I dragged it through the hall, I also thought I would save a por-
trait of my son, which was hanging in the parlor. Accordingly I
stepped in, cut the cords by which it was suspended, and carried it
in one hand, while I drew the trunk across the street with the
other. When half-way across the street, I turned and saw that we
had left the house with a full head of gas turned on in all the
rooms. It was hard to realize that we had left it for the last time.
When I reached Mr. Magie's garden, following the example "I
neighbors, I deposited my picture under a large tree, and it was
the last I ever saw of it. The trunk containing the silver met a
better fate. Not knowing exactly what to do with it, 1 delivered
it to Mr. Magie's gardener, old Matthew, whom I happened to run
across, witli directions to bury it. He obeyed my instructions, as
1 found out the next morning; and this was the only property
saved by tlie whole family.
I entered Mr. Magie's house by tin- back '1 , and, as I was
approaching it, I saw that his stable, which was back on Ontario
Street, was in flames. 1 found the family all assembled in the
library, together with the mother of Mrs. Sylvester S. Bliss, one of
our neighbors, who having become, i" some way, separated from
RUINS OF LILL & DIVERSY S BREWERY.
her own family, had, like ourselves, taken refuge in Mr. Magie's
house. We had been there only a few moments, when, on looking
out of the window. I discovered that the covered w len porch,
which stretched across the whole width of Mr. Magie's house, was
on fire, and urged that we should immediately depart, as it was
dangerous to remain a moment longer. All agreed to this, and
we started to leave — my wife, my son and myself leading the way.
We had scarcely got out of the door before we were assailed by a
hurricane of smoke, sparks and cinders, which nearly blinded and
suffocated us. Fearing separation, I grasped my wife by one hand
and my son by the other, and moved around to the west side of the
house, intending to pass through one of the gates on Ohio Street ;
but we had no sooner got from under the protection which the north
wall of the house afforded us, than we met the full force of this
hurricane of smoke and lire. My wife's and sister's bonnets and
my father's and son's hats were immediately blown from their
heads, while the cinders were falling upon heads, hands and faces,
and burning them, ft was impossible to get to the gate on Ohio
Street before being suffocated, and we instinctively turned and ran
towards the northeast comer of the block, thus turning our backs
to the smoke. I now observed that the paling fence, six feet high,
which surrounded the block, as well as the wo. .den sidewalks on
the outside of it, were on fire in many places, and that a great
number of bushes, shrubs, and plants, and several ..f tin trees, in
the grounds, were burning. As we moved along, to add to the
embarrassment of the situation, my wife and sister both showed
signs of fainting, and the French girl now had the other arm of my
wife, assisting her along.
Here I must record a circumstance which seemed almost prov-
idential at the time. There was no gate it the northeast diner of
the block. We were simply driven in that direction by the storm
of fire and smoke, because we could go in no other. I was, there-
fore, feeling very anxious about what we should be able t.. do after
arriving at the fence, when, as we got within a few steps of it about
twenty feet of the fence fell over upon the sidewalk, and made a
passage way for us. This was undoubtedly caused by the p. .sis
having been burned away, in part, near the ground, and the fury of
the storm against the fence with its weakened supports. The fence
fell upon the sidewalk, which was in full blaze, and thus M e passed
over it. The skirl ..I nn wife's dress look lire as we went through
the flames, and I lore it off.
744
HISTORY OF CHICAGO.
When we had reached the street, and counted our party, we
found, to our horror, that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Magie were with us.
It seemed, as we afterward learned, that instead of following; us, as
we had supposed when we all started from the house, they lingered
behind for a few moments, and thus got separated from us. It was
as impossible to go back then as it would have been to have crossed
a sea of tire, and there was nothing to do but to continue our
flight. Our party, as we stood at the corner of Cass and Ontario
streets, consisted of those I have mentioned already as having left
mv house to go to Mr. Magie's, with
the addition of the mother of Mrs.
Bliss. I also discovered, when we
reached the street, that my wife in
her fright had thrown away, in the
grounds, the box which contained
her jewelry and other valu-
ables. It was too late to
go back for it. My wife, Jjjpll
sister, son, and the mother
RUINS, STATE AND INDIANA STREETS.
of Mrs. Bliss were all slightly burned about their heads, hands
and faces, and the clothes of all of us had numerous holes burned
in them. My wife, sister and son were also hatless. Beyond this we
were all right: and we hastened eastward along Ontario Street,
doubly oppressed by the feeling of uncertainty which now weighed
upon us all as to the fate of Mr. and Mrs. .Magie. Looking behind
me, everything was enveloped in clouds of smoke and sparks, and,
here and there, a neighbor's house was in flames.
We continued along Ontario Street until we struck the vacant
grounds on the shore of the lake. These grounds then occupied a
space from St. Clair Street to the lake, and from Superior to about
Indiana or Illinois Street, covering many acres perhaps forty or
fifty. On the north were Lill's brewery and the Water Works,
running to the water's edge, and preventing anv advance beyond
Superior Street in that direction, especially as both of these build-
ings were then on fire ; on the south were one or two planing-mills
and numerous lumber-yards, extending to the river. When we
arrived on the lake shore we found thousands of men, women and
children, and hundreds of horses and dogs, who had already fled
there for refuge. The grounds were dotted all over, at short inter-
vals, with piles of trunks, chairs, tables, beds and houshold furni-
ture of every description. It seemed as if this great open space,
with nothing but the broad lake on the east of us, ought to be safe;
and yet there, a few hours later, and for the second time that morn-
ing, we nearly perished from suffocation.
It was between three and four o'clock when we arrived on the
grounds. We stood among the crowd, watching the fire as it
advanced and gradually encircled us, until the whole city in every
direction, looking north, west and south, was a mass of smoke and
flames. The crowd itself was a study. In some instances whole
families were huddled around their little piles of furniture, which
was all they had left, that morning, of their yesterday's home.
Here and there a mother sat upon the ground, clinging to her
infant, with one or more little ones, who, exhausted by the pro-
longed interruptions to their slumbers, were now sleeping, with
their heads reclining on her lap, as peacefully as if nothing unusual
was transpiring. Several invalids lay helplessly stretched upon
mattresses, but still surrounded by relatives and friends, who were
• ring to soothe their fears. One young girl sat near me,
with a cage containing a canary bird in her lap, whose life she was
seeking to protect. She had covered the cage with her shawl, and
from time to time raised it lo see if the bird was all right. An hour
OT two later, while she was moving to a place of greater safety, I
saw her little pet tumble from its perch to the bottom of the cage.
It was dead ; and the poor child, who doubtless had met her first
sorrow, burst into tears. There was also something of that demor-
alization visible which, it is said, so often crops out when the good
ship has struck upon a lee-shore and total shipwreck is inevitable.
Some men and women who had found liquor among the household
stores there, and who sought to drown their present woes in the
bottle, were now reeling about, drunk ; while, in several other
instances, rough-looking men were going around, breaking open
and rifling trunks and boxes. Judges of courts and
police officers were there, but they only formed so
many units in that stricken assemblage, and their au-
thority that morning was 1.0 greater than that of any
other man upon the ground. A poor woman, extremely
ill, who had been brought down on a mattress, died in
the midst of a mixed crowd of men, women and chil-
dren ; and, although the fact that she had died was
understood in the vicinity of where she lay, it did not
seem to excite the sensation of horror which one
would ordinarily expect at the happening of an event
like this, under such circumstances ; on the contrary, a
knowledge of the fact seemed to be received with com-
parative indifference. Yet, so solemn an incident as
the transition from life to death of a human being, in
the presence of the same people differently situated,
would doubtless have excited the profoundest sympa-
thy and kindest attention to the friends who stood
hovering around the body. That such an event could
occur in the midst of such a class of persons, and
cause no greater attention than it did, simply furnishes
an illustration of the state of people's minds and the
immediate danger in which they believed themselves to
be standing that morning.
The sparks and cinders were falling as fast and
thick as hailstones in a storm ; and, soon after day-
light, to add to our discomfort and danger, the piles
of household stuff, which covered the ground every-
where, began to burn. Among this stuff were many
feather beds and hair mattresses, and the heat and
smoke became so intense that we were obliged, from
time to time, to change our position to one nearer the
water. An hour later, and the immense piles of lum-
ber on the south of us were all afire, and then came the
period of our greatest trial. Dense clouds of smoke and cinders
rolled over and enveloped us, and it seemed almost impossible to
breathe. Mar. and beast alike rushed to the water's edge, and into
the water, to avoid suffocation. There was a mixed mass of human
beings, horses ; dogs, truck-wagons and vehicles of all descriptions
there. Some persons drove their horses into the lake as far as the
poor beasts could safely go, and men, women and children waded
out and clambered upon the wagons to which the horses were
attached, while the lake was lined with people who were standing
in the water at various depths, from their knees to their waists, all
with their backs to the storm of fire which raged behind them.
We remained in this position several hours, until the lumber
yards were substantially destroyed and the intensity of the heat
and smoke had, in some measure, subsided. I then moved slowly,
with my family, north along the water's edge as far as the foot of
Superior Street — which, indeed, was as far north as one could go on
the lake shore, the burning ruins of Lill's brewery and dock making
a bar to further progress in that direction. At the foot of Superior
Street, there was a wooden one-story shanty, which had been
erected for some manufacturing purpose, and which, by some sort
of miracle, had escaped the fire ; and as we were all suffering
intensely with our eyes, in consequence of the heat and smoke to
which they had been subjected, we determined to enter the place.
We found it already very much crowded with people, and, after
trying it for a short time, concluded that the open air, even with
the heat and smoke, could be no worse ; and therefore came out
and sought a position behind the north wall of Superior Street,
which had been extended quite to the lake shore. My wife, being
very much fatigued, took a seat on the ground, but had been there
only a few moments, when I discovered that her clothes were on
fire. I immediately raised her, and succeeded in extinguishing the
fire with my hands. We became satisfied that the safest place was
on our feet, moving around, and waiting patiently until relief should
come.
Between five and six o'clock in the afternoon I discovered a
vehicle emerging from the smoke which still enveloped the city,
although all the houses in this portion of it had already been de-
stroyed. It was coming down Superior Street toward the lake, and I
ran forward to meet it. It proved to be a covered one-horse grocery
wagon; and I soon bargained with its driver to take as many as
we could get into it, to the West Side, for ten dollars. Accord-
ingly, my wife, son, father, sister, the mother of Mrs. Bliss, the
French girl and myself, and also Mr. and Mrs. Butterfield, theit
THE BURNING OF CHICAGO.
745
daughter Clara, and their son Justin, with his pet goat, which he
had been carefully trying to shelter and protect through the day,
all packed ourselves into the wagon, and started for the West Side.
The smoke was still so dense that we could see but little, and
really had to grope our way along; but we saw enough to know that
the North Side, at least, was destroyed, and that all that was left of
the thousands of happy homes of the day before, were a few chim-
ney stacks and an occasional broken and cracked wall. All the
rest lay in the smoldering embers and tangled de ; bris of the cel-
lars. Our course was taken along Superior Street to Clark, down
Clark to Kinzie, and across Kinzie-street bridge, which for-
tunately escaped the fire, to the West Side. When we arrived on
the west side of the river, the driver asked me where we wanted to
go That question puzzled us all. We did not know. Any-
where, so that we could get a night's shelter and something to eat.
It was now seven o'clock, and the last time that any of my family
had partaken of food was at our five o'clock dinner on the preced-
ing evening, twenty-six hours before. The man drove us up
Washington Street, and stopped in front of a house, which he said
was a boarding-house. While descending from the wagon, I was rec-
ognized by Mr. Charles Gray, who kindly invited my family, all he
could accommodate, to come to his house, which was in the imme-
diate vicinity, and where we were most hospitably treated by him
and his wife, and everything they could think of to make us com-
fortable was done for us. Mr. and Mrs. Butterfield, and the rest,
found quarters at the boarding-house.
That night was an extremely anxious one to all of us. Every-
one felt nervous lest some change of wind might cause another
conflagration on the West Side ; and as the supply of water was
now entirely cut off, it could not be otherwise than disastrous.
The streets were patrolled by citizens, who had organized them
into districts for the purpose ; and I, although somewhat fatigued,
walked the district in which we were staying the greater part of
the night. So timid did every one feel about fire, that smoking
was prohibited on the streets ; and it was one of the duties of the
patrol to see that this regulation was carried out. An idea seemed
also to prevail in the public mind that we stood in peril of in-
cendiarism. I did not remove my clothes during the night.
At daybreak, I hailed an express wagon, and drove over to
the North Side, to see if I could find the trunk of silver which I
had directed to be buried. When we reached the North Side,
everything was the picture of desolation. Not a house remained to
the north, south or east of Wells Street, as far as the eye could
reach, save only that of Mahlon D. Ogden. The telegraph wires
MAHI.ON D. OGDEN
RESIDENCE.
fay curled and tangled upon the streets, and here and there was a
dead horse, cow or animal of some kind, which had been overtaken
by the fire, and perished. I saw that morning, however, but one
dead human body, and that was on Dearborn, between Ohio and
Ontario streets. It was burned beyond recognition. When I
reached Mr. Magie's grounds, I found that old Matthew had faith-
fully executed my orders, and that the trunk and its contents were
safe; and this was the only piece of personal property which re-
mained to us after the fire'. I put it into the express wagon, and
drove back to Mr. I tray's house, where we all sat down to an excel-
lent breakfast.
I will now return to Mr. and Mrs. Magie. Their Story, as
related by themselves, is, that instead of following ns out of the
house, as we supposed at the lime, they remained a few moments,
to gather up a few keepsakes. That when they did come out. they
encountered the same tornado which we had experienced, and were
also driven back in their attempt to pass .nit of the gates on Ohio
Street. They then, instead of going to the northeast corner of the
block, as we hail done, went to the northwest corner of it, where
an immense elm tree stood, and which they thought would give
hem some shelter from the sparks and cinders which were falling
upon and burning them terribly. After they had remained in this
position for a short time, and when they supposed they were lost,
they discovered a hole burned in the bottom of the fence on the
State Street side, three or four feet long and two or three feel high,
through which they crawled, and thus escaped into the street.
They were by this time, however, badly burned upon their ears,
noses, hands and limbs. They made their way up Stale Street to
Chicago Avenue, along that street to LaSalle, and up the last street
some distance, when a friendly door was thrown open to them.
They had only been there a few hours, however, when the house
in which they had taken refuge was threatened with destruction by
the advancing fire, and they were obliged again to seek a place of
safety. Following the crowd of fugitives northward as rapidly as
their blistered limbs would permit, they reached North Avenue,
along which they walked until they found themselves, late in the
afternoon, on the western outskirts of the city, completely exhausted
by fatigue and suffering. (It should be stated that Mr. ami Mrs.
Magie were both approaching seventy years of age at the time.)
While standing upon the road not knowing what to do, they were
met by Dr. Gillett, a gentleman who had known Mr. Magie in
former years, and now recognized him. He kindly procured an
express wagon, the only conveyance which was to be had, and
assisting Mr. and Mrs. 'Magie into it, drove them immediately to
his own house; so that, in addition to a comfortable shelter that
night, the burns of Mr. and Mrs. Magie, which had now become
most painful, received immediate and skillful medical attention
from Dr. Gillett. Such was the total disorganization of the city
immediately after the fire, that it was only after three days ol the
most diligent search, that we were able to learn whether Mr. and
Mrs. Magie were still alive, and of their whereabouts. On finding
them, we were all united under the hospitable roof of Mr. Man-
ford, where we remained a few days and until we could find a
house to rent, which was no easy matter at that time.
Narrative ok Arthur M. Kinzie.* — I had been, for the
two years previous to October, 1871, at the North Manitou Island,
near the lower end of Lake Michigan. Having decided to return
to Chicago, I arrived here with my family and household g Is on
Friday, October 6th, and took up quarters temporarily at the resi-
dence of my uncle, Colonel Robert A. Kinzie, on Ontario Street,
nearly opposite the Historical Society's building, between Clark and
Dearborn streets. All of our furniture and effects were placed in a
storage warehouse, corner of Cass and Michigan streets, I having
refused an offer to store them on the West Side, because the budd-
ing was of wood, and I was afraid they might be burned before we
got settled in a house of our own.
On Sunday evening I had been on the South Side visiting my
brother, and was returning home between eight and nine o'clock,
when the fire alarm was sounded. After I had reached home and
saw how rapidly the fire was increasing, I left the house and went
toward the lire. I sat at the south entrance of the LaSalle-street
tunnel for some time, until the buildings southwest of the Court-
house square took fire, and then started home, convinced that the
fire would sweep all the way to the Illinois Central depot, but not
for an instant believing it would cross the river. I remember think-
ing how scared a woman must be who, at the north entrance of
the tunnel, asked me if 1 thought the fire would reach there.
On arriving at Colonel Kinzie's, I found that he had jusl re-
turned, having been over to his office, at the United States Army
headquarters, to secure some valuable vouchers, which he barely
succeeded in accomplishing, and that our wives had gone to look .,t
the fire 1 retired to my room, and sat reading for some time,
when, on looking out of the window toward the south, I saw that the
fire was on the North Side. My wife had not returned, so I aroused
my two children, and commenced to dress them. At this time the
policemen on duty were going from house to house rapping on the
doors and telling the people not to go to bed, but to be ready to move
on short notice. In a short tinfe my wife and aunt relumed, ami
stated that they had been trying to stamp out the fire in the leaves
around Magie's place.
At this" juncture, Mrs. Captain Johnson came running in, wild
with excitement, ami asking us all if our clothes were insured,
rushed away again. Just then a boy pounded on the door, rang
* Son of John H. Kinzie, om ofthi 1 arly settlers of Chicago.
746
HISTORY OF CHICAGO.
the bell furiously, and shouted, " Mr. Kinzie your house is on fire ! "
Hastily running up stairs to the back of the house, I found it to be
a fact, and seizing a blanket from the bed, I took one of the chil-
dren, my wife taking the other, and we left the house — to go, we
knew not where. Turning north on Dearborn Avenue, we walked
slowly along, scarcely realizing that we were not to return shortly,
as if nothing had happened of a serious nature. When we arrived
opposite Mr. Mahlon D. Ogden's house, my wife suggested going
in there until the fire was over: but as I could not see how that was
any safer place than where we had left, I decided to move on. A
short distance farther on my wife declared she must stop and rest
and get a drink of water, so we went into Obadiah Jackson's house,
which we were passing at that time. Mrs. Jackson was very kind,
but there was no water to be obtained, the Water Works having
ceased operating. She had, however, some very nice bottled ale,
which she gave us; and as we were enjoying that and resting, the
gas suddenly went out and we were left in darkness. Mr. Jack-
son's carriage was at the door, and Mrs. Jackson was busy packing
the silver, and such articles as they could carry with them, intend-
ing to depart as soon as the near approach of the fire forced them
to do so. After resting a while longer, we started on again. Every
block or two we would sit down on the edge of the sidewalk, and
rest until the fire made us move onward. Very little was said by
anyone; there was no loud talking or shouting, though the streets
were crowded with people and vehicles of every description, loaded
with every conceivable kind of luggage. I saw one man carrying
the rubber tube and broken standard of a drop-light; another was
trundling a wheelbarrow on which was a cook stove, while on his
back was a huge feather bed. One woman had a live hen in her
arms, several had cats, and numbers had canary birds in cages. We
met Dr. Tolman Wheeler pulling a trunk along the sidewalk by one
of the straps; and as he was going directly toward the fire instead
of away from it, I turned him around and started him in the right
direction.
Just after daylight, we reached the corner of Clark Street and
North Avenue. At that place we found Hon. John Wentworth,
accompanied by a boy carrying his black leather bag, whom he
informed us was a bell-boy from the Tremont House that he
had impressed into his services when he left the hotel. We con-
sulted as to the best route to take. He advocated going west
across the river, as by so doing we would get out of the track of
the flames and eventually arrive at a place of safety. My idea
was to push on to Lake View, where we had friends, and trust to
the fire burning itself out before it got that far. And so we part-
ed, each taking the route we had decided upon. 'At this time the
whole appearance of things was most unnatural and solemn.
The crowded streets and sidewalks ; the incongruous heaps of hu-