even at that late moment, it would have called such engines as
" K. A. Williams," ''Little Giant," "Chicago," and "John B.
Kice," and they would have made short work. As it was, one
engine held the ground until the fire had grown to such propor-
tions as to defy human agencies; and even this one came out on its
own call.

DAVID I'.. K.ENYON, acting chief of the First Battalion, was a
member of Schimmels's Company, No. 5, at the time of the fire,
lie corroborates the statements made by the other members. He
rode on the hose-truck to the corner of Jackson and Clinton streets;
thence south to Van liuren, west to Halsted, and along that street,
south, to Taylor. Then they discovered where the fire really was.
They turned east on Taylor to Jefferson, and took position. Their
engine came up soon after, and was attached to the plug at the cor-
ner of Forquer and Jefferson. Hose was strung to a point on
Taylor east of Jefferson, the fire being then south of Taylor,
though burning in a lively manner on the front of the buildings
facing north. A stream was sent on those buildings, but soon
ceased, through the disability of the engine. Before the machine
was repaired, the fire had crossed Taylor Street, and was beyond
control. The wind increased in velocity, sending burning mate-
rials far in advance. New fires were thus kindled. The church



on the northwest corner of Clinton and Mather streets was in
flames while the main fire was yet four blocks away. Had it
not been for the breaking down of No. 5, Mr. Kenyon asserts, the
fire would have been checked south of Taylor Street. He believes
that the fire started about nine o'clock.

Henry V. Coleman, engineer on No. 24, but at that time
holding the same station on No. 5, says: At about twenty minutes
past nine, on the fateful night, some one on the outside cried
"Fire!" From the door the light appeared very bright in the
northeast, and they all thought the fire was over in the heart of
the city. They started at once. The driver drove north to Jack-
son and then to Clinton. Mr. Coleman cried out to him to stop, as
they were going in the wrong direction. They turned and pro-
ceeded into Clinton, and finally to the corner of Forquer and
Jefferson streets. He says they drove west on VanBuren to Hal-
sted, south on Halsted to Taylor, east on Taylor to Jefferson, and
then to their destination. A line of hose was laid to a position on
Taylor. The moment steam was turned on, the pressure burst
the hose. This accident they attempted to repair by tying blank-
ets around the defective places and by laying heavy plank on the
same. This expedient proved utterly useless. No. 5, therefore,
accomplished nothing until another supply of hose had been ob-
tained. By that time, the fire had crossed Taylor Street, and was
beyond control. However, this engine did some brave work, even
before leaving this plug. Mr. Coleman thinks they were about
fifteen minutes in getting from their house to the position at For-
quer Street; that when they arrived the flames were still south
of Taylor Street, and that during the unavoidable delay the fire
moved northward. Mr. Coleman also says that it has been his
impression from the first, caused by information obtained from
people living in the. immediate vicinity of the original fire, and
from other sources, that the blaze commenced before nine o'clock.

Maurice W. Shay, chief of the First Brigade, was foreman
of " Titsworth " Company, No. 13, at the time of the fire. About
ten minutes past nine o'clock, on the evening of the 8th, he per-
ceived the light of the flames, and called the attention of his men to
it; but they thought it the re-kindling of the Saturday night's fire.
Their house was at No. 97 Dearborn Street and was surrounded by
large blocks.* The light became so intense that Mr. Shay was
convinced of the breaking out of another fire. No alarm came,
however, until some fifteen minutes had elapsed, and then the call
indicated Box 342, and did not include his company. When the
third alarm was sounded, Shay took his engine to near the corner
of Ewing and Jefferson streets, and there received water from the
"John B. Rice." The fire was then beyond control of the men.
Shay worked on the Jefferson Street front. The fire was confined
to the territory east of that street, and several buildings on the east
side of Jefferson, south of Harrison, were saved. When No. 13
arrived at the scene of disaster, the air was seemingly full of burn-
ing cinders from materials caught up soon after the flames crossed
Taylor Street. The breeze grew into a hurricane and carried large
pieces of flooring and other light materials through the air, setting
fire to points far in advance. The Department was entirely unable
to cope with this phase of the conflagration. Mr. Shay says that
had the alarm been correctly sounded, even at the late hour when it
was rung, it would have called together the engines " R. A. Wil-
liams," "John B. Rice," "Little Giant" and "Chicago," which
would have been a strong force. When the " John B. Rice "did
arrive, the company worked on the west side of the fire, instead of
on the more essential point — the east side. Mr. Shay thinks that
the fire began at or before nine o'clock.

Robert A. Williams, at that time fire marshal, says that the
first alarm was given about 9:15 by his clock. He was in his
wagon in one minute, and drove rapidly to the corner of Tavlor
and Desplaines street. The " America " Hose Company was then
attached to the plug at that point, and was leading up to the fire
on the so.uth side of Taylor Street. He immediately ordered his
foreman to turn on a second alarm, the man going four blocks for
that purpose. Within nine minutes of the sounding of the first,
the second alarm was given. This period includes the time con-
sumed by the marshal in reaching the fire, he having come a dis-
tance of two miles. Before the engines had responded to the
second call, a policeman informed Marshal Williams that the
church at the corner of Clinton and Mather streets was on fire. He
set the first three engines that then arrived at work on the church
and adjoining property, and succeeded in confining the limits there
until the church was entirely consumed. He then ordered two of
those engines to change the locality of their hose and endeavor to
check the progress of the original fire. Before they had time to do
so, however, he discovered that Bateham's mills on Canal Street,
north of Mather, were on fire. He countermanded his order, ai d
directed those engines to work on the mills. These were large
wooden structures, surrounded by combustible materials. A match

♦This house was less favorably located for observing the fire than the
Court-house tower, although Mr. Shay saw the light about eighteen minutes
before Mr. Schaffcr.



THE BURNING OF CHICAGO.



7'3



factory stood at the rear of the shingle mill. The wind was fierce;
carrying burning brands far out over the city to the lake beyond.
Concerning the origin of the fire, Mr. Williams says: " Had the
alarm been given from the proper box, late as it was, it would have
given me two more engines, the ' Williams ' and the ' Rice,' two
of the best in the Department. Had either of them been on the
ground, as No. 5 was, Chicago would not have had the great fire
at that time. No. 5 was disabled, and did nothing to stay the
progress of the fire before it had crossed Taylor Street." No. 5
suffered a second misfortune in the loss of her entire lead of hose,
pipe and all. There were not fifty feet of surplus hose on that
fearful night. Even then the marshal was compelled to use short
pieces, in order to make a reel for each company. During the
seven days prior to October S, there were twenty-eight fires in the
city, some of them being extensive. In consequence of this extra-
ordinary service, not only were the men exhausted, but the
machinery itself needed careful attention. The Department was
not in the good condition required to meet such an emergency as
that of October S. The supply of hose was short, and much of
that in use was in a bad state. As one account asserts, it may be
that the delay in the case of No. 5 was attributable, to a certain
degree, to defective hose. It is certain that the accident at this
vital moment was due to natural causes. After the fire had crossed
Taylor Street, and had found lodgment among the wooden build-
ings which filled that block, the destroying element became the
master, and nothing could hold it back. Surely the machinery at
command could not do so Mr. Williams further states that he
had made requisition, from time to time, for a better supply of
hose, and had also asked for a steamer to ply up and down the
river, with six or eight lines to run out in case of peril to the water
front, and with pumps of adequate power to throw those streams
tothe roofs of the highest buildings; but the authorities had neg-
lected to provide such a floating fire engine, and had cut down his
requisition for hose.

Dennis J. Swenie, now (June, 18S5) chief fire marshal of
Chicago, states that at the time of the fire he was foreman of En-
gine Company No. 14, located at No 38 East Chicago Avenue.
When he was notified of the fire, his watch indicated 9:25 p. m.
How long it had then been burning, he was unable to say, but as the
region of the fire was bright with flames, it must have been going
some time. The first alarm struck was for Box 342, three and a
half mites from No. 14's station, and therefore not in its district.
But when the general alarm was turned in, No. 14 took position in
front of Bateham's mill, on Canal street, south of Harrison. Fore-
man Swenie placed one line of hose in the yard, and another line
outside, between the mill and church and match factory. He held
this position for more than half an hour. When forced to change,
No. 14 made a short hold at Canal and Harrison, but did no
service there, being obliged to go to Canal and VanBuren.

David M. Hyland, a member of " R. A. Williams" Com-
pany No. 17, located at No. So West Lake Street, near Clinton,
says that about 9:27 they had a still alarm from their lookout, and
their company was at once in readiness to respond. Hyland took
his seat with the driver. At that moment the alarm came from the
Court House for Box 342, which was outside of their district.
They unhitched their horses. Meanwhile, the light was plainly
visible, and indicated a large fire. They awaited orders before
proceeding out of their district: and when the second alarm came,
they found the flames beyond the control of the Department. Tay-
lor Street was a mass of fire. Mr. Hyland observed: "We be-
longed to the district where the fire really was, but owing to the
call being wrongly given, we did not reach the scene of the confla-
gration until it was too late to do any good. Had we got there in
time, the fire would never have crossed Taylor Street, for we had
one of the best engines in the city."

William Mcller, who was foreman of No. 15 at that time,
located near the corner of May and Twenty-second streets, says:
When the alarm for Box 342 came his company was at once ready,
that number being in his district. They were off instantly- Upon
reaching Canalport Avenue they discovered that the alarm had
been incorrectly given, and, as they saw a bright light ahead, they
made no stop, although not included in the district where the fire
really was. Within eighteen minutes from the time of leaving their
house they were in position at the corner of Taylor and Desplaines
streets. Their force was only partially filled, and those who were
on the engine were exhausted with previous work. They strung
their hose down Taylor to a point east of Jefferson, and played on
the fire south of Taylor, but it was too late. The flames had
crossed Taylor, and appeared to take everything before them. The
many streams thrown on the fire instantly disappeared as steam.
The wind was terrible, tearing blazing boards from the buildings,
and carrying them through the air with fierce velocity. These
brands ignited everything with which they came in contact. The
church on the northeast corner of Clinton and Mather streets, five
blocks from DeKoven Street, was soon in flames.



Leo Meyers, chief of the Seventh Battalion, was foreman of
"Tempest" Hose Company at tin- time of the fire. IK- says,

when the call fur Box ;,4_> came, ali.nu 9:30, he started. In five
minutes he had reached the corner of Clinton and I aylor, because
he disregarded the false signal, and speedily unreeled his hose.
Engine No. 2 arrived at nearly the same time, bin they wen slow
in getting' into shape. He is very positive that the fire would not
have crossed Taylor Street if No. 2 had been able to attack it at
once. No. 6 was behind the fire, but was throwing plenty of
water in the vicinity of the alley and the O'Leary barn. No 5
had become disabled jusi at the must critical juncture. Mr. Meyers
gives it as his opinion that the fire might have been subdued if the
alarm had been correctly sounded, even al the lime it was given,
because several of the best engines could have arrived in six minutes.
He also corroborates the statements of other men regarding the
exhausted condition of the firemen. He was on the gruun.l at
9:33, and from the appearance of the flames, he thinks they must
have been burning fully half an hour when he reached there.
Mr. Meyers sums the situation up in a brief line when he says,
" From the beginning of that fatal fire everything went wrong."

Charles S. Petrie, assistant fire marshal and secretary of
the Department, states to us that he was then engineer of Com-
pany No. 3, located at the corner of Chicago Avenue and May Street.
His engine was in the shop for repairs, and his company was
nearly exhausted with constant work in the service for several
days previous to October S. He had gone to bed on the night re-
ferred to. His captain, who was in the tower of the engine house,
called to the men and told them there was a lire. Mr. I'etrie
hastily dressed, and went out on the street. He looked at his
watch, which then marked 9:12. The light increased, and they
waited anxiously for an alarm. When the second call was made,
he got upon the truck, and proceeded to the scene, which was
reached about 9:45. They stopped at the corner of Forquer and
Jefferson streets, where No. 5 was then stationed, although doing
nothing, being disabled. The fire had not crossed Taylor Street,
although the heat was plainly discernible on the fronts of the
houses on the north side of that street. The men were tearing up
the sidewalk, and making fuel with which to feed No. 5. The lire
had crossed Taylor Street before No. 5 was ready for action.
Petrie furnished that engine with additional hose from his truck.
He took one section, and began work on the rear of a building on
the corner of Taylor and Jefferson streets ; and also on another
building setting back into the lot. He aided in starting a second
short line from No. 5, playing on the property at the southeast
corner of Forquer and Jefferson, where he got in behind the build-
ings. No. 5 was then working well. The stoker of the engine
told him she was shut down ten minutes. A still alarm was sent
No. 5 at 9:10. Mr. Petrie is of opinion that the fire began not
later than nine o'clock.

The foregoing testimony of members of the Fire
Department establishes these points: The fire must
have originated by nine o'clock or before; the flames
had gained sufficient brilliancy to illuminate the heavens
half an hour before an alarm was sounded ; the error
in sounding Box 342 prevented at least four of the
best engines, located in the district, taking part in the
work ; accident deprived No. 5 of the power to render
efficient service at the critical moment ; a terrific wind
spread the flames through a highly combustible region;
exhaustion from overwork rendered the men unfit for
hard and long-continued labor; and the loss of hose
and injury to machinery, caused by previous fires,
crippled the Department. It has been asserted that
the engines were not judiciously posted on their arrival
at the scene, but the fact is plain that the fire had as-
sumed insuperable dimensions long before the greater
number of engines arrived. It is easier to discover
errors after they are committed than to avoid them in
the excitement of a great peril.

Time of ihk Beginning of the Fire. — Turning
from the official management of this struggle with ad-
verse forces, we present the statements of citizens who
witnessed the fire in its early stages, with a view to
establishing accurately the moment at which it origin-
ated :

James E. Dalton resided at No. 135 DeKoven Street, at
the time of the fire. His cottage was a one-story frame building,
and stood next to Patrick U'Leary's on the east. Mr. I lalton says



714



HISTORY OF CHICAGO.



that O'Learv had two small cottages, one immediately behind the
other, though practically attached. The two were thirty-six feet
north and south, the front being nearly on the street building line
There was a space of about forty feet between the north end and
the barn, used as a " back yard." Dalton's cottage set back from
the street, leaving room for a contemplated front addition. It
stood four feet above the ground, on cedar posts. The front of
his cottage was two feet south on the north line of O'Leary's cot-
tages, and his house was forty feet deep. The south line of
O'Leary's barn was eight feet north of the rear of Dalton's house.



of importance to himself. He states: " On Saturday, the day be-
fore the fire, I noticed a line load of timothy hay which was taken
into the alley and unloaded into the O'Learv barn. Just after the
fire, while looking through the ruins of the O'Leary barn, I found
an oil lamp, of the usual pattern, with a foundation-piece, about
hve and a half inches square, of brown stone or marble. The up-
right piece which set into it, and upon which rested the oil-holder,
was of brass. The foundation-piece, the upright, and the oil reser-
voir or holder, were all together The oil-holder, however, had
been broken. The globe and chimney were gone."




WEST LINE OF FIRE.
Unburned Buildings are shaded on the Plat.



His cottage was built on the west line of the lot. There were three
west windows which looked on the O'Leary yard. A fence, eight
feet high, ran from his house to his shed, at the rear of the lot,
which was also on the west side. The shed was twelve by twenty
feet in size. At about fifteen minutes to nine o'clock, on the night
of the tire, Mr. Dalton heard a woman's scream of terror. The
sound came from the direction of the O'Learv premises He is
unable to say precisely where the sound came from, nor does he
know who uttered the cry, but he heard it through the west win-
dows of his house. About ten minutes later, Mrs. Mary O'Rorke,
his mother-in-law, who lived with him, went to her room in the
northeast corner of the house, and saw the reflected light of a fire,
which shone on the cottage of Walter Forbes, adjoining Dalton's
on the east. Mrs. O'Rorke gave an alarm, and Mr. and Mrs.
Dalton hastened to the rear door of their house. Fire was then
under way in O'Leary's barn. A little water might have ex-
tinguished it at that moment, but, being unsuppressed, it rapidly
communicated with the dry fence and shed, and reached his house
in an incredibly short time. This advance of the flames was so
sudden, that Mrs O'Rorke barely escaped from her room alive.
The north and east sides of the building crashed in as she fled.
Mr. Dalton remarked that the Fire Department did nothing at the
critical moment.

Mrs. Catherine E. Dalton, wife of James E., says that two

young ladies were visiting at her house that evening. Before half
past eight o'clock her guests departed, she accompanying them as far
as Canal Street, where they stood a few minutes in conversation.
Returning to her home. Mrs. Dalton proceeded to put her children to
bed. As she returned to the sitting-room, she heard a woman
scream, as if in fright. The cry came from some person on the
O'Leary premises, although it was impossible to locate the sound
exactly. Mrs. Dalton says the fire must have originated as early as
%:4r, judging by the time required to perform the duties which oc-
cupied her from the moment her guests took their departure. Mrs.
Dalton corroborates her husband's statements, already given.

Jamk> P. X. DALTON, sou of the above, then a lad of twelve,
fixes the time at 3:45. James E. Dalton, another son of the above,
then eleven years old, says his grandmother, Mrs. O'Rorke, always
spoke of the fire as originating at 8:45.

JAMES DALTON, who lived at the corner of Clinton and For-
quer streets, was at the fire by nine o'clock, and says it had evi-
dently been going fifteen minutes, or even longer.

JOSEPH DusHEK offers interesting evidence. He then resided
at No. 153 DeKoveO Street, and affirms that he first discovered the
fire at about 8:45. lie fixes the moment by acoincident which was



Mrs. Catharine McLaughlin resided with her
husband and children in the front part of the O'Leary
cottage at the time of the fire. She was called upon by
the compiler of this record, and asked to state what she
knew about the origin of the fire. She manifested so
decided an aversion to being interviewed that little in-
formation was obtained In fact, she threatened to
" prosecute " those engaged in writing the history, if
her name were used. The only answer received to
numerous inquiries was relative to the hour at which the
fire started. Mrs. McLaughlin vouchsafed a reply to
that interrogatory, and said it was " About nine o'clock."

William Lee resided at No. 133 DeKoven Street, two doors
east of the O'Leary cottage, and was among the first who discovered
the flames. He, and his brother-in-law, Martin Switzer, with their
families, had been to Riverside that day. On their return to the
city, the Switzers stopped a short time at Mr. Lee's house. Mr.
Switzer was suffering from a badly sprained ankle, and when he
arose to go to his home on the South Side, Mr. Lee offered to ac-
company him and put his horse in the barn. With that purpose in
view, Mr. Lee accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Switzer to their wagon,
but a presentiment of evil suddenly caused him to change his
mind. The Switzers drove away, and Mr. Lee returned to his
house. Mrs. Lee expressed surprised at this conduct, but her hus-
band could offer no reasonable excuse. He felt ashamed because
he allowed his superstition to control his judgment. Just then his
infant child attracted his attention by a cry, and he stepped into the
bedroom to ascertain the cause. He noticed that the blinds on the
west window were not closed, and lifted the sash to fasten them. He
then detected fire coming out of the roof of a building west of his
house. At first he thought the flames were in James Dalton's shed,
in the rear of Xo. 135, but soon saw it was in the O'Leary barn, one
lot west of Dalton's He called to his wife, told her to take care of
their child, and said he would run to Bruno Coil's drug store, on
the corner of Canal and Twelfth streets, and turn in an alarm. lie
hurried to the store, and applied to the druggist for a key, but was
informed that an alarm was not necessary, as the engine had just
gone down the street to the lire. Mr. Lee says he could not get the
key to the alarm box, nor would the custodian turn in an alarm him-
self.* Mr. Lee returned to his house. The clock struck nine.

* See affidavit of B. H. Goll.



THE BURNING OF CHICAGO.



715



Soon afterward an engine came and took water at the plug on the cor-
ner of DeKoven and Jefferson streets The lire had been burning
at least ten minutes, and possibly fifteen, when the clock sounded
nine. The fire spread rapidly, consuming the O'Leary and Dalton
barns. Mr. Lee began to pack his household goods, preparatory to
leaving his house. His boy, seventeen months old, was placed in a
cradle and deposited, by Mrs. Lee, in a vacant lot across the street,
west of Mr. Sullivan's house. There the mother and child re-
mained nearly all night. A burned and frightened calf, the only
animal saved from the O'Leary barn, stood close beside the cradle
of the babe, as if craving human companionship in that frightful
hour. Mr. Lee says he has never gotten over the vivid impression
made by the mysterious warning not to leave his home that night,
and feels convinced that to it is due the rescue of his family and
such household goods as he was able to save. It will be observed
that Mr. Lee fixes the beginning of the fire at about S:50.