News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1895-08-01
HE CHICAGO FIRE.
Origin of the Great Fire of October, 1874.
\ Leaf from my daryl

| Origin of the Great Fire of October, 1871.
"a Leaf from my daryl
The recent death of Mrs. O'Leary
of Chicago, and the comments of
some Of the papers, connecting her
and her notorious COW with the
great Chicago fire of October, 1871,
shows an ignorance of the true
cause of the fire which, at this late
day, ought not to exist. That the
great fire originated in Mrs. OIL ary's
barn has been a conceded fact from
the beginning; but just how the fatal
spark was kindled was kept a pro-
found secret for years. Imagination
suggested that some accident might
have happened to the lantern-an
"explosion" might have occurred or
"a COW might have kicked it over"
Thus, for want of more plausible
theory, Mrs. O'Leary and her COW,
which was as innocent as Mrs.
O'Leary herself, who was ignorant
of the origin of the fire, have passed
into history as being in some mystic
rious way connected with, if not di-
rectly responsible for, the most dis
astrous coufagration that has ever
visited any American city.
1t is said that 'murder will out"
and so it proved in this case. AS
years rolled by and the parties who
were connected with the affair be-
came wiser with age, and the fear of
personal harm grew less, while the
burden of carrying the great secret
locked up in their bosoms constantly
grew heavier, they finally decided to
divulge the long-kept secret and let
the world know the whole truth as to
the origin of that great fire.
Previous to the opening of the
Worlds Fair, the Chicago officials,
having obtained the facts in the case,
published a concise statement, not
only of the origin of the fire, it's pro-
gress and duration, but also a mass
of statistical information covering
nearly everything of interest connect
ed with the great fire. This author
itative document was richly framed
and hung upon the walls of the Hi
nois building at the Worlds Fair;
and from which | Transcribed a few
of the more interesting facts to my
diary.
While it is true, as before stated,
that the first spark was kindled in
Mrs. O'Leary's barn, yet neither she
nor her historical COW were in any
way connected with it. A party of
young people visiting at the rooms
of one of Mrs. O'Leary's tenants,
proposed at late hour, to have q
dish of oysters. Procuring the
oysters, the question arose how to
get some milk. One young man pro-
posed to go and milk a little from
one of Mrs. O'Leary's cows, provid-
ing some one would hold the light.
A young lady volunteered to go and
as she stepped into the barn and
turned up the light, little mouse
darted out of the straw and ran
under her feet. With a sudden spring
land dare say a scream) she drop
ped the lamp, which ignited the
straw and thus started the great
fire, which burned over an area Of
1900 acres, destroyed 10000 houses
and business blocks, rendered home
less 125,000 people and entailed a
money loss of $20O,000,000-far
surprising in property destroyed
and territory burned over any other
fire in modern times.
While the fire was at its height it
was estimated that it destroyed
100000 worth of property every
five minutes, or $12,O00,00O every
hour. Although the great fire of
Moscow, Russia, September IA, 1912,
destroyed more houses in number
(30,8OO) yet the property loss was
far less.
Although a thousand miles distant
from Chicago, the smoke from that
fire, as it drifted on it's oceanward
journey laden with that peculiar
odor which so plainly distinguishes
a city fire from that of a forest or
swamp fire, was plainly visible here
in Vermont. On clear day in Octo-
Der the writer saw the first cloud as
it struck Mt. Mansfield and slowly
broke over its brow, plainly telling
of great fire in some city west of
us, the truth of which was soon con-
firmed by the papers.
l.. B. SHERwIN.