GREAT FIRE IN CHICAGO.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1168, 10 November 1871, Page 2

GREAT FIRE IN CHICAGO.

[From the News or the W.osld, lltli Oct/] [The following report was received from Omaha in. advance of the regular despatches. As will be seen, it greatly exaggerates in the number of lives lost. —Eds, Alta.] " Nearly the entire city of Chicago is in flames. It is reported that 7,000 or 8,000 lives have been lost. The fire is still raging and the wind blowing a hurricane. The nearest we can get to the city is our office at the stock yards, three or four miles out of the city." Chicago, Oct. 9.—Noon.—The whole business portion of the city is in ashes, from Harrison-street north to Chicago Avenue, and east of the river to the lake. The area of the fire is three miles in length to a mile or a mile and a half, in width. Every hotel , bank, express office, telegraph office, theatre, and newspaper office, with all wholesale houses in the city, are totally destroyed. Many thousand dwellings and the Water Works have been, destroyed. Early this morning the wind was blowing a perfect gale from the southwest, with sky of brass. No one can tell what the end will be. The only salvation for the remainder of the city is with the wind keeping its present direction. Many thousands of people are homeless, and most of them in a destitute condition. The unburned streets for miles are lined with household goods. No one dare think what the loss of life may be. The flames swept through the* city with the rapidity of prairie fire, and many must have perishedThe Western Union Telegraph Co. has succeeded in getting up few wires from a hasty improvised office in the southern part of the city, establishing communication in nearly all directions. Munificent offers of assistance are coming in from every quarter. Chicago, Oct. 9.—Everything cm braced in the district from Halstedstreet on the west to Harrison on the south, st.iaight north to Lincoln Park, and into the woods beyond, is in ashes. Only one bui'cUng is left standing (the Post-office), and that is completely gutted. One hundred thousand men, women and children are left homeless and without food. A lot of prisoners confined in the old jail were burned to death. Chicago, Oct. 10.—The railroads east and south are sending trains out this forenoon, as all the cars in the city stopping over Sunday are consumed. The incoming trains are all behind time, owing to the fires raging in the woods and prairies. The evening trains will probably start out on time. The mails at the post office being consumed, of course all the accumulation of mail matters for the day's delivery has been consumed. The mail for stock yards are taken from incoming trains for delivery there. The Water and Gas works are both destroyed. Probably for some time the only supply of water will be from Lake Michigan. All bridges across the Chicago river, from Van Buren street to the Lake, have beeen burned, and the only means of getting from one division to another is by the tunnels, the entrances to which are badly blocked. The newspaper offices have all or nearly all been swept out of existence and their material destioyed. No papers have been or will be issued down town to-day. The Sun office is the only one which has escaped conflagration. This morning a large number of teams have been sent by Messrs Tucker anil Sherman to assist in the removal of such furniture as had been saved from the Sherman House. Aid was telegraphed to Milwaukee at 3 o'clock on Sunday morning, and a number of fire engines were at once sent forward by express. The Banks have all been destroyed, except tlie First National, and the upper part of that is gutted. The vaults, however, are hir tact. Hotels in the district from Van Buren-strect to the river, and from the river to the lake, are all destroyed, and

the guests have sought refuge in hotels in other parts of the pity, Colonel J. J. S. Wilson, Superhv tendent, is in receipt of despatches from the leading cities announcing that aid is being forwarded for the sufferers. The Mayor of St. Louis telegraphs that 70,000d01. have been subscribed by the merchants. Cincinnati promises 100,000 dol., and Cleveland is proportionately generous, All this and a great deal more will be needed to relieve the immediate pressing wants, About three-fourths of the United States mails were saved and taken possession of by Colonel Wood, of the Post-office service. Chicago, Oct. 9.-6 p.m.—The progress of the flames in the South Division was finally arrested about 1 o'clock. This was accomplished by the blowing up and demolishing of several buildings on Wabash Avenue and Congress-street by Lieut.-General Sheridan. The district burned over in the South Division embraces everything from the main branch of the Chicago River to the lake, including about one hundred blocks. This district contained all the leading business houses, the banks, insurance offices, hotels, &c, A large number of churches, including St. Mary's Catholic church, the Trinity, First and Second Presbyterian,. St. Paul, Swedenborgian, etc, were destroyed. The Wesleyan church, on the, corner of Wabash Avenue and Congress street, is saved. The Michigan avenue chmch, on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Congress-street, and Congress Hall, directly adjoining, Congress; street are saved. Michigan Terrace, on Michigan Avenue, embracing the residences of Lieut-Governor Bross, Hon. J. Young Scammon, S. C. Griggs, and other lead-, ing citizens, is completely destroyed* with the furniture and nearly all their contents. . All the newspaper establishments: are completely wiped out. The Tribune building resisted for several hours, but finally yielded, when M'Vicker's theatre,, immediately adjoin* ing, which had also withstood the rag* ing element, finally succumbed.. In fact all the buildings in the dis, tfict, which claimed to be fire proof, shared the fate of those who could, make no such claims. The Great Central depot, at the foot of Lake street, became a heap of ruins, about nine o'clock. Most of the passenger cars of the, Michigan Central, Burlington and Quincy and Illinois Central railroads were moved on the breakwater and saved. West of Clark-street, in the South Division, the fire extended south as tar as Polk street, sweeping everything before it. The distance burned over here is some three blocks wide, and over half a mile in length, numbering about iwenty blocks. The buildings were generally of the cheaper character, era bracing saloons, small shops, poor re? sidences, &e. The district burned over on the west side commences at Tayloivstreet, running from Dekovan to Jefferson. It ran thence four or five blocks north, and then moved diagonally towards the river, and finally the west, line was established on Clinton-street, and reached thence to the river. it moved in this line northward until it reached the northwestern westside depdis, where it stopped a distance of nearly two miles from where it started, Pittsburg, Fort Wayne, Chicago, and Central and St. Louis dep6bs were in this territory. Both passenger and freight dep6ts are wiped out. Almost the entire Northern Division, from the main branch of the Chicago River to Lincoln Park, nearly two miles in length and one mile wide, is completely destroyed, including the Waterworks, a large number of elegant churches, to. This statement embraces the districts devasted, and includes al* most the entire business portion of the city. The portion south of Harrison-street, in the South Division, and reaching out many miles, is covered almost entirely with dwellings, composed largely of the more elegant class, is untouched, a,n4 may now be regarded as safe from jury. For miles and miles, in every direction, the sidewalks, lawns, vacant lots and front yards of the dwellings are filled with people who have escaped from the burning dwellings, taking

with them only a scanty amount of their furniture and clothing, They must jeceive immediate relief, or many will perish from exposure and starvation. THE VERY LATEST. Chicago, October 10—3.10 p.m.— Word is just brought that a fierce fire is raging on Thirty-first street. This street is two miles south of the southern fire limit, on the south side, and a little less distance from its limit on the west side. This has been set on fire for the purpose evidently of destroying the remaining part of the city, occupied by wealthy residents. Tt is also known that two men caught in the act of firing buildings have been shot, and the two others led off with ropes round their necks. As the wind is blowing a perfect gale, the end now cannot be foretold. Of course, as stated in my despatch, it is utterly impossible to make an approximate estimate of the entire cost, but it can scarcely fall below one hundred and fifty millions of dollars. But a fraction of this amount can be realised from the insurances.