Year: 1877

The dread sound of the fire alarm heard
last evening just as people were entering
the theatres, or going home to their com.
Portable 6resides, moved to be the herald
of very serious disaster. -


There was an interest, profound and
general, felt in the fire of last evening
for everybody seems to feel that the great
establishment Of Field, Letter g. Co. il
part and parcel of the industrial prosper.
ity of Chicago: The destruction of such
an amount of property could not but be
regarded as dire calamity at such time
as this, and so, as the news flew round
people left their tiresides, their theatres,
their billiard-tables, and everything, to
crowd to the scene of action. The sim
pie intimation that Field, Letter & Co..
place was burning was enough to start
everybody from their seats, and, before
the tire had made any headway, crowd
had gathered which needed the utmost
exertion of the police department to keep
In order. From every quarter Of the city
people kept pouring down toward the
place, until every street leading to State
street within six blocks of the burning
building was jammed with human beings
OF all ages, sex and kind. Such an ex-
citement has not been witnessed for many
year. Every tire-engine in the depart
ment was at the spot, playing, and sput-
terlng and screaming, and the wide
thoroughfare presented for several hours
such sight as one might expect to see
at Doomsday. Nobody seemed to heed
the pouring rain, or the muddy streets, CT
the rushing engine and affrighted horses.
Women FLASHED through the puddles,
needless of the dangers involved in wet
teet; men rushed hither and thither in
the frantic manners characteristic of hu-
manity when under the influence of
supreme public excitements; pickpockets
piled their handicraft, and boys, as usual,
managed to dodge around in evcrybodys
way. It seemed as if the entire city had
come down town to witness the terrible
scene.


THE FIRST ALARM


came from Box 25, located on the corner
of Randolph and State streets, at 8O4.
The steamers within the district, six in
number, were soon on the ground. Smoke
was then coming out Of the north end of
the building, and an occasional flash Of
flame could be seen on the fifth floor
from the street, The tire-escape was run
up, but was too short by twenty feet to
reach the top of the structure. The lad
der was therefore placed against fourth
story window, and plpemen quickly
mounted with hose. Other fremen took
positions on top of Burley & Tyrrel's
store adjoining, and holes were cut in the
roof of the burning structure. the fire
having gotten in between the ceiling and
the roof: Others again dragged hose in.
to the building and up the stairways.
Great difficulty was experienced in get
ting inside. The iron doors on State
street had to be chopped open. This, it
IS said, took ten minutes. The six streams
throwing Oh the flames at twenty minutes
after eight had no noticeable effect. The
fire gradually spread south, and east, the
wind having shifted. The flames having
eaten their way once to the rotunda roof
large pieces of blazing timber began
falling to the first floor. It was apparent
that


MORE HELP. AND GREAT DEAL. OF 1T,
was necessary. So a second and third
combination alarm was turned M, and
this brought twelve more steamers to the
scene. The advantage of double fire
hydrants was now shown, for no less than
six steamers we're able to get all the
water they could handle from those on
the corners of State and Washington
streets. The reinforcemcnts were placed
to the best advantage by Fire. Marshal
Benner, some of the men going up to the
fifth story with hose, the south end of the
building, facing Washington street, being
at this tlme-twenty minutes of 9-com-
paratively free from fire, though it was
full of dense smoke. The men faced this
bravely until they were drivenout. They
then stationed themselves on the fourth
floor at the rotunda railing, and, direct
ing the streams upward, did all the exi-
cution possible. It was evident however,
even at this time that the greater portion
of the building was doomed. Large
pieces of burning timbers fell continually
from the roof to the first floor, but they
were quickly extinguished by firemen
with Babcocks.


At few minutes after 0 o'clock a mass
OF studding, hot plaster and other wood
work fell from floor to floor on the north
ern side Of the building near the stairway,
and between the two elevators. It was OF
no great weight, and it is hard to account
for its fall. On the second and third
floors there were two streams of water be-
ing directed up the elevator ways. The.
pipemen were directly under the falling
mass, and with pitiful yell they


WENT DOWN WITH TIE BURNING MASS.
A moment later one of them was rescued,
but he was only able to breathe 49," the
number of his company. He was badly
bruised about the chest and shoulders,
and had fallen from the third floor. Ten
minutes elapsed before any one could get
near this burning mass, and then some
fireman made bold to rush in and rescue
one of their brethren. This was Dudley,
the ex-fireman, and he died several min
ufes after being taken out. During all this
time could be heard heartrending though
smothered cries of


"sAvE NE, FOR GODS sAKE!"


"Help, Oh, God! I'm -burning" and
then came piercing shrieks as if Of great
bodily pain. This shouting continued
for nearly fifteen minutes, and those who
were compelled to stand within hearing
distance, yet could not for their lives rem
der assistance to the poor creatures who
were dying the most painful Of deaths,
hope never again to he in similar posi-
vi I>n1 A.