Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== EAST SHORE NEWS PENTWATER, OCEANA Co., MICH. VOL. I, NO. 40 Friday, 20 October 1871 TERRIBLE FIRES. ------------ Further From Chicago ------------ OUR OWN STATE ------------ Minnesota and Wisconsin ------------ AT CHICAGO [The following is the Associated Press report of the great fire in Chicago, and can be relied upon as being correct. A volume might, and undoubtedly will be writ- ten, concerning this terrible calamity, but the follow- ing will give the reader some idea of the extent and character of the disaster. - EDS. NEWS.] CHICAGO, Oct. 10. - Late Sunday evening a boy went into a stable on Duquom street, near the river, on the west side, to milk a cow, carrying with him a kerosene lamp. This was kicked over by a cow, and the burning fluid was scattered among the straw. This was the be- ginning of the great fire. A single extinguisher on the ground, or the active work of the police in tearing down one or two shanties, would have prevented the spread- ing of the flames; but the engines were waited for, and when they arrived, the firemen, stupefied by their exer- tions at the fire on Saturday night, worked slowly and clumsily. Their efforts were unavailing. The wind from the southwest blew a gale. Rapidly the flames shot from house to house, and board yard to board yard, until the district burned on the night before was reached. Meanwhile the flames had crossed the river north of Twelfth street to the south side, and made for the brick and stone business blocks, the railroad freight depots and manufacturing establishments, when the full extent of the danger was realized for the first time. The fire department, already tired out, worked like heroes. The Mayor and his city government, that had supinely rested, now began to exert themselves, but the opportunity had been lost. The time when, through organ- ization, they could have blown up buildings or perpared for the emergency, was neglected. It was a fight for life. The wind, blowing a steady gale, had possession of the flames, and the beautiful buildings - Chicago's glory - lay before them. Harrison, Van Buren, Adams, Monroe and Madison streets, were soon reached, the intervening blocks from the river to Dearborn street on the east being consumed. Three quarters of a mile of brick blocks were consumed as if by magic. It being Sunday, the proprietors and employers were at home, utterly unconscious of what was transpiring. Those who saw the flames supposed they were the remains of Saturday night's fire, and having confidence in the fire department were unconcerned. But between eleven and twelve o'clock a rumor got abroad that the fire was in the business portion of the city. Then the people commenced running. Horses were bro't into re- quisition to take proprietors and others to the conflagra- tion. What a scene met their gaze! The Board of Trade building, Court House, Western Union Telegraph, Associated Press offices and hundreds of other buildings were all in a flame. The air was filled with live coals, which were hurled to the north and east, a besom of destruction. Fire engines were powerless for saving. All that man could do was to blow up the buildings. But this availed but little. The Times, Tribune, Post, Republican, Journal, and other newspaper offices, the Western News Company block, Field & Leiter's establishment, the Drake block, recently built by Farwell & Co., all were soon in ashes. It seemed that no sooner had the flames struck a wall than it went directly through it, and a very few minutes sufficed to destroy the most elaborately built structure. The walls melted, and the very bricks were con- sumed. The wooden pavements took fire, making a continuous sheet of flame, two miles long by a mile wide; and no human being could possibly survive many minutes in the streets. Block after block fell, and the red-hot coals shot higher and higher and spread farther and farther, until the north side was a vast sheet of flame from the river to the lake. At one time so hemmed in were the people that it was ex- pected that thousands must perish. The Sherman, Tremont and other hotels were emptied of guests, and a remarkable sight presented itself in the hurrying throngs and trunks, sacks or bags on their shoul- ders, fleeing amid flames for their lives. Those who could make for the remaining bridges did so. Others got next to the lake shore, and one block in all the most business sec- tion remained at daylight, the Tribune block. The Custom House and Honore block, on Dearborn street, had burned, and those who had fought the flames here, thought at least this block could be saved. A patrol of men under Samuel Medill swept off the live coals and put out the flames on the sidewalks, and another lot of men, under the direction of Hon. Joseph Medill, watched the roof. At half-past seven o'clock this appeared safe, and most of the men went to get rest or food. A num- ber went to sleep in the Tribune building. But there was a change of wind, and the flames reached Wabash avenue, State street, and Michigan avenue, and soon McVicker's Theatre caught fire. In a few minutes the Tribune was in flames. At the last moment sleeping men were aroused and rescued from the flames. By ten o'clock in the forenoon, this remaining block was in ashes. Here was to be seen the most remarkable sight ever beheld in this or any country. There were from 50,000 to 75,000 men, women and children fleeing by every available street and alley to the southward and westward, attempting to save their clothing and their lives. Every available vehicle was brought into requisition, for which enormous prices were paid, and the streets and sidewalks presented a sight. Thousands of persons and horses were inextricably commingled. Poor people of all colors and shades and of every nationality, from Europe, China and Africa, mad with excitement, struggled with each other to get away. Hundreds were trampled under foot. Men and women were loaded with bundles of their household goods, to whose skirts were clinging tender infants half dressed and barefooted, all seeking places of safety. Hours after- wards these might have been seen in vacant lots, or in the streets far out in the suburbs, stretched in the dust. These are the sufferings, these are the lambs whom Christ now calls on the rich world to feed and clothe. God help them if the heart of men shall prove obdurate. One of the most pitiful sights was that of a middle- aged woman on State street, loaded with bundles, stuggling through the crowd singing the Mother Goose melody: "Chickery, Chickery, craney crow, I went to the well to wash my toe," etc. There were hundreds of others likewise distracted and many rendered desperate by whisky or beer, which from ex- cess of thirst in the absence of water, they had drank in great quantities, and these spread themselves in every direction, a terror to all they met. It is fearful to think of the loss of life. It is con- jectured and with great cause, that nearly 500 persons have been burned to death. We saw four men enter a burning build- ing, and in a moment they were overwhelmed by the falling wall. There were crowds of men around the corner of a building trying to save property, when the wall yielded some of them were buried beneath it. These were on the South Side. On the North Side 12 or 15 men, women and children rushed into the building of the Historical Society, a fire-proof build- ing, for safety. In a few minutes the flames burst up and they were burned to death. Among them was the venerable Col. Sam Stone, long connected with the society. He was 80 years of age; also John B. Gerad and wife, and Made- moiselle Depelgrone, a noted teacher of music who perished. All the books and papers of the Historical Society, in- cluding the original copy of the famous emancipation pro- clamation of President Lincoln, for which the society paid $5,500, were destroyed. It is feared that large numbers of children inmates of the Catholic Orphan Society on State street, were also burned as many of them are missing. It is feared that Dr. Frear and family were also burned, as they were in the building and have not been seen since. Mrs. Edsall, whose husband was murdered last week, suffer- ing from illness, was carried away for protection to a building which was afterwards consumed, and it is also feared that she perished. On Chicago avenue a father rushed up stairs to carry three children away, when he was overtaken by the flames and perished with them. The mother was afterwards seen on the street on the northwest sode a raving maniac. In the same neighborhood a family of five persons perished. The list of such fatalities is very long and can only be verified when the smoke shall have cleared away. There are hundreds of families on that side, who saved no cloth- ing but barely their lives. Among them is the family of Perry Smith, formerly President of the Northwestern Rail- road Company. LATER. - A careful survey of the insurance to-day shows that there was written on the property destroyed over $200,000,000. Add another $100,000,000 to this, and a fair estimate is reached of the loss. -------------- From various sources. SUMMARY PUNISHMENT OF VILLAINS. The police continue to capture thieves, burglars and incendiaries. They generally deal with them in a manner to prevent them ever plying their vocation again. GRAIN SAVED. The amount of grain destroyed in the elevators is esti- mated at two and a half million bushels, while four and a half million bushels were stored in the four large elevators belonging to Munn & Scott. The Illinois Central elevator, and the Iowa elevator of Spruance & Preston, are saved and uninjured. ESCAPE ON A BARGE. About 500 persons escaped on the North Side on a barge, which, fortunately, lay in one of the slips on the North Side, floated out and down to one of Goodrich steamers, which towed them out into the lake, where they lay till yesterday morning. Among the persons who escaped on the barge was Mr. Baxter, of the well known firm of Webster & Baxter. 110,000 PEOPLE HOMELESS A careful estimate of the number of people rendered homeless, based upon the recent census, puts the total at not less than 110,000, distributed as follows: In North Division, 85,000, or all but 5,000 of the entire population, according to the recent city census. In the South Division 20,000, and in the West Division 5,000. VAST QUANTITIES OF PROVISIONS ARRIVING Immense quantities of provisions have been sent from every direction. Several hundred carloads reached here last night and this morning, accompanied by committees. All fear of suffering from starvation have disappeared. PACKING HOUSES AND ELEVATORS SAVED. The packing houses in Chicago and many of the elevators remain uninjured, and these two businesses of Chicago's best property, will be but slightly interrupted.. THE NORTH DIVISION GONE It is literally true to say that this side of the river north to Lincoln park, on the north, and from the north branch of the river on the west to the lake on the east, is destroyed. But one house can be seen standing. Correspondent Detroit Tribune. INCENDIARISM. While roberry (sic) was to be expected and riot not deemed extraordinary or improbable, the very arch demon himself could not be suspected of an intention to re- ignite what remains of this crushed and broken city. And yet fully ten authenticated cases of incendiarism were discovered last night and this afternoon, four of them successful in their object despite the presence of thousands of patrolmen on every street. On the North Side, west of LaSalle, one of these attempts was made and resulted in the shooting of the mad devil who did the deed; but the flames were quenched in the ruins of a single house. This is the only case recorded in what is left in that division of the city. The few squares that remain there offer no adequate temptation. On the South and West Sides, the attempts were more numerous, but, fortunately, no more successful. Cottage Grove, the southern extreme of the business part of the city, in fact almost a little city in itself of residences and business houses, was the special aim of the incen- diary hatred. Four cases of deliberate attempts at fire-setting were detected there in the space of twelve hours. Result - two men hung, one shot, one chopped through the head with an ordinary domestic axe; three houses partially burned, and three more families wan- derers. A servant girl discharged a couple of weeks since from a residence in the same section, returned last night, and was caught in the act of igniting a cotton ball soaked in kerosene. Unfortunately, she was not hung, but carried to the nearest police sta- tion. This afternoon a man was discovered flinging a clothes line, saturated with kerosene, into the back yard of a row of cottages on 33d street. A policeman's bullet went through his heart. Many other cases are reported whose authematic details have not been fur- nished from police headquarters. On the West Side a man in woman's clothes was caught prowling about a densely populated part of the city, south and west of the Jesuit Church. Incendiary materials were in his possession, and he feigned insanity. The police re- moved his masqurade garments and locked him up. The sidewalk on West Jackson street was set on fire by a demon, who claimed to have done so accidentally, but who saw the flames creep to the nearest fence with calm delight. The fire was extinguished, and his dead body is now at the Madison street police station. A man who had the hardihood to avow incendiary intentions was hung in the southern part of the West Side and as many as a dozen arrests were made for the use of lan- guage tinctured with like demonism. Now what is it that takes possession of these fiends and drives them on to deeds like these? Not malice, surely for malice itself might weep at the spectacle of 7,000 penniless homeless people, who but a few brief hours ago, were happy, comfortable and contented. We call it nothing but insanity. GRATITUDE AND DEATH From the Chicago Tribune. The response of the men of the United States to the appalling calamity which has overtaken our city, has no parallel in the history of the world since Christ died for our our (sic) sins. We cannot return our thanks for their loving kindness. Words falter on our lips. Only our steaming eyes can tell how deeply we feel their good- ness. While, however, the stricken people have already roused themselves from the first stunning bewildering effects of the terrible blow to their business and are manfully girding themselves to rebuild their ruined for- tunes, the eighty dead bodies already lying in ghastly rows in the Morgue, the two long columns of names of the missing in this morning's paper, the churches and school- houses crowded still with half clothed weeping women and children, are terrible reminders of the calamity, whose horrors no words will ever be found to describe. The bodies in the Morgue were mostly found on the North Side, and it is but too certain that only a small portion of the number, who were caught in the raging sea of flames were not utterly consumed. ===========================================================================