New-York tribune., 1896-10-18
TALES or 4 GREAT FIRE
CHICAGO MEN RECALL THEIR ~.
PERIENCES.
A NOVEL WAY or SAVING cHIcKENs-sroR,,.
ABOUT sAFEs-How ONE NAN MADE Hn
FORTUNE AND RECLAIMED HEALTH

FORTUNE AND RECLAIMED HEALTH,
From The Chicago Daily News
THE funniest thing I during the fire NJ -
though 1t didn't seem 80 funny them" sad Jamsss
3. Bradwell. as he grew reminiscent over H.
way some negroes kept their chickens from escan
''The colored men we're carrying a big coon a..
suddenly the stats broke and out bobbed the chscs
"Tn fix you.' howled one colored man. A..
neck till every bird lay dead.
MY son Tom and went on the second day A.
the fire to the West Side TO what ~
blaze doing. ! remarked to Tom how thank.
full we should be that our home was spared. Late,
spared. During our West Side excursion We founs
the ruins Of shanty. near which was a coos
stove with the doors open and beside 1t lay tSs
corpse of woman
1--WE saw some poor Italians. who kcp, a cIr,,
store. They considered their most valuable stocs
In trade an old wooden Indian, which KEEP, guard
at the door Grabbing up the Indian they stared
up the street and ! called 10 ,he crowd Make way
italians saved their indian The wind came noe Ss
very strong blowing In & northesserly direction
our house before can get home" We ran VII
all our might and when We got home on WashIns
ton.st.. JUST east OF where the Chamber Of Com
merce Building now IL. Mrs. Bradwell had eot a
few things packed and was preparing TO get them
out. She in her slippers and dressed /,
morning gown On hrr I nead nd h shS wore m my con-
said to me- III Masonry is any good at ali il vii
be good now. and will put on this hat.
tho sidewalk. and took down large picture a
my father. but by that time the skyeht he'd
broken in and the stairs fire I began "a
think that should mover he able m get out but
with rush went down the stairs. As soon az
fell exhausted ] offered expressman 50 il hs
would take my books TO place OF safety. Ii
laughed at me. Had It been ten minutes lat.tf
in the wagon loaded in the books and saved
them. At this time he authorities were blowing
he Sr1f
n t.ndng sohwsrd We went to % the i lake iss% s,; q,
and got an OLD and spade and dug hole ia
the ground one would 10 bury potatoes. on Tie
id seball grounds the lake front.
When ] commenced digging policeman came
and arrested me. asked HIM what for and 10
said For defacing the baseball grounds showing
his star. 7 drew my axe and said I'll maE
you 500 more stars in a moment than you ever
had o rea in his ear | went on digging the hois
and put In our two trunks and the papers We had
saved and then covered them up.
James Thompson. an eld-time Chicagoan. w
at tho time OF the Chicago fire in the employ d
the land department OF the Illinois Central Rat.
road Company. Shortly before the confagratiM
this department OF the railroad company had been
housed in rev building which was the first Ol
tho type of "hreproof construction to be erected
in Chicago This building which stood on Micht
| gan-ave.. near Randolph. ST. went with the Others
In my Office In small safe inside the large ous
Il had some 5000 in United States bonds belong.
Ing 10 nay mother When the big safe 10.
order that il might cool. When I took out the
smaller safe it did not appear 10 be very warn
sooner did the air strike the Interior Of the lhas
,safe than a sheet Of fame shot out and nothing
remained OF me N;cD IN scrurles n"' "a HANDFUL 4,
| building when the fire started had saved some d
the papers in my desk. and as these contained the
redeemed and my mother lost nothing"
"A safe ! had charge OF at the N tune oi the ny
n-f h3ncery
| under a pile of red-hot bricks. When IL was taken
@ 'sT svnS Se 1do mad to % S o. 5 @
! the lock We had pail Of water standing near
and dashed i, into the safe. extingu.shins tie
! mitted. The consequence was that our papes
were in fearful mess from fire and water. On
| the other hand. Judge Jenkins. whose ohfce
directly above ours. found his safe tumbled our On
the curb away from contact With the rd,Ae.
the help OF = passer-by he set IL up erA NJ
took out his papers in as good condition as hsA
! left them.
Saturday night twenty y-hve years ago.. said A.
torney Seth Phillips. lat the very moment vaes
/ thousands of persons were being made homeless
and hundreds Of others had their lives tramrt
ont in tho streets Of Chicago. luck threw money
! in my way and changed me from an invalid to .
II had been sick for thre months. with SON.
disease that was more mental than physical. a.!
| ] got so weak ! could hardly Walk ups'airs Al
h, e was na poor law student sn, =, ana -. Ts s
tors and the drug men A. my funds grew Low I
shifted my lodgings. Till. on The night Of the VI
nh the of WIFE IN and Mshgsn ss y room
was on The top, floor. and al that day looked cs
! all over tho South Side. II never occurred 10 %.
that the fire would spread across the river. AMI
! spectacle I lay ,own to sleep that night. and
was the most refreshing sleep had for week.:
awakened by a hiaeous noise. There was dreadsc!
uproar and as looked out Of the window coue
hot sparks were falling ali over The light was /.
! vivid In my room tha. could 500 distinctly every
T6s ns ms strength Th
me a, tho time. for knew didn't have 10 cent,
in the world, and just What was going 10 Do |!
even think about IT, Downstairs tore and 40 !
reached the front door shower OF sparks fell =
the house and the roof took fire.
The street was fmll Of people running ike me-!
! and started TO follow them Just as | reachse
the curbstone intending 10 take 10 the street n!
foo, struck against an iron ring in the Sidewalk
and head first was sent sprawng into the gu'
ter As | fell ! threw ou' my right hand, and 4
my fingers cutcrd the soft mud i'm the gutter !
/ felt something In my grasp that made me start )
held II up to the lisht and saw that It was purss
backs. and then thrustins the money into NJ
pocket ] tore on after the crowd. =,
You may not know that there IL a tone u
money. but let a starving man pick up dsaa, ds,
and his heart will beat with courage. Tha!
' seemed to get stronger knew it belonged =
some victim OF the fire that was burning UP Es
city, but that made no difference. There was "
in the purse. I counted the money dozen tima
the next day and every time ran my fingers Over
the crisp bills felt my nerve coming back ~ =
week was a well man and made such scod w ~.
of the $I5 had left tine second week that h;m
never wanted for dollar since. Yes. sir. t0'
Chicago fire made my fortune"
"A barrel of cider played part in The great s,: ~:
/ quite foreign To the purpose for which u We w.
originally intended" said Scott Fergus. VINO VI"
in reminiscent mood the other afternoon ..
The Fergus family has lived In the city sss w.
sine" II worthy OF u name. and the sxs sxcrIs ~
incidents OF the rre Of II have remained iresn A. !.
the memory OF Scot, Fergus tIe leaned back.
his chair In the Fergus Printing Company QUIZ.
and slowly stroked his beard. while hs lace -. ~
sumed the benign expression attendant on IA ~
recollection of "A good story. After Few inomeS. \.
occupied In an apparent study OF the ceilihs :"
resumed . . r.L
I'm 1871 there was on Grant-st. in North ',,h ~
cago small frame DIV cling house perhaps H.. ~,
! further removed from It's neighbors than ,.sst wt
We're from each other and SGT back from the s,.' |.
about twenty feet. do not know whether ".