proved plan. The destruction in
Moscow appears to have been com
plcte except the kremlin, the city
having been set fire to by its own in
habitamts the night of September II,
after which they abandoned it to the
French troops, who looted it and |
probably took little thought for tie |
fate Of the II 600 wounded men that
were left behind when the Russian |
army evacuated the place. A few
ears earlier Moscow had contained |
about 5000 houses, of which one-sixih |
were stone, 3l3 manufactures and
" workshops, and nearly as many
churches.
The Chicago fire devastated an area
Ji 2,l00 acres, or nearly three and a
Ihird square miles, destroyed 1850
and rendered homeless
}S, 800 persons. The number Of
killed was estimated at about 200.
The value of the property burned up
vas a>certained 10 haye been about
sl92, 100000 the day preceding the
ire, and the deduction from this for
'alvage was variously estimated at
rom S4,O00,000 to $4,000 900. The
Oss was not far from one third Of the
whole value of property in the city,
ND only $ii 100000 was recovered in
insurance, much of the property hay.
ng been insured in home companies,
he assets of which were reduced to
zero by the calamity. In a year after
he fire large part or the burned dis
rict had been rebuilt, and the volume
If business was much larger than be-
ore the event. which drew out practi-
al expressions of sympathy in the
hape of material aid from all over the
est of the United States and from
nan, places in Europe. The whole
mount contributed in money, pro-
'isions and clothing was estimated at
lot much less than $1,000 600, and the
of This contribution alone
vas regarded generally as the most
alamitous that had ever been ex
Chjcoqo T,ibHne.
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