Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-26
THE CHICAGO FIRE ouTDoNE.

Chicago Tribune.-A Chicagoan who
remembers the fire of 1871 can get al
measurable idea Of the destruction ac-
complished in San Francisco by a
comparison Of the condition OF the
two cities at the time Of their respec-
tive disasters. The loss at San Fran
cisco is greater, but not so much so
as to make a comparison impossible.
The population of Chicago by the
federal census Of 1870, using round
numbers here and elsewhere was
2sS,000. In october, 1871, it was esti-
mated to be $4,000. The population
of San Francisco in 1900 was $4,000.
In 1903 is was estimated by the census
bureau at 355,oOo. Mayor Schmitz es-
timated it in 1905 at 100000, but this
is undoubtedly too great as the rate
of increase for many years has been
less than 1.5 per cent yearly. About
100000 would be fair estimate at
the present time.
The Chicago fire covered an area OF
three and one-third square miles. The
San Francisco fire has burned over ten
much as the fire of 1871. The number
of people left homeless in Chicago was
estimated by the Relief and Aid So
ciety at 100000. In San Francisco at
least 10000 are without shelter of
their own. Among the homeless there
is in this last fire a larger PROPORTION
of the extremely poor who are depend
ent on their earnings from day to day
in order to live, and who have nothing
saved and no place to CO.
The wealth Of Chicago in 1871 was
much less than that of San Francisco
in 1905. Chicago had at that time few
holders of long accumulated wealth
| The business district had not then Its
present dimensions; there were not
4 the magnificent buildings, the great
department stores and the banks, the
4 aires, and hotels which now aidorn
the center of, the city, but the business
1 center of San Francisco may be more
properly compared with that Of Chicago
| today than with that of Chicago 81
years ago. While San Francisco has
more of the nearly destitute than Chi
cago had, it has, also more millionaires
! than Chicago had. It's splendid homes
in the area laid waste by fire, had nc
counterpart In Chicago. The loss II
Chicago was estimated at $1S6,OO0,oot
but a discount of 10 per cent must b
made from that amount in currency tt
4 put 1t on a gold basis for the purpose
of comparison. 1t is impossible yet t.
say what, the loss in San francisco
will reach, but every new dispatch
1 tends to show that early estimate.
4 were too conservative and that thu
4 The number of lives lost in the twt
J fires will never be exactly known. In.
} quests were held on lit victims Of thu
!, fire in Chicago. Other persons report
ed missing may swell the total to 200
In San Francisco the loss of life from
earthquake and fire will be man.
times as great
) The future is more dubious for Sal
i Francisco than it was for Chicago
J The city will rise again, and splen
, didly, but it will take longer. Capt
tai is prudent. It can calculat
against loss by fire, and the lesson Q
the Chicago fire was so well learne
. that there is no danger of repeti
t ton of that loss. But who can talk
} precautions against earthquakes
: They are irreconcilable with tn
needs Of modern city. A Nicarau
guam or Guatemalan city is made Q
. houses, each independent, but Sa
: francisco must have sewers, waite
/ pipes, electric wires. a whole networ
1 of connecting arteries and veins. TIL
s earthquake snaps these. How can
f great modern city exist in the earth
quake belt? If capital cannot find a
answer, it will mean, as the operate
s who sent the first alarm indicated,
i return to the simple life" The tas
e is enormous