Great Chicago Fire of 1871 « Chicago Great Chicago Fire of 1871 Written By: Focl - May• 23•11 The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about 4 square miles (10 km2) inChicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, the rebuilding that began almost immediately spurred Chicago’s development into one of the most populous and economically important American cities. On the municipal flag of Chicago, the second star commemorates the fire. Even to this day the exact cause and origin of the fire remain uncertain. The fire started at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, in or around a small barn that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street. The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary.

Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republican reporter who created the cow story, admitted in 1893 that he had made it up because he thought it would make colorful copy. The fire’s spread was aided by the city’s overuse of wood for building, a drought prior to the fire, and strong winds from the southwest that carried flying embers toward the heart of the city. The city also made fatal errors by not reacting soon enough and citizens were apparently unconcerned when it began. The firefighters were also exhausted from fighting a fire that happened the day before. The firefighters fought the fire through the entire day and became extremely exhausted. Eventually the fire jumped to a nearby neighborhood and began to devastate mansions, houses and apartments. Almost everything that crossed the fire’s path was made of wood, that had been dried out for quite a while. After two days of the city burning down it began to rain and doused the remaining fire. It is said that over 300 people died in the fire and over 100,000 were left homeless. The city’s fire department did not receive the first alarm until 9:40 p.m., when a fire alarm was pulled at a pharmacy.

The fire department was alerted when the fire was still small. When the blaze got bigger, the guard realized that there actually was a new fire and sent firefighters, but in the wrong direction. Soon the fire had spread to neighboring frame houses and sheds. Superheated winds drove flaming brands northeastward. When the fire engulfed a tall church west of the Chicago River, the flames crossed the south branch of the river. Helping the fire spread was firewood in the closely packed wooden buildings, ships lining the river, the city’s elevated wood-plank sidewalks and roads, and the commercial lumber and coal yards along the river. The size of the blaze generated extremely strong winds and heat, which ignited rooftops far ahead of the actual flames. The attempts to stop the fire were unsuccessful. The mayor had even called surrounding cities for help, but by that point the fire was simply too large to contain. When the fire destroyed the waterworks, just north of the Chicago River, the city’s water supply was cut off, and the firefighters were forced to give up. As the fire raged through the central business district, it destroyed hotels, department stores, Chicago’s City Hall, the opera house and theaters, churches and printing plants.

The fire continued spreading northward, driving fleeing residents across bridges on the Chicago River. There was mass panic as the blaze jumped the river’s main stem and continued burning through homes and mansions on the city’s north side. Residents fled into Lincoln Park and to the shores of Lake Michigan, where thousands sought refuge from the flames. Philip Sheridan, a noted Union general in the American Civil War, was present during the fire and coordinated military relief efforts. The mayor, to calm the panic, placed the city under martial law, and issued a proclamation placing Sheridan in charge. As there were no widespread disturbances, martial law was lifted within a few days. Although Sheridan’s personal residence was spared, all of his professional and personal papers were destroyed.The fire finally burned itself out, aided by diminishing winds and a light drizzle that began falling late on Monday night. From its origin at the O’Leary property, it had burned a path of nearly complete destruction of some 34 blocks to Fullerton Avenue on the north side After the fire Once the fire had ended, the smoldering remains were still too hot for a survey of the damage to be completed for days.

Eventually it was determined that the fire destroyed an area about four miles (6 km) long and averaging 3/4 mile (1 km) wide, encompassing more than 2,000 acres (810 ha). Destroyed were more than 73 miles (120 km) of roads, 120 miles (190 km) of sidewalk, 2,000 lampposts, 17,500 buildings, and $222 million in property—about a third of the city’s valuation. Of the 300,000 inhabitants, 90,000 were left homeless. Between two and three million books were destroyed from private library collections. The fire was said by The Chicago Daily Tribune to have been so fierce that it surpassed the damage done by Napoleon’s siege of Moscow in 1812. Remarkably, some buildings did survive the fire, such as the then-new Chicago Water Tower, which remains today as an unofficial memorial to the fire’s destructive power. It was one of just five public buildings and one ordinary bungalow spared by the flames within the disaster zone.

The O’Leary home and Holy Family Church, the Roman Catholic congregation of the O’Leary family, were both saved by shifts in the wind direction that kept them outside the burnt district. After the fire, 125 bodies were recovered. Final estimates of the fatalities ranged from 200–300, considered a small number for such a large fire. In later years, other disasters would claim many more lives: at least 605 died in the Iroquois Theater Fire in 1903; and, in 1915, 835 died in the sinking of the Eastland excursion boat in the Chicago River. Yet the Great Chicago Fire remains Chicago’s most well-known disaster for the magnitude of the destruction and the city’s recovery and growth. Almost immediately, reform began in the city’s fire standards, spurred by the efforts of leading insurance executives and fire prevention reformers such as Arthur C. Ducat and others. Chicago emerged from the fire with one of the country’s leading fire fighting forces. Land speculators, such as Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, and business owners quickly set about rebuilding the city.

Donations of money, food, clothing and furnishings arrived quickly from across the nation. The first load of lumber for rebuilding was delivered the day the last burning building was extinguished. Only 22 years later, Chicago hosted more than 21 million visitors during the World’s Columbian Exposition. Another example of Chicago’s rebirth from the Great Fire ashes is the now famed Palmer House hotel. The original building burned to the ground in the fire just 13 days after its grand opening. Without hesitating, Potter Palmer secured a loan and rebuilt the hotel in a lot across the street from the original, proclaiming it to be “The World’s First Fireproof Building”. In 1956, the remaining structures on the original O’Leary property were torn down for construction of the Chicago Fire Academy, a training facility for Chicago firefighters located at 558 W. DeKoven Street. A bronze sculpture of stylized flames entitled Pillar of Fire by sculptor Egon Weiner was erected on the point of origin in 1961 On this Day in History… October 8th — Great Chicago Fire of 1871 - Prof. Boerner's Explorations Prof.

Boerner's Explorations Due to injury, this commentary will be added later. Please check back. Thank you. GLB These Introductory Comments are copyrighted: Copyright©2010 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved [ 2705 Words ] Quotations Related to FireFlying Embers, “Words are only painted fire; a look is the fire itself.” — Mark Twain “Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” — Maya Angelou “A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” — Benjamin Franklin “Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” — Buddha “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” — George Washington “Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.” — George Washington “It is our duty still to endeavor to avoid war; but if it shall actually take place, no matter by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves.

If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it.” — Thomas Jefferson “If the Almighty were to rebuild the world and asked me for advice, I would have English Channels round every country. And the atmosphere would be such that anything which attempted to fly would be set on fire.” — Winston Churchill The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 — Mrs. O’Learys’ Cow? The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about 4 square miles (10 km2) in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, the rebuilding that began almost immediately spurred Chicago’s development into one of the most populous and economically important American cities. On the municipal flag of Chicago, the second star commemorates the fire. To this day the exact cause and origin of the fire remain uncertain. Origin 1868 map of Chicago, modified (2009) to highlight the area destroyed by the fire.

The fire started at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, in or around a small shed that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street. The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republican reporter who created the cow story, admitted in 1893 that he had made it up because he thought it would make colorful copy. The fire’s spread was aided by the city’s overuse of wood for building, a drought prior to the fire, and strong winds from the southwest that carried flying embers toward the heart of the city. The city also made fatal errors by not reacting soon enough and citizens were apparently unconcerned when it began. The firefighters were also exhausted from fighting a fire that happened the day before. Spread of the Blaze The city’s fire department did not receive the first alarm until 9:40 p.m., when a fire alarm was pulled at a pharmacy. The fire department was alerted when the fire was still small.

When the blaze got bigger, the guard realized that there actually was a new fire and sent firefighters, but in the wrong direction. Aftermath of the fire, corner of Dearborn and Monroe Streets, 1871 Soon the fire had spread to neighboring frame houses and sheds. Superheated winds drove flaming brands northeastward. When the fire engulfed a tall church west of the Chicago River, the flames crossed the south branch of the river. Helping the fire spread was firewood in the closely packed wooden buildings, ships lining the river, the city’s elevated wood-plank sidewalks and roads, and the commercial lumber and coal yards along the river. The size of the blaze generated extremely strong winds and heat, which ignited rooftops far ahead of the actual flames. The attempts to stop the fire were unsuccessful. The mayor had even called surrounding cities for help, but by that point the fire was simply too large to contain. When the fire destroyed the waterworks, just north of the Chicago River, the city’s water supply was cut off, and the firefighters were forced to give up.

Chicago Water Tower As the fire raged through the central business district, it destroyed hotels, department stores, Chicago’s City Hall, the opera house and theaters, churches and printing plants. The fire continued spreading northward, driving fleeing residents across bridges on the Chicago River. There was mass panic as the blaze jumped the river’s main stem and continued burning through homes and mansions on the city’s north side. Residents fled into Lincoln Park and to the shores of Lake Michigan, where thousands sought refuge from the flames. Philip Sheridan, a noted Union general in the American Civil War, was present during the fire and coordinated military relief efforts. The mayor, to calm the panic, placed the city under martial law, and issued a proclamation placing Sheridan in charge. As there were no widespread disturbances, martial law was lifted within a few days. Although Sheridan’s personal residence was spared, all of his professional and personal papers were destroyed. The fire finally burned itself out, aided by diminishing winds and a light drizzle that began falling late on Monday night. From its origin at the O’Leary property, it had burned a path of nearly complete destruction of some 34 blocks to Fullerton Avenue on the north side.

After the Fire Once the fire had ended, the smoldering remains were still too hot for a survey of the damage to be completed for days. Eventually it was determined that the fire destroyed an area about four miles (6 km) long and averaging 3/4 mile (1 km) wide, encompassing more than 2,000 acres (810 ha). Destroyed were more than 73 miles (120 km) of roads, 120 miles (190 km) of sidewalk, 2,000 lampposts, 17,500 buildings, and $222 million in property—about a third of the city’s valuation. Of the 300,000 inhabitants, 90,000 were left homeless. The sculpture on the site of the fire, with the Chicago Fire Academy in the background Between two and three million books were destroyed from private library collections. The fire was said by The Chicago Daily Tribune to have been so fierce that it surpassed the damage done by Napoleon’s siege of Moscow in 1812.

Remarkably, some buildings did survive the fire, such as the then-new Chicago Water Tower, which remains today as an unofficial memorial to the fire’s destructive power. It was one of just five public buildings and one ordinary bungalow spared by the flames within the disaster zone. The O’Leary home and Holy Family Church, the Roman Catholic congregation of the O’Leary family, were both saved by shifts in the wind direction that kept them outside the burnt district. After the fire, 125 bodies were recovered. Final estimates of the fatalities ranged from 200–300, considered a small number for such a large fire. In later years, other disasters in the city would claim more lives: at least 600 died in the Iroquois Theater Fire in 1903; and, in 1915, 835 died in the sinking of the Eastland excursion boat in the Chicago River. Yet the Great Chicago Fire remains Chicago’s most well-known disaster for the magnitude of the destruction and the city’s recovery and growth. Almost immediately, reform began in the city’s fire standards, spurred by the efforts of leading insurance executives and fire prevention reformers such as Arthur C.

Ducat and others. Chicago emerged from the fire with one of the country’s leading fire fighting forces. A marker commemorating the fire outside the Chicago Fire Academy Land speculators, such as Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, and business owners quickly set about rebuilding the city. Donations of money, food, clothing and furnishings arrived quickly from across the nation. The first load of lumber for rebuilding was delivered the day the last burning building was extinguished. Only 22 years later, Chicago hosted more than 21 million visitors during the World’s Columbian Exposition. Another example of Chicago’s rebirth from the Great Fire ashes is the now famed Palmer House hotel. The original building burned to the ground in the fire just 13 days after its grand opening. Without hesitating, Potter Palmer secured a loan and rebuilt the hotel in a lot across the street from the original, proclaiming it to be "The World’s First Fireproof Building". In 1956, the remaining structures on the original O’Leary property were torn down for construction of the Chicago Fire Academy, a training facility for Chicago firefighters located at 558 W. DeKoven Street.

A bronze sculpture of stylized flames entitled Pillar of Fire by sculptor Egon Weiner was erected on the point of origin in 1961. Questions about the Fire Chicago Tribune Editorial Catherine O’Leary seemed the perfect scapegoat: she was a woman, an immigrant and Catholic, a combination which did not fare well in the political climate of the time in Chicago. This story was circulating in Chicago even before the flames had died out, and it was noted in the Chicago Tribune’s first post-fire issue. Michael Ahern, the reporter who came up with the story, would retract the "cow-and-lantern" story in 1893, admitting that it had been fabricated. More recently, amateur historian Richard Bales has come to believe it was actually started when Daniel "Pegleg" Sullivan, who first reported the fire, ignited some hay in the barn while trying to steal some milk. However, evidence recently reported in the Chicago Tribune by Anthony DeBartolo suggests Louis M. Cohn may have started the fire during a craps game. Cohn may also have admitted to starting the fire in a lost will. Dennis Regan was a resident of Chicago who was a neighbor of the O’Learys.

It is believed that he was an accomplice of Sullivan in the start of the Great Chicago Fire. Regan lived at 112 De Koven Street. As a witness of the fire, Regan testified that he heard someone outside yell that the O’Leary barn was on fire. Regan claimed that he attempted to warn the O’Learys and put out the fire. There are several holes in Regan’s story, the biggest one being that he could not have known of the fire before the O’Learys. With this knowledge, some have assumed that Regan assisted Sullivan, the real culprit, in his attempt to protect the farm animals and extinguish the fire. Afterwards, it is believed, Sullivan and Regan tried to cover up their involvement. An alternative theory, first suggested in 1882, is that the Great Chicago Fire was caused by a meteor shower. At a 2004 conference of the Aerospace Corporation and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, engineer and physicist Robert Wood suggested that the fire began when Biela’s Comet broke up over the Midwest and rained down below.

That four large fires took place, all on the same day, all on the shores of Lake Michigan (see Related Events), suggests a common root cause. Eyewitnesses reported sighting spontaneous ignitions, lack of smoke, "balls of fire" falling from the sky, and blue flames. According to Wood, these accounts suggest that the fires were caused by the methane that is commonly found in comets. Related Events In that hot, dry and windy autumn, three other major fires occurred along the shores of Lake Michigan at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire. Some 250 miles (400 km) to the north, a forest fire driven by strong winds consumed the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, along with a dozen other villages, killing 1,200 to 2,500 people and charring approximately 1.5 million acres (6,000 km²). Though the Peshtigo Fire remains the deadliest in American history, the remoteness of the region meant it was little noticed at the time. Across the lake to the east, the town of Holland, Michigan, and other nearby areas burned to the ground.

Some 100 miles (160 km) to the north of Holland the lumbering community of Manistee, Michigan, also went up in flames in what became known as The Great Michigan Fire. Farther east, along the shore of Lake Huron, the Port Huron Fire swept through Port Huron, Michigan and much of Michigan’s "Thumb". Also on October 9, 1871 a fire swept through the City of Urbana, Illinois, 140 miles (230 km) south of Chicago), destroying portions of its downtown area. Windsor, Ontario likewise burned on October 12. The city of Singapore, Michigan provided a large portion of the lumber to rebuild Chicago. As a result the town of Singapore was so heavily deforested that the area turned into barren sand dunes and the town had to be abandoned. The Great Conflagration The Chicago Historical Society has created a web site, in conjunction with Northwestern University, about the fire — “The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory.” Below is an excerpt of the information found on that site. We encourage you to check out the entire site; you will find a link in the Reference section below.

Besides the fact that the Great Chicago Fire started around 9 o’clock on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, somewhere in or very near the O’Leary barn, the exact particulars of its origins are unknown. But, given the dry summer and the careless way the city had been built and managed, a kick from a cow would have been sufficient but by no means necessary to burn Chicago down. As A.T. Andreas, the city’s leading nineteenth-century historian, put it, "Nature had withheld her accustomed measure of prevention, and man had added to the peril by recklessness." Chicago averaged about two fires a day the previous year, including twenty in the preceding week. The largest of these occurred just on Saturday night. Firemen still might have been able to contain the Sunday blaze but for a series of technological and human failures in the alarm system. The fire, driven by a strong wind out of the southwest, headed straight for the center of the city. It divided unpredictably into separate parts by hurling out flaming brands on the superheated draft it generated, leaping the South Branch of the Chicago River around midnight. Dividing yet again, it made short work of Conley’s Patch.

By 1:30 it reached the Courthouse tower, from which the watchman barely escaped through the burning stairway by sliding down the banisters. When city officials realized that the building was itself doomed, they released the prisoners from the basement just before the great bell plummeted through the collapsing tower… Please take time to further explore The Great Chicago Fire by accessing the Wikipedia articles referenced below… Other Events on this Day: In 1860… A telegraph line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1871… The Great Chicago Fire erupts, reportedly in the barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, ultimately leveling four square miles of the city and leaving more than 90,000 people homeless. The same night, four other deadly fires break out in cities throughout Michigan and Wisconsin, killing more than 1,500 people. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, long believed to have started the Chicago Fire by kicking over a lantern, is exonerated by the Chicago City Council in 1997. In 1871… A horrible forest fire burns a broad swath of Wisconsin and Michigan, killing 1,200 people.

In 1918… U.S Army Cpl. Alvin C. York almost single-handedly kills more than 20 German soldiers and captures 132 others in France’s Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne offensive of World War I. He is later awarded the Medal of Honor and scores of other military decorations for his bravery. In 1956… Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitches the only perfect game in World Series history, leading his team to a 2-0 victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5. Dates and events based on: William J. Bennett and John Cribb, (2008) The American Patriot’s Almanac Daily Readings on America. (Kindle Edition) Background information is from Wikipedia articles on: Wikipedia: Great Chicago Fire… 1000+ images about 1871 - Chicago fire - Illinois on Pinterest | Washington, A cow and The ruins Forward 1870 chicago white stockings team - this team is actually the first version of what would become the chicago cubs (in 1876). much of this squad joined the new national association in 1871.

sadly, the great chicago fire of 1871 wiped out the team’s park along with all of its equipment and uniforms. they would return to the na in 1874 before becoming the cubs and winning the first national league pennant in 1876. See More Black and White Photography | Another Thousand Words …in 1871, on this date, October 8th, disaster flared in Chicago. The Great Chicago Fire, as rendered by John Chapin (published in Harper’s Weekly) From Wikipedia : The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about 3.3 square miles (9 km2) in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, the rebuilding that began helped develop Chicago as one of the most populous and economically important American cities. An 1868 map of Chicago, displaying the area destroyed by the deadly, devastating fire.

The fire started at about 21:00 on Sunday, October 8, in or around a small barn that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street. The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. In 1893, Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republican reporter who wrote the O’Leary account, admitted he had made it up as colorful copy. The barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire, but the official report could not determine the exact cause. There has been speculation as to whether the cause of the fire was related to other fires that began the same day. The fire’s spread was aided by the city’s use of wood as the predominant building material, a drought prior to the fire, and strong winds from the southwest that carried flying embers toward the heart of the city. More than ⅔ of the structures in Chicago at the time of the fire were made entirely of wood. Most houses and buildings were topped with highly flammable tar or shingle roofs. Most Chicago architects modeled wooden building exteriors after another material using ornate, decorative carvings.

All the city’s sidewalks and roads were also made completely out of wood. The city did not react quickly enough, and at first, residents were not concerned about it, not realizing the high risk of conditions. The firefighters were tired from having fought a fire the day before. The firefighters fought the flames through the entire day and became exhausted. As the fire jumped to a nearby neighborhood, it began to destroy mansions, houses and apartments, most made of wood and dried out from the drought. After two days of the fire burning out of control, rain helped douse the remaining fire. City officials estimated that more than 300 people died in the fire and more than 100,000 were left homeless. More than four square miles were destroyed by the fire. The corner of State and Madison Streets, showing the utter destruction. The fire also led to questions about the developments in the United States. Due to Chicago’s rapid expansion at this time, the fire led to Americans reflecting on industrialization. The Religious point of view said that Americans should return to a more old-fashioned way of life, and that the fire was caused by people ignoring morality.

Many Americans on the other hand believed that a lesson that should be learned from the fire was that cities needed to improve their building techniques. Frederick Law Olsmsted attributed this to Chicago’s style of building: “Chicago had a weakness for “big things,” and liked to think that it was outbuilding New York. It did a great deal of commercial advertising in its house-tops. The faults of construction as well as of art in its great showy buildings must have been numerous. Their walls were thin, and were overweighted with gross and coarse misornamentation.” A Chicago Tribune editorial published after the Great Fire, stated the obvious…and Chicagoans took that message to heart, as rebuilding began almost immediately. * * * Chicago is not my hometown, but I feel it is important to know some history about wherever I live. Please click here if you want to read more about the Great Chicago Fire. 08/22/2013 …while walking up Van Buren Street to the Harold Washington Library, I noticed this odd reflection in the back window of an SUV: I love the distortion of the building on the northwest corner of Van Buren Street and Michigan Avenue…it wasn’t really falling over!

Just a few steps later, I saw this plaque: I’ve walked by this building so many times, yet never took a shot. Here’s a look up at The Buckingham facade, with the CNA Insurance building reflected in its windows: I always like ‘wavy glass’! The CNA Center, at the northeast corner of Van Buren and Wabash Streets, is 600 feet tall with 44 stories…I got a little dizzy looking up to take some shots! Some years back, a woman was killed when one of the panes of glass quite high up dislodged from its frame and fell directly on her…all windows were repaired while the building was surrounded with scaffolding for a lengthy amount of time. After I finished at the library, I walked up to Madison and Dearborn Streets to pay my phone bill. Just across Van Buren stands the Chase Bank Tower, but I haven’t processed those shots yet because… …to the south of Chase Bank Tower is the Exelon Plaza, with this fabulous fountain surrounded by all the downtown-types having luncheon. Here’s a closer-up shot in color: It was a glorious day to dine al fresco, but I didn’t, as I had quite another reason for being there!

(to be continued) "The Signature," September 27 issue by NAS Sigonella Signature (page 3) - issuu issuu C O M M UNI T Y C A LEND A R september Relocation Fair FFSC 1 - 3 p.m. 28 Half Price Bowling* Sparetime Bowling Catania Shopping Day ITT 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Thursday Catania Shopping Day ITT 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. $1 Bowling* Sparetime Bowling *EVERY MONDAY 7 NAS I Chapel 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. *EVERY MONDAY Storytime* Library 10 a.m. Texas Hold'em Jox Pub 6 p.m. 10 Friends Night Out* Sparetime Bowling THE SIGNATURE PAGE 5 Fire Prevention Night 2013 Participate in by John Roush Fire Prevention Division, NAS Sigonella Join the Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella community for Fire Prevention Night at the Marinai Housing Sports Complex on Oct. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Fire Prevention Night is focused on promoting the community’s attention towards fire safety and prevention. Fire Prevention Week was declared by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925. The week always falls in October to remember the Great Chicago Fire. The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, Oct. 8, to early Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about 3.3 square miles in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, once the fire had ended, the smoldering remains were still too hot for a survey of the damage to be completed for days. Eventually the city determined that the fire destroyed an area about four miles long and averaging 3/4 mile wide, encompassing more than 2,000 acres. Destroyed were more than 73 miles of roads, 17,500 buildings, and $222 million in property. Of the 300,000 inhabitants, 100,000 were left homeless.

Fire Prevention Night is also the focus throughout America of an annual fire, safety, and awareness campaign sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association. the "Best Chili" contest The Navy Ball Committee and Fire and Emergency Services invites the community to participate in the "Best Chili" contest Oct. 8, at the Sports Field Parking Lot in Marinai during the Fire Prevention Night event. Bring your crock pot of chili and proof of food handlers certificate by 6:15 p.m. to the chili contest registration table at the event. If interested in volunteering, contact Fire and Emergency Services LPO ABH1 Glen Catbagan at 624-5200 or 335606-5838. THIS IS A NON-FEDERAL ENTITY. IT IS NOT A PART OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OR ANY OF ITS COMPONENTS AND IT HAS NO GOVERNMENTAL STATUS.

PREVENTION continued from PAGE 1 *EVERY THURSDAY IMPORTANT EXTENSIONS: SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 ITT Gear & Go: x4777, x4396 Liberty/Connections/Take 5: x4246, x5602 Outdoor Rec: x4777, x4396 Fitness: x4483, x5243 Midtown 2 Theaters: x4248 FFSC: x4291 American Red Cross: x4900 Does your command or organization have an event you’d like to see on the Community Calendar? Email us at thesig@eu.navy.mil and let us know! Need an appointment at the hospital? Call DSN 624-CARE (2273) or commercial 095-56-2273, M-F: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

For non-emergent medical questions that arise over the weekend, holidays, or after office hours, please call 335-578-8077 if you are normally seen at the hospital or 335-578-8150 if you are normally seen at the Flight Line Clinic. When in doubt, TRUST YOUR GUT. Instincts are there for a reason. When a situation makes us feel uncomfortable, it is generally a good indicator that something is not right. It is better to be wrong about the situation than do nothing. We have a responsibility to intervene. When we fail to act, we condone the bad behavior. But, as a member of the military community, IT IS OUR DUTY to act. You have the skills to act! • Watch out for other members of the military community • Come up with a plan beforehand • Talk to your friends about how they would want you to intervene if they are in an uncomfortable situation. • Choose the intervention strategy that is best for the situation • Take a breath and make your move • Get support from someone in charge, when possible Important information to know DoD policy provides two reporting options for victims: Restricted Reporting and Unrestricted Reporting.

Victims can receive support, medical care, counseling, and a Sexual Assault Forensic Examination regardless of which option is chosen. “Restricted Reporting” provides a victim the opportunity to confidentially disclose a sexual assault to specified individuals, receive medical treatment, and use support services without triggering the investigative process. When a Restricted Report is made through proper channels, a victim’s identity is not released to command officials. The installation Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), Victim Advocates (VA), Healthcare Providers and Chaplains may receive a Restricted Report. This option gives victims additional time to weigh their options and to seek guidance about whether or not to participate in a criminal investigation. An “Unrestricted Report” initiates an official investigation of a sexual assault using standard reporting channels. Victims can receive the same medical care and resources available in the restricted option, but this option immediately alerts law enforcement and initiates the investigative process. Under this option, a victim’s commander is also notified. For information about how you can help, please contact the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) at DSN 624-4291.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance due to a sexual assault, please call a trained victim advocate, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on the SAPR Hotline at 335-642-8312 or the SARC at DSN 624-4291. The Great Chicago Fire Blog The Great Chicago Fire The fire of October 1871 might have been a blessing in disguise for a city that wanted badly to be a player on the international cultural scene. And then Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked off one of the most talked-about scenarios of American lore. Or do Chicagoans continue to embrace this urban legend as their link to immortality? Background Chicagoï¿½s population had exploded from about 4,000 souls when it gained its first city charter in 1837, to 30,000 in 1850, then to an astounding 330,000 by 1871. It had just passed St. Louis as the fourth-largest city in America and sat poised to become a major player on the international scene.

This rapid growth, however, occurred with little planning. Some brick-and-mortar office buildings existed, but thousands of structures were literally ï¿½thrown up" to accommodate the vast influx of European immigrants. Shantytowns sprang up alongside ornate mansions. Streets and sidewalks were constructed of wood. One water station served the entire city. Only two-and-a-half inches of rain had fallen on the city between July 3 and October 9. Chicago had averaged about two fires a day over the past year and 20 the previous week; the fire department was woefully understaffed. That set the stage for the unseasonably warm evening of October 8. The facts about the fire There is little dispute that on the Sunday evening of October 8, 1871, something ignited a fire in Patrick and Catherine O'Leary's barn at 137 De Koven St. on Chicago's west side.

When the flames subsided on Tuesday morning, the Great Fire had consumed more than three square miles (some 2,000 acres) of the city, taken 300 lives, left 100,000 without shelter (about a third of the population), and destroyed property valued at nearly $200 million. Ironically, the Oï¿½Leary house was upwind of the fire and survived. The cause Most school-aged children are taught to believe that a cow kicked over a lit kerosene lantern, which started a fire in Oï¿½Learyï¿½s barn and eventually spread out to destroy the city of Chicago. But is this ï¿½fairy tale" a reality? After interviewing 51 people who were near the fire when it broke out or experts to help on the technical end, an investigative panel came to the conclusion that it was unable to identify the cause. Other theories were bandied about. There seems to have been some inconsistencies in the testimonies of Daniel ï¿½Peg Leg" Sullivan and Dennis Regan. Sullivanï¿½s house was located across the street and to the east of the Oï¿½Learys'.

He testified that, after visiting the Oï¿½Learys, he walked across the street, proceeded past his own house, then sat in front of William Whiteï¿½s house, one house farther east. Sullivan said he could see the fire break out later and ran to the Oï¿½Learys to help save the animals. One problem: The line of from the white house to the Oï¿½Leary barn was blocked by the James Dalton house. Regan testified that he heard music as he passed the McLaughlin house, where a party had been going on, on his way to help with the fire. Problem Two: Mrs. McLaughlin testified that the fire had started after the music stopped. Some conjecture has it that the two men were in the barn, where they had been ï¿½hundreds of times." That may not have been unusual for them. They may have wrestled a bit, accidentally knocked the glowing wad of tobacco from Sullivanï¿½s pipe, and then gone their separate ways. Another theory: Could it have been a fragment of a rogue comet that touched off this fire, as well as in upstate Wisconsin and Michigan, on the same night?

The foregoing postulation has been bounced around since 1883 ï¿½ and most often rejected. There is a scientific basis for the theory, however. Scientists speculate fragments from Bielaï¿½s Comet could have ignited the Great Fire in Chicago as well as killing 2,000 people and devastating four million acres of farm and prairie land. Pre-fire Chicago The larger picture shows Chicago at a place where the manufacturing East meets the agricultural West, and at a time when the nation was flexing its financial muscles in the international arena. The microcosm would reveal a spunky town with a diverse ethnicity. There was an ever-increasing influx of people, money, goods, and information. There was the lakefront ( Lake Michigan ) and the branches of the Chicago River, which split the city into north, south, and west; each sector hummed with commercial activity. Ten railroads converged on Chicago. The city was linked by rail coast to coast. Seventeen grain elevators had a total capacity of about 12 million bushels, or about 550,000 cubic yards. Factories, of which there were more than 1,100, included the McCormick Reaper Works.

The Board of Trade was among several commercial exchanges. Wholesalers included grocer Z.M. Hall, located in the five-story Lind Block building. A bustling retail trade on State Street included the Field and Leiter department store and Booksellerï¿½s Row. The Union Stock Yards processed more than three million head of livestock in 1871. The tinderbox Chicago had averaged about two fires a day during the previous year, including 20 in the previous week. The largest of those had occurred on Saturday night, on the eve of the ï¿½Big One." The fire at the Oï¿½Learys headed straight for the center of town, prodded by gusting winds of 20 mph from the southwest. It unexpectedly hopped the South Branch of the Chicago River around midnight. Splitting in two yet again, the fire consumed Conleyï¿½s Patch, a shantytown of Irish immigrants, comprising flimsy, tightly packed wooden structures not fit to be called ï¿½housing." By 1:30 it reached the Courthouse tower where law-breakers were housed. City officials released the prisoners moments before the great bell came crashing through the ceiling of the basement.

Thousands of people, with flames licking at their heels, scrambled to escape to the North Division. By 3:30 a.m., the roof collapsed on the pumping station, rendering firefighting efforts moot. Back in the South Division, the offices of the Chicago Tribune, whose editors throughout the summer and fall had railed prophetically against lax fire safety standards, were destroyed. As the fire spread, hordes rushed to positions from which they could watch it advance. Before long, however, they realized that this probably wasnï¿½t the best decision they had ever made. A panicked retreat began with families becoming separated, and chaos set in. Even the ground itself was on fire. The streets, sidewalks, and bridges were made of wood, providing ample fuel for the fire, and it seemed the river was vulnerable, as well, as several vessels on the water and grease that had been dumped unthinkingly along the banks of the river, caught fire. The conflagration engulfed the cityï¿½s gasworks. The result was predictable. The enormous explosion added tons of volatile fuel to the firestorm .

The fire now was showing signs of what firefighters call a ï¿½convection effect," the ability produce a concentrated updraft, as if creating a perpetual, self-generating entity that could move forward on its own accord without help from any wind. Air from every direction got sucked into the center of the flames, generating a whirlwind effect carrying flaming debris high into the night air. The fiery shards latched onto the city waterworks and made a shambles of the structure, effectively shutting down firefighting efforts. As the fire marched inexorably north, such other phenomenona as spontaneous combustion, sent buildings thundering into flame without being touched by the main body of the fire. In the North Division of the city, tens of thousands of ethnic Scandinavians and Germans had more time to escape than those in Conleyï¿½s Patch, yet nearly all suffered the same fate ï¿½ the loss of whatever dwelling in which they had resided. Miraculously, only the mansion of real estate millionaire Mahlon D. Ogden was spared from the flames ï¿½ that by a shift in the wind.

Eventually the fire reached the edge of the city with only prairie grass and dry sod to feed the flames, and expired on its own. The burned-out, bedraggled, and newly homeless flocked together in disoriented groups on open stretches of prairie west and northwest of town; in the South Division, refugees huddled along Lake Michigan, in the North Division, they hunkered down at the south end of Lincoln Park and along "the Sands," a scrap of lakeshore just north of the river. Here Chicagoans who previously had little reason to speak to each other were shepherded together in one polyglotonous group. As one historian put it, ï¿½One could find Mr.

McCormick, the millionaire of the reaper trade, and other north-side nabobs, herding promiscuously with the humblest laborer, the lowest vagabond, and the meanest harlot." The aptly called "Burnt District," a map of which appeared in virtually every printed account of the fire, comprised an area four miles long and an average of three-quarters of a mile wide ï¿½ more than two thousand acres ï¿½ including more than 28 miles of streets, 120 miles of sidewalks, and at least 2,000 lampposts. Gone, too, were countless trees, shrubs, and flowering plants in "the Garden City of the West." Some 18,000 buildings and about a third of the valuation of the entire city went up in smoke. Even though half of that amount was insured, several company failures cut the actual payments in half. Those structures and businesses left standing were located on the west or south sides of the Burnt District. They included most of the heavy industries, including the stockyards. The downtown railroad depots were totaled, but not the far more critical rail lines themselves.

What the fire could not touch was one of Chicago's most important assets, its location. It made the city more accessible to resources and markets throughout the nation and the world at a time when the United States was assuming a role in world leadership in industrial enterprise. "As the Phoenix from the ashes...." Because of Chicagoï¿½s pre-fire economic momentum and commercial ties and the unique geographic situation, the city couldnï¿½t have failed to rebuild itself if it had tried. It was ï¿½meant to be." One thing the Great Fire hadnï¿½t taken from the people of Chicago was their grit and determination to rebound from the calamity ï¿½ it would become bigger, better ï¿½ and wiser. The worst of times had rallied the best of men. Joseph Medill, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, put out a special edition trumpeting, ï¿½Chicago will rise from the ashes!" Potter Palmer, whose new hotel and 32 other holdings were destroyed in the fire, set out immediately to raise capital for reconstruction. Jonathan Scammon broke ground on a new, fully pre-rented office building only four days after the fire.

The confidence and enthusiasm of those men and others rang up and down the social ladder, calling Chicagoans to the challenge. City officials, in makeshift offices in the First Congressional Church on the cityï¿½s west side, set the price on bread, forbade wagon drivers from charging more than what was normal, and limited saloon hours, in order to keep looting and price-gouging to a minimum. They also banned smoking. Even before the fire burnt itself out, plans were being made to remake the city. Within days, even as the rubble was being removed, enterprising small businesses erected sheds and stands. Business traffic began to move again. Within six weeks, more than 200 stone and brick buildings had been started in the South Division alone. By 1872, $50 million had been pumped into construction. In 1873, amid a national recession, Chicago proudly hosted the Inter-State Industrial Exposition, which promoted the city and the Northwest (of that era). By 1885, America had its first skyscraper, the nine-story high Home Insurance Building. Over the next two decades, hundreds of millions of dollars would pour into Chicago.

By the end of the 19th century, the city was well on its way to recovery. - - - Books You May Like Include: ---- Historic Displays - Taltree Arboretum & Gardens - Taltree Arboretum & Gardens Taltree Arboretum & Gardens Ecologically diverse wetlands, woodlands, savannas, prairies and formal gardens in Northern Indiana. Historic Displays The Vignettes—Phase One The Railway Garden is an exciting balance of gardens, historical vignettes and activities. A variety of highly-detailed and accurate vignettes will tell captivating stories of historical scenes and events. Lincoln’s Funeral Train stopped at Michigan City, Indiana The Indiana Limestone Quarry vignette An early dockside Santa Fe 2-4-4 #53 engine stopping at a prairie town. The east end of the Urban vignette with the stockyard and burned remnants of the city in the background. The hand-built replica of a furniture factory (right) was created by Dennis Rayon of the Ozark Garden Railway Society. Rayon-designed Furniture Factory Building the Railroad The Transcontinental Railroad is the most magnificent railroad project ever conceived.

It connects the two great oceans and is an indissoluble bond between the populous States of the East and the undeveloped regions of the West. It is a highway which leads to peace and future prosperity. Crews of Chinese workers are carving out the mountains to build a rail track from the nation’s west coast. Across the vignette, visitors will see the 3-story dormitory boxcars occupied by Irish workers building the railroad from the east and explore the mobile frontier “towns” (Hell on Wheels) that provided distraction. Photographs and artifacts will depict the meeting of the two tracks in Utah in 1869. The Civil War For the first time in history, railroads played a role in a war’s outcome, carrying troops and materials and offering another weapon in combat. The setting for this vignette is Indiana and eastern states during the 1860s. Crews of Union men dismantle bridges and tracks as a train full of troops and supplies speeds toward it. A chase is underway in the distance as Confederate pursuers try to catch up with The General, a hijacked locomotive. In the woods, a smuggler carries medical supplies across the lines to a southern campground where life is bustling.

A few soldiers raid a fruit tree and steal a pig, while in a tent Union and Confederate generals negotiate. Lincoln’s Funeral As visitors move down the path past a small valley they are captured by the unusual sight of a horse-drawn funeral cortege passing slowly through a small rural settlement in Indiana, mourners standing thick along the way, while children run alongside it. A woman faints from the heat. Lincoln’s funeral train, loaded with Union soldiers and dignitaries and with a portrait of Lincoln on its front, stands chugging in the station waiting for the coffin to be loaded back up to continue its journey. Rapid Growth and Vanishing Americans: A Prairie Town The landscape opens up to the sweep of the Great Plains. In the foreground, a prairie town is going up quickly with false fronts and muddy streets, and a train carrying pre-built wooden buildings passes slowly by. Heaped along the track are piles and piles of buffalo skins and bones. Homesteaders stand in line at a small Land Claims office, while wagons heaped with household goods travel into the tall grass with a single cow and a dog.

In one area, homesteaders have already plowed, replacing the prairie with square fields of wheat; horse-drawn plows are still at work and a few livestock graze. Farther away, a bustle of workers with hats, a boss in a suit, and horse-drawn wagons heaped with soil marks another new railroad line being graded. And in the background, a small group of Indians are seen moving away, their belongings loaded on horses or being dragged by horse or dog-drawn travois; children and adults ride or walk. A very sparse group of buffalo graze, but the main thing remaining are overgrown buffalo trails and abandoned wallows—large, deep, round hollows now overgrown with violets. In prairie wetlands and potholes, flocks of birds still gather. Life Transformed: Small Town Hissing steam and the sounds of brakes, wheels and whistles mark a small town clustered along train tracks and a depot. Coal and water towers service trains coming through, including water for the livestock on board. Ice is loaded into cooler cars and a lumber mill whines in the distance.

A small paddock holds cows, sheep and other livestock while farmers wait in line with wagons to sell their autumn harvest at the grain elevator. The Depot building with a huge clock is busy with railroad employees, town dignitaries, and families with their luggage; the streets contain small shops, schools, churches and homes. Kids and dogs run beside the train rolling hoops or wave at the engineer. Urban Center: Chicago After the Great Fire of 1871 The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about four square miles in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, the rebuilding that began almost immediately spurred Chicago’s development into one of the most populous and economically important American cities. (above copied from Wikipedia) Railroads created urban hubs for the vast social and industrial network of a growing economy. Lumber Camp Steam locomotives push their way into a snowy, forested landscape, clearing trees as they go.

As one area is cleared, tracks are laid into the forest to transport the small lumbering locomotives that help move equipment and carry out the cleared logs. Miles of cleared land stretches into the distance. A boat sits at a lake shore where stacks of lumber await shipping; men chop or saw trees, or stand around with equipment, breaths showing in the cold. Back in the woods, the heads of Paul Bunyan and Babe emerge above the forest. Coal Mine A coal pit building has a ramp where narrow gauge coal trains emerge from mine tunnels filled with coal, and beneath the building, dump the coal into waiting train cars. Near the pit building are workers houses and a general store. A coal company building owned by a railroad provides most of the equipment and it gets repaired in adjacent shops nearby. A burned out train in the distance might date to before the advent of the cleaner, safer anthracite coal. Indiana Limestone Quarry Extraction of limestone has left a deep pit in the ground. Men and equipment swarm, cutting more limestone and using cranes to load it onto rail cars ramped down to the bottom of the pit. Huge limestone pillars occupy entire flatbeds, while a man stands next to a stone marked as the largest piece ever extracted.

“I grew up in the city where even parks were rare. When I moved to Indiana a few years ago, I found a natural wonderland called Taltree. Taltree offers everything that I longed for, natural beauty, hiking trails and serenity. One visit to Taltree was all I needed. I became a member the next day. On occasion, I just sit on a bench and watch the grasses and trees gently blow in the wind, smell the flowers and listen to the birds sing…This is why I come to Taltree.”

Question: What, in October 1871, was one of the biggest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, killing hundreds and destroying about four square miles of city buildings?
Answer: Great Chicago Fire