History of the Great Chicago Fire, October 8, 9, and 10, 1871 / Goodsell, James H.

NORTH DIVISION.

The north side, in proportion to its size, perhaps suffered more than both of the other divisions united. Practically, with the exception of a few streets, which were occupied by retail stores to a certain extent, as Clark and Wells streets, and also North Water and Kinzie streets, which were occupied by wholesale stores, commission merchants, wholesale butchers, manufactories, etc., and a narrow strip along the north branch occupied by lumber and coal yards, the north side was almost exclusively a residence portion of the city. In the extent of territory burned, north Chicago was also the most unfortunate. Doubly unfortunate, also, was it in the fact that when the fire once started north of the river its progress was entirely unchecked, all the fire engines being at work on the south side, from whence they could not reach the north side, even if they would, except by a long detour around by Twelfth street and the west division,--a raging barrier of flame making it impossible for the engines to pass over either the Lake street, Randolph street, Madison street, or Adams street bridges to the west side, and so from that side oyer the Kinzie street bridge and other bridges north of that bridge. In addition to this, the north side was unfortunate in that its population, moving almost block by block as the flames progressed north, were at last compelled, with the exception of a comparatively few families, to sleep out all night on the open prairie, which environs the north division on the west and north; the fire not ceasing its march of desolation until it had devoured all but a narrow strip of houses on the west side of that portion of the north division which lies north of Division street.

THE COMMENCEMENT

of the fire on the north side seems to have been at the Galena elevator, which is located on the north side of the main branch between State street and Rush street, the time when it first crossed over being about 20 minutes to 6 o'clock in the morning. Having once got a start to the north of the river, the fire rapidly progressed north, east, and west, the back-fire west being unusually rapid. The corner of Rush and Illinois streets, three blocks beyond the elevator, where Judge Grant Goodrich resided, was soon reached.

BUSINESS PORTION BURNED.

The fire then, as above intimated, progressed rapidly west, as well as north and east, first burning down the old Lake house, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, brick hotel in Chicago. In its course west, it also burned down, in addition to the other buildings, old St. James' church, the oldest brick church in Chicago, which was occupied as a storehouse. About this time, other portions of the north side adjoining the river caught fire, and soon all North Water street, which was occupied by wholesale stores and large wholesale markets, was in flames, the

Galena depot, the Hough house, on Wells street, and the Wheeler elevator, west of Wells street, being also burned down.

THE NORTH SIDE BRIDGES

also were rapidly burned up, the flames from them helping to communicate the fire rapidly all along the north shore of the main branch. Not a bridge connecting the north side with the south side was left; Wells street bridge, Clark street bridge, State street bridge, Rush street bridge, all were burned.

Between Kinzie street and the river all was laid low and buried in a mass of undistinguishable ruins. Uhlich's hall, the Ewing block, the Galena depot, the offices of the Northwestern company, at the corner of Wells and Kinzie streets, the Galena elevator, all were burned down in a miraculously short space of time.

Between Kinzie street and Illinois street, from the north branch to the lake, nearly all was burned; among the prominent buildings consumed being the Revere house, on the northeast corner of Kinzie and Clark, the North Market hall, one of the oldest buildings in Chicago, the Lake house, one of the oldest brick structures in the city, the mammoth reaper factory of McCormick & Co., a large sugar refinery, and an extensive coal yard; the last three establishments being located east of Rush street.

A FEW FORTUNATE BUILDINGS

were left standing, but they only seemed to emphasize the ruins around them. These exceptions were about a block of buildings extending west from Market street to the north branch, on the north side of Kinzie street, and a large brick building, occupied as a stove warehouse by Rathbone & Co., located to the south of Ogden slip on the land which has been made between it and the slip, and which extends out into the lake several hundred feet.

Between Illinois street and Chicago avenue the fire progressed with irrepressible fury and rapidity, soon enveloping the whole section, including in it both the most beautiful and the most forbidding portions of the north division. On the west of Clark street and south of Chicago avenue was a section of the city densely populated; filled with buildings occupied, many of them, by two and three families; a region which in years gone by was noted for the disorderly character of its elections. Its only prominent features were a few churches, including the German Lutheran church, on the corner of La Salle and Ohio streets, and a Norwegian Lutheran church, built in 1855, on the corner of Superior and Franklin streets; the Kinzie school, a four story brick building, on Ohio street, between La Salle and Wells; the fine large structure known as the German house, dedicated last year, and containing one of the finest and best proportioned halls in the city. This portion of the city had, in fact, just begun to renovate itself; its streets were being raised and graded, and new buildings erected.

East of Clark street to the lake, between Illinois street and Chicago avenue, was the pride of the north division. Its streets were bordered with rows of magnificent trees, beautiful gardens, elegant mansions, noble churches, all of which fell before the destroyer. Among the churches were the North Presbyterian church, an immense brick structure, on the corner of Indiana and Cass streets; a couple of frame churches on Dearborn street; the new St. James church, a beautiful gothic stone structure, on the corner of Huron and Cass streets, and the vast structure of the cathedral of the Holy Name, on the corner of State and Superior streets. Among the other prominent public buildings were the Catholic college of St. Mary of the Lake, occupying the whole block north of the cathedral of the Holy Name; the Orphans home, conducted by Sisters of Mercy; the Historical society's building on Ontario street, east of Clark, in which were kept among many other valuable historical records, the original proclamation of emancipation by President Lincoln, and the north-side police station on Huron street, between Clark and Dearborn streets, a substantial and well-arranged building. Among the prominent residnces were those of Mrs. Walter L. Newberry, whose grounds occupied the whole block bounded by Ontario, Rush, Pine and Erie streets; that of Isaac N. Arnold, occupying the block north; that of McGee, occupying the block southwest of the Ogden block, etc. In short, this section of the north division was full of beautiful residences and gardens.

In the northeast corner of this section was the vast building of Lill's ale and lager beer brewery, occupying the two blocks bounded on the south by Superior street, on the north by Chicago avenue, on the west by Pine street, and on the east by the lake,--the whole of the two blocks being occupied by the brewery, except a small slip on the southwest corner of Pine and Superior streets, and a small portion occupied by the residence of Mr. Lill. In the western of the two blocks were the ice house, the malt house, the brewing house, etc., all substantial and elegant brick buildings; the eastern block or rather block and a half were occupied by stables, carpenter shop, cooper shop, blacksmith shop, etc., several of which were built out over the lake on piles.

THE CHICAGO WATER WORKS.

Before tracing the progress of the fire further northward must be mentioned the burning of the water works, and the curious or rather incomprehensible manner in which it caught fire almost two hours before the time that the fire first reached the north division across the main branch. As stated above, the Galena elevator at the edge of the main branch caught fire from the south side at about 20 minutes to 6 o'clock. At about 20 minutes before 4 o'clock, fire was discovered in the carpenter shop of Mr. Lill, built on piles above the shallow water of the lake. The employes at the brewery immediately endeavored to extinguish the flames, but it was found impossible, and all the efforts,of

the men were confined to prevent their extension. Standing between the burning carpenter shop and the water works, extending northwest of the shop, stood one of Mr. Lill's bookkeepers. Turning round toward the water works, he exclaimed,

"My God, the water works are in flames."

This gentleman states positively that the flames from the water works, when he first saw them, were issuing from the western portion of the pumping works, no flames being seen from the eastern portion of the grounds, which were occupied with coal sheds, etc. On the other hand, the employes at the water works say that the fire commenced about half-past 3 o'clock in the morning; that it commenced in the eastern part of the water works, and that it took fire from the shed. Another gentleman testifies that the carpenter shop or the cooper shop, as he called it, was burned down before the fire commenced in the water works, and that when the water works were in full flame the main body of Lill's brewery, with the exception of the carpenter shop, was intact The time of the commencement of the fire in Lill's carpenter shop and the water works, however, differs one hour; the last named witness asserting that the water works commenced burning at about half-past 2 or 3 o'clock, The whole building was soon in flames, and in a few minutes the engineers had to rush out of the building to save their lives. The machinery was very considerably injured. The water tower, however, to the west of the pumping works, was almost entirely uninjured.

ON THE SANDS.

Before relating the further progress of the flames northward, must also be noticed the mingled scenes of sorrow and laughter, or tragedy and comedy, which were presented on what were once known as the sands--that part of the lake shore which lies east of that portion of the north side which has been described above. This sandy waste varies in width between one and two blocks, being the widest at the southern end, near the river, where a frame building stood here and there before the fire. As soon as the fire broke out along the north side of the main river, and the rapidity of its progress showed that it would sweep the north side, or a considerable portion of it, all the inhabitants of the district described, lying east of State street, --both rich and poor, both the tenants of the shanties and cottages which occupied North Water street, Michigan street, Illinois street, and the south end of St. Clair street, and the tenants of the aristocratic mansions north of this locality,--fled to the lake shore, carrying with them whatever they were able to carry in their hands, but little and but short opportunity being offered to do more. The scene was one of indescribable confusion, of horror and dismay, intermingled to the mere spectator with laughable incidents, which were, however, quickly drowned in the overwhelming horror which surrounded them all. Where the lake shore, or sands, were narrow, and the burning buildings approached close to the lake shore, despair reigned. The water was the apparent boundary of the

place of refuge. The intense heat from the burning buildings, even the flames from them, reached the water, and even stretched out over it, and the flying men, women, and children, rushed into the lake till nothing but their heads appeared above the surface of the waters; but the fiery fiend was not satisfied. The hair was burned off the heads of many, while some never came out of the water alive. Many who stayed on the shore, where the space between the fire and water was a little wider, had the clothes burned from off their backs.

Those again who lived west of Clark street in the district named, as soon as they saw that they must succumb to the advancing flames, after flying, and moving north their goods from block to block, rushed across the bridges which, with one exception,--that of the Chicago avenue bridge,--remained standing. There was a grand emigration, to the west side, of people and goods; of little children and big; of crying women and excited men; of broken furniture and cracked crockery; of wheelbarrows, buggies, one-horse teams, two-horse teams, heavy wagons, and light wagons,--everything that could be saved.

What was saved in the district south of Chicago avenue, except what has already been mentioned, was located on the banks of the river. The property saved from the flames was as follows: The new north-side gas works just south of the Chicago avenue bridge, the old works south of that being burned; a little lumber yard just south of Erie street, which was partially built on piles into the river; several coal yards along Kingsbury street, which runs along the river side at a distance of about half a block. The coal yard of Blake, Whitehouse & Co., was saved almost entire, a large, cheap frame building in which coal was piled up being alone destroyed. Next north of this was Reno & Little's coal yard. Here most of the coal was saved, though nothing was left of several large piles but the cinders. Several small frame buildings on Kingsbury street, between Indiana and Kinzie streets, are only partially burned and can be repaired. Holbrook's and Dewey & Co.'s coal yards to the east of Kingsbury street, and Brown & Van Arsdale's Manufacturing company's building were also left uninjured to any serious extent.

NORTH OF CHICAGO AVENUE.

At this time, between five and half-past five, the line of the fire as it progressed north, was about a mile in width. Along the entire line the fire appeared as if attempting to see which portion could surpass the other in its march of destruction. To the east, near the lake shore, were the large ale and lager beer breweries of Sands, Huck, Brandt, Bowman, Schmidt, Busch, Doyle, etc.; to the west, near the north branch, was a densely-inhabited district filled with wooden houses as dry as tinder. From the three, four and five stories' height of the one, the sparks and burning charcoal from the wooded cupolas of the breweries were blown blocks northward, setting fire to the buildings on which they fell. On the west, the closely-built wooden frame buildings, having no brick

walls to temporarily stay their progress, seemed to surrender instantaneously to the raging fire fiend that did not crawl but seemed to rush upon them with unrestrainable fury.

All seemed to be immersed in a hell of flame. No attempts were made to stem the progress of the fire. All that the tenants of the houses could do was to save a few of their household goods, and this, too, at the risk of their lives. The scene was rendered still more appalling by the fact that during the earlier stages of the fire, thousands of the able-bodied men had rushed to the south side to witness the fire there, not then dreaming that it would reach their own homes. Before the fire on the south side, these fathers, brothers and sons, were gradually driven across the river, until the rapidity of the progress of the flames convinced them that their own families were in danger. Being at last convinced, they rushed in frantic haste to save what little they could. But they arrived at their homes, most of them, in an exhausted condition. They did their best, but the best was but little. All that many could do was to aid in saving the lives of their wives and children. With their all, standing in their houses, many attempted impossible things, and rushed into burning buildings never to come out alive; for the wind rushed on in horrible fury, and seemed to envelop three or four houses at once in one fell swoop.

Until the densely populated district to the west of La Salle street and between Chicago avenue and North avenue had been wasted, there was no stay to the rapid progress of the fire. All that many people could do was to save themselves, and perhaps a few valuables that they could carry in their hands. A few indeed, of those who saw beforehand that their homes would be burned down, even when the flames were half a mile off, saved, perhaps, half of their furniture; but many of these even were able to save but little. No conveyance could be found in many cases, and piles of furniture were only saved from the house to be burned in the street. East of Dearborn street the scene was a parallel one; the homeless occupants of the houses in many cases rushing to the narrow beach which bounds this portion of the north division on the east, and the same sufferings that occurred on the portion of the beach referred to south of this, were repeated and aggravated by the narrowness of the beach. How many were killed, how many dangerously burned, it will be impossible to find out. Relatives and friends have not waited for the coroner, but have buried their own dead on their own responsibility, and no one person will ever know the names, or even the number, of the victims of the fire in the north division. In the district mentioned, with the exception of La Salle street, Clark street, and Dearborn street, the population was densely packed. In many of the houses lived two or three families To the east of it were large breweries, where, till the last moment, the employes worked to save the buildings, at last rushing to their own already burning buildings to save their families. Children, as is usual in poor districts, seemed to swarm around every building,

and how many of these, left to their own care, infants, toddling children, little boys and girls, sank, before the fire it is impossible to estimate. Suffice it to say that hundreds have been missed who were seen at the fire but never since.

A FORTUNATE DISTRICT.

That portion of the north division which lies between Chestnut streetand Oak street, and between La Salle street and Dearborn street, was remarkably fortunate. The only house in the north division inside the limits of the fire that has escaped not only destruction but even injury, is located in this district. This house is that of Mahlon D. Ogden, Esq., on the north side of the street variously known as Whiting and Whitney streets and Lafayette place. Undoubtedly the saving of this house from the flames was due to the fact that south of it was the Washington park, or square, and on the south-west and west the two blocks, occupied, the southern by Mr. McCagg, and the northern by the widow of a rich citizen. On each of the last two named blocks only one house stood. The house on the latter block was almost entirely destroyed. The house on the block to the south was but partially destroyed, and the large hothouse to the south of it, and one of the finest in the city, was hardly injured at all, but a few panes of glass on the north side of it being broken by the heat. Among other buildings burned was the Ogden school, near State street.

LINCOLN PARK AND OLD CITY CEMETERY.

These deserve special mention. Lincoln park--the glory of the north division--has been almost entirely preserved. But few trees have been injured, except in the southeastern portion of the park where the dead house stood and where a few trees are burned; the small-pox hospital to the east on the lake shore being also destroyed. The gravestones or rather board memorials of the dead poor are many of them destroyed, and their relatives will know no more the place of rest of their kindred. The fences around the graves, the boards which have told to the wanderer their names, are all destroyed in the southern portion of the old cemetery. In the park itself many took refuge, though the great majority, as hereafter stated, fled to the prairies on the northwest.

North of North avenue no efforts whatever were made to stop the progress of the flames, with one exception, which will be hereafter mentioned. They followed out their course, the only means that prevented their progress both north and west being stretches of bare prairie on which there was nothing to burn. Excepting on Clark and Wells streets, the houses were more or less separated from each other, occupying or being separated from each other by two or three lots and often more. A small portion of the district north of North avenue and west of Wells Street was thickly settled.

THE NORTHERN LIMIT OF THE FIRE.

At Fullerton avenue, a little over two-and-a-half miles north of the

[figure]

river, the progress of the fire was finally stopped. A lull of the wind, between two and four o'clock on Tuesday morning, aided in the work of preventing the further progress of the flames northward; the only houses burned north of Fullerton avenue being Mr. John Huck's residence, and a building occupied by a Mr. Felk. Between the hours named Mr. Huck's men turned out and beat out the sparks that came from the south as they fell on the ground. A slight rain falling at the same time aided in the work.

A NIGHT ON THE PRAIRIE.

During all this time, however, that the fire had been raging in the north division, sometimes advancing directly northeast, sometimes progressing westward with a terrible back-fire, people had been flying north and northwest, until the few houses within reach in Lake View and beyond the limits were crowded full of refugees, and the flying population were compelled to take refuge on the open prairie. Here were gathered thousands of people, tired men, delicate women, children in arms without cover, without shelter of any kind; many, indeed, without clothes on their backs. Worse than all, here, too, were compelled to rest from their long-continued flight, the sick and the wounded.

And as if these experiences were not enough to satisfy the demon of destruction that had driven them hither, women were seized with the pains of childbirth, and children were born on the open prairie. The scene was a sorrowful one. Even water was denied to the parched lips of the unexpected wanderers upon the prairies.

BOUNDARIES OF TIlE FIRE ON THE NORTH SIDE.

The boundaries of the fire in the north division were as follows: with the exception of the few buildings mentioned above, the fire extended over all the north division from the main branch to Division street, and from the north branch to the lake; very nearly 700 acres of territory. The fire left the north branch at Division street, where it left a few houses standing along the side of the river. The back-fire then extended to the river again, or to what is known as the north-branch canal, which connects the ends of a semi-circle in the river, which bends over to the west. Following the canal, or new channel of the river, for a short distance, the fire then tended a little to the east, as far as Halsted street, up which it extended to Clybourne avenue, the back-fire extending along the avenue northwest to Blackhawk street, and a little west until it reached Orchard street--a north and south street, excepting at its junction with the avenue, where it runs for about a block in a northeast direction. After reaching Orchard street, the fire proceeded north to Willard street, where it proceeded east along Howe street to Hurlbut street, across a couple of undivided blocks. Along Hurlbut street the fire proceeded north to Centre avenue, on which only three houses were burned down; the blocks around being nearly vacant. It then advanced

up Hurlbut street to within about 100 feet of Fullerton avenue. In the meanwhile the fire had taken all east of this with the exception of Lincoln park. North of Fullerton avenue, the fire burned up only two houses; those being located east of Clark street. Here the progress of the fire was stayed in the manner stated above.