Year: 1871

guide TO the ruins he, without any ado, designated
asD who knew every foot OF tine district that hdd
oDcs we


THE SCBNE or DEs0LATlON.
AZ have said before, mad sneaking idea while
had been exaggerated III the Eastern papers, and
that would be CERTAIN TO mud very different state
of afyaYs lTpm that which had anticipated before
Got ont OF The ears. tut how m0urnfully was
disappointed We entered the burned district by
rot near where the Court House Stood and the
Ieenc0 that came over me as stopped my horse at
TINS point ami iooke, ancat me was one Of positive
waste. -


with here and there standing wall OF some great
bull 1lng. through whose open windows the Iurld
glare OF the coal fires beyond anu around could he
as n worked by machinery. | shall never forget
the scene. On, on we went turning here and there,
1@ ;7S ns street 70 anoe1 s1ss picking our way
pavement lest by misstep we should be plunged
headiong INTO some cellarway or vaui. screened
ALL SORTS OF wINDINGs,


with the same tnterminable view OF 0aunt walls
and burning coal pies surrounding us whenever
way we went we reached bridge which was soild
enough 70 admit OF our crossing to the North side
impression that mad reached The full limit OF


TIE FIRE TRACK;


wheD on getting to the other side saw before me
2 pam TWO or three niles ahead as clear or any
thing % Iike house as - the Wild prairie ITSELF
streets south Of ne river, T Which M were sa iineS
with the deDrls OF hundreds or buildings,
thut mere and there the walls OF some staunch Ofd
pile had resisted the shock OF the names anu vet
s-ood-though mere skeletons monuments to Lhe
nandiwork nan oi the men who had put them together
was everything IL 4 true that here and there q
wall wa q e., some cnurcn yet reared Itself above the
tive was that VI desert waste with nothing to
break the clear view Of the horizon on every bide
mDumerable trees wGlch still STOOD


cHARRED AND DEAD


with their desp0Ied branches stretching out over
the streets ike skeleton hands pointing to the
graves OF the many VINO were lost and buried
beneath the ruuls. Way out to the north way to
the same-nOthing but level plain, broken slirntIy
here and there by pile OF marble, crumbiIng to
0ust Or gicat mound OF brick. once red. put now
tincls stationed near the sales dared to stand
wt1In yard OF them. don't think New
tcene unless ne brings It home to his own CITY, Let
him imagine fire 70 have broken out on Tenth ave-
nue., near twenty eighth street. to have crossed IN
straight line 10 Third avenue, and then to have
made


A CLEAN SWEEP


between these two lines clear down to the Battery
not leaving over hundred walls standing every
house beng levelied TO the gutter and he can then
have some idea OF tie ravages OF the awful CHICAGO
hrc. Then let him Try to do as did travel tnroHsH
the awful waste on horseback aud try TO ana out
where thls and that building Stood and guarantee





NO CHILDs PLAY,


You would no dcnot laugh II should tell you
il 10 have been, you could not drive down Broad
way III the waste ana pOn5 out where once stood
the s.; o Nicholas. Yet assure you my guide had
when we were about crossing to the north side SO
great was the desolar,on level the track the ire
had made or wall ana cellar. That ne could not tell
me where once stood the Sherman House. Can
any better idea than this be given OF what desert
e srsa, business district e Chicago was I'M But


EXPLORATION or THE NORTH SIDE
!of an nour or SO we came across-wiil you believe
without aslnge There II stood, with the crumbling
remains OF great granite building all round 1t, and
iew blocks 10 on surronnded s BY tue biacxcned iron
10 the raging fames was neat little green house,
with not a pane Of glass broken, not q whitenci
coanagration was this Aut when We rode over to
the south side again what was our surprise to tInd
intact frame building that stood j1st IN front Of
which IT had TO leap over in order TO


DEvOUR THE cary


beyond. BeiOre we had reached the north SIDE
was very much amused with many OF the notices
caught glimpse OF as gaii0ped past among the
had been burnea out, and who with wonderfa, en-.
terrrise had already erected small wooden snanty
rs an ofdce, upon the ruins OF his former place OF
business. And this was MS sign board:-"Ail lost,
except


Who dare assert that that man win ever fan in the
struggle OF business ll.el Another extraordinary
scene witnessed with no small amount OF interest,"
Thc safes OF safe depository company nan the day
before been dug out and opened and their contents
found uninJured; and, III answer to an advertise
mont IN tue morning lapers, there were right in the
ruins before my very eyeS


CROWDS OF MERCHANTS


hauling over their vauabies 70 be put into the safes
amid the general wreck. Just think OF lt-placIng
your treasure in safe, surrounded by thousand
fires, and ltn the very stones about cracking from
ihe yet unintcnslied heat. STILL the guarantees of
guard OF blue coatsn appeared 10 make the safe
investment all the safer 10 The merchants. What
confluence ia military authority was there. But
here let me pause, for Just at this point myself and
my guide took II into our heaus to go back to the
north side and go we did. Before we had we'll left
the river ten BLOCKS TO the south the darkness or
night was upon US. The wind at the same time
began to blow at a fearful rate, and in a second
dense volume or smoke from the fires to the rear
drove across the river ami separated us; and thus
IL was that lost my way, and had TO wander out
TO the prairles, Where witnessed the encampment
Of the refugees which described in my last letter.