The Elbert County tribune., 1911-01-20
Beginning With 1871 City Has
Suffered Heavily.
IroquoIs Holocaust, That Cost 600
Lives, Occurred During Holiday
Season-Slxty Killed In
Burning Of Crib.

Chicago.-Chicago in It's short his
tory has endured many trials by fire.
The great confiagration of 1871. which
takes rank as the greatest fire of
modern times, burned over about
three and one-half square miles of
ground and destroyed 17,450 buildings.
Two hundred persons lost their lives,
and 98,500 were made homeless. The
loss was $4,000. 900.
The fire started Oct. 8, in the rear
Of the property owned by Patrick
O'Leary in the vicinity Of Jefferson
and De Koven streets. 1t spread with
Irresistible swiftness. leaping the river
and continuing its work of destruc-
ton on the South and North sides.
wiping out some of the finest business
and residence properties in the city.
So staggering was the blow that for
. time 1t was doubted whether Chi
cago could recover from It, Food and
clothing and vast sums of money were
sent to Chicago from all parts Of the
country. The spirit Of the inhabitants
rose to meet the disaster, and on the
ruins Of the old city was reared the
more splendid Chicago Of today.
Two Of the three other great fires
since the conhagration Of 1871 oc-
CURED in the winter season-the burn
ing Of the IroQuois theater, Dec. 30.
1908, In which more than 800 lives
were lost, and the disaster at the
Seventy-third street crib. Jan. 20, 1909.
in which sixty men were killed.
The other fire, which had more in
common with the stock yard disaster.
was July 10, 1898. Fifteen fremen
trapped in lofty tower of a cold stor-
age warehouse on the worlds fair
grounds. Cut on by FIRE. they leaped
seventy-five feet to their death.
The IroQuois theater hre was the
most horrible In the history Of Chi
cago, and one of the worst in the an
nails of modern times. It started du-
ring a matinee performance of
Christmas burlesque. In the space of
a few moments the thcater was con-
verted into a smokeblackened NOR
que.
The fire originated on the stage. A
spark from defective spot light was
communicated to the fiimsy draperies.
A thin thread of fame. sped by
draught, ran along the proscenium
arch. The cry Of are was raised
Panic seized upon the audience A
stampede for the exits ensued, in
which many were trampled under foot
and left senseless on the floor. Some
Of the exits were locked; others were
heaped high with barrier of bodies.
and behind this human debris the sur
vivors battled desperately for life.
For a time the enormity of the dis
aster daunted the rescuers, but In the
theater itself many anonymous deeds
Of heroism were performed.
The whole city was plunged into
mourning for the dead No visitation
20 terrible had been experienced in
the annals of the world since the de-
struction of the Ring theater at VI
Only last year the burning of the
Seventy-third street temporary crib
cost Chicago sixty lives The fiimsy
structure of wood above the icy wa
tors of the lake housed 1875 workmen
employed by the George w. Jackson
company, inc, when the fire started.
1t was supposed that one of the work
men had entered the powder maya
zine with lighted pipe in his hand.
There was a muffied explosion, and
flames enveloped the structure. The
labor ers. reused from sleep, found
themselves struggling as in an oven
Some of them leaped into the lake.