INCIDENTS OF THE CHICAGO FIRE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 54, 3 February 1872, Page 15

INCIDENTS OF THE CHICAGO FIRE.

The “ Tribune” of the 20th has the following series of incidents connected with the fire : An lowan heard of the fire on Sunday morning, on Sunday evening he took passage to Chicago to succor the family of his son, who was living here. At a wayside station not far from Chicago he heard that the water works were burned, and that there was a scarcity of water. Not being familiar with our geographical position, he purchased a cask and brought it full of water to Chicago. A philanthropic expressman chaiged him fifty dollars for carting that barrel to his son’s residence. It was certainly a case of well meant, but misapplied, benevolence. A St Paul piper of the 17th says— A story is related of the proprietor cf St Caroline’s Court, a hotel on the West Side of Chicago, illustrative of General Sheridan’s idea of the eternal fitness of things. The General called at the hotel and inquired the price of hoard. “ Six dollars per day,” was the reply. “ The price before the fire?” inquired the General. “ Two dollars and a half.” General Sheridan replied that he would run that hotel himself, and at 2 dollars 50 cents per day. He placed an orderly in charge, and at once put a stop to exorbitant rates. One of the most impudent of all the actions performed during the fire was related yesterday. Orrington Lunt, Esq., one of our oldest and best citizens, had dragged his piano from his residence, on Michigan avenue, and was toiling along with it, when two men with a dray accosted him and asked him to whom it belonged. He replied that it was his own, and received the astounding information that they would like him to prove it. Without another word they placed the instrument on their vehicle and drove off. Of course remonstance was useless. He has not seen the piano since. The following curious incident is well authenticated: Mrs , the housekeeper of a prominent hotel, had made up her mind to leave the city a few days before the five. She had not drawn her salary for some time, and it amounted to 1000 dollars. On Saturday this

amount was handed to her by the proprietor. The boarders, at the earn© time, got up a testimonial amounting- to 150 dollars, and presented her with the money that evening. She deposited the greenbacks under the carpet in a corner of her room. When the fire was raging, Mrs rushed into hes room and succeeded in saving a favorite Canary bird, but she forgot all abowfc the money. The son of Mayor Mason, of Chicago, is worthy of Chicago and of his largehearted sire. On Saturday he was in Troy, this State, buying stoves. “He is & young man,” says the Troy “ Times,” “ and had just commenced business life. Married a little over a year ago, he was established in a prosperous stove trade, and had just completed a new house for himself and wife. Everything was swept away, except his wedding presents, which were at the house of bis father. This house was saved. Th<e fires were hardly extinguished before young Mason gathered these presents together and started with them for New York. He sold them to Tiffany & ! Co. for 5000 dollars. With this money he will now re-establish himself, opening a stove store for the time being in the basement of his father’s elegant residence. A car-load of stoves was shipped to him on Saturday. The young man shows ihe real Chicago pluck.” John Gilvin, of Decatur, was yesterday helping to get a safe out of the ruins on South Water street, near £he Union Depot. The men had got the safe nearly up on the sidewalk, when it slipped back upon them. This man came along and asked what was the matter with the safe, and one of them said it had slipped off the rollers and gone back on them. He said, “Get out of my way,” and seizing on it like Samson, lifted it up, walked to the waggon with it, ten or twelve feet, and threw it on the waggon. He caught it on the bottom edges, raised it up with the force levered against his breast, and walked off with it. The proprietor said it weighed 2464 pounds. The man then offered to bet oOOdol that he could lift and carry 8000 pounds. He is about five feet ten or eleven inches high, weighs perhaps 260 pounds, built like a Hercules, and about 88 years old. He was a boss bricklayer in Macon.