THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 28, 8 November 1871, Page 3

THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE.

NEARLY THE ENTIRE CITY IN FLAMES—EVERY HOTEL, NEWSPAPER EXPRESS OFFICE AND THEATRE BURNT—FIFTY TO ONE HUNDRED LIVES LOST—THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS HOUSELESS—THE WIND BLOWING A HURRICANE. [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 wincj 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. CincAGO, October 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 south-west, 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 perished. The Western Union Telegraph Company has succeeded in getting up a 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 from every quarter. Chicago, October 9. —Everything embraced in the district from Halsted-street-on the west to Harrison on the south, straight north to Lincoln Park, and into the woods beyond, is in ashes. Only one building is left standing (the Post-office), and that is completely gutted. One hundred thousand men, women, and children are homeless without food.

A lot of prisoners confined in the old jail were burned to death. Chicago, October 10. —The railroads east and south are sending no trains out tins forenoon, as all the cars in the city stopping over Sunday arc 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. Th; rail for stock yards are taken from incc .g 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 been 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 destroyed. 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 and Sherman to assist in the removal of such furniture as had been saved from the Sherman House.

Aid was telegraphed for to Milwaukee at 3 o’clock on Sunday morning, and a number of lire engines were at once sent forward by express. The Banks have all been destroyed, except the First National and the upper part of that is gutted. The vaults, however, arc intact. Hotels in the district from Van Burenstreet to the river, and from the river to the lake, arc all destroyed, and the guests have sought refuge in hotels in other parts of the city. Chicago, October 9.—G 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 Lieutenant-General Sheridan. Tho district burned over in the South Division embraces everything from tho main branch of the Chicago River to the lake, including about one hundred blocks. This district contained all the leading business houses, Ihc banks, insurance offices, hotels, &c. A large number of churches, including St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the Trinity, First Presbyterian, Second Presbyterian. St. Paul, Swedenborgian,&c. The Methodist church, on the corner of Wabash Avenue and Congress-street, is saved. The Michigan Avenue church, on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Congressstreet, and Congress Hall, directly adjoining on Congress-street, arc saved. Michigan Terrace, on Michigan Avenue, embracing the residences of LicutenantGovcrnor Bross, Hon. J. Young Scammon, S. C. Griggs, and other leading citizens, is completely destroyed, with the furniture and nearly all other contents. All the newspapers establishments are completely wiped out. The Tribune building resisted for several hours, but finally yielded, when McYicker’s theatre,immediately adjoining, which had also withstood the raging clement, dually succumbed. In fact all the buildings in the district, which claimed to he lire proof, shared the fate of those which 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 tho South Division, the fire extended south as far as Polk street, sweeping e erything before it. The distance bur- over here is some three blocks wide, and over half a mile in length, numbering about twenty blocks. The buildings were generally of the chcapcrcharacler, embracing saloons, small shops, poor residences, &c. The district burned over on the west side commences at Taylor street, running from Dekovan to Jefferson. If 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 depots, where it

stopped a distance of nearly two miles from where it started. Pittsburg, Fort Wayne, Chicago, and Central and St. Louis depots were in this territory. Both passenger and freight depots are wiped out. Almost the entire Northern Division, from the main branch of the Chicago River to Lincoln Park, nearty two miles in length and one mile wide, is completely destroyed, including the Waterworks, a large number of elegant churches, &c. This statement embraces the districts devastated, and includes almost the entire business portion of the city. The portion south of Harrison-street, in the South Division, and reaehingout many miles, is covered almost entirely with dwellings, composed largely of the more elegant class, is untouched and may now be regarded as safe from injury. For miles gjid miles in every direction, the sidewalks, lawns, vacant lots and front yards of the dwellings are filled with people who have escaped from their burning dwellings, taking with them only a scanty amount of their furniture and clothing. The}* must receive immediate relief, or many will perish from exposure and starvation.