Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 5, 1879, Page 2

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SUNDAY..JANUARY 1879—SIXTEEN PAGES, ~ wnd again. The street was soon several iuches deep with water, which almost immedi- »ly formed into 2 half-frozen slush, in *waich the firemen waded. On the Dearborn ¢ etfrontof the building an apparatus for sing hose was speedily extended, reaching 1o the topmost etory, and half-way up this, hose and, were pirched three firemen, who stood & fce-statues, their rubber clothes being fi- antly transformed into coats of ice by the cezing of the falling spray. Near by were aer'streame, directed by pipemen of the aif- fzrent steamers, but try as they would no water, could be thrown into the Mansard roof where {he fire was raging furiously. Tosay that the scene was picturesque is to put it very mildly ‘ndeed. The firemen, standing almost knee deep in water, were simply moving or motionless masses of ice, while the Marshals rushed around from point to point, looking like gnomes of the Arcticrezions, their fire-nats beingadorned with svicles of the most fantastic shapes. Still, in spite of all their eflorts, the fire went remorse- sessly abont fts work of destruction, seeming to Dideltself within the building where it could not e reached by that which would subdue it, and Uursting forth oply at the top, from whence it it up the surrounding boildings ard made strange pictares and shapes in the ruin it had already wrought. 4 Asthe afternoon wore away the crowd in- creased to such an extent tbat the Jarpe force of police present ‘uander com- mznd of Sunt. Seavey. Deputy-Supt. Dixon, =na Caot. O'Donvell, was barely sufficiens *0 keep the sidewalks in a passable condition. “he saloons in the row opposite the burning waflding 6id 2 rushing business, being filled with 2 crowd which passed the time in drinking. 2and watching the progrese of the flames. When 6 o’clock came, the throrg was swelled by large numbers of ihe army of clerks and ‘others em- ployed in the business houscs oo State Street anid Wabash avenue, 21l being anxious to get 2 #himpse of the burning Post-Office. i Just 2s darkness came on the sound of pistol- shots was heard. and some’ excitement was created thereby, the same beinz allayved, how- ever, by-the announcement which nassed from Yp to lip that the bullets were being fired * gt the plate-glass windows in the hope of ‘shat- tering them, 50 the firemen could bring streams 1o play upon tt.e flanies, which by this time wera* risiblc on the first and second floors. Night did 16t scem to in any way aifect the crowd, which stood shivefing around until it was manifest that the Honore Blosk was 1o be 2 mats of ice- wden roins, and that the adioining structures would not be dsmaeed. 4 INSIDE THE BUILDING. ‘The fire was said to bave' originated amonz a lot of vewspsper mail-matter, dircetly back of 1he engine-room. 1t spread likefa fiash over the northern portion of the structure, and swept up the stairway on that side and the elevator-shaft, arhich it ascended, with no obstruction, with a lean, urged on by the @ranght of air, until it rescied-the upper story, which went before the flames like a construction of paperboxes.: With- i fitteen or twentv minutes after the fire broke out the flames were in the roof, ana spreading along the floor and wood-work of the upper’ story. - . 2 Tt was about,this time that the cry. was raised hat 2 number of women aud girls were in the upoer story, that their passaze was cut off, and they had no means ot escape from the burning pullding. Oneof the hook and ladder com- panfes got their wagon around in front and pro- ceeded to erect 8 combipation ladder, amid the cheers of the multitude of spectators on the streets. In the meantime the writer and an- other gentleman went around to the Adams strect entrance and ascended the stairway to the upper floor, by dint of perseverance, as the swoke was euffocating. No sizns of life were visible in that portion of the building; offices were thrown open, glass was broken and Iying about upon the floor, aud everything of value that could be moved appeared to have been turown out of the windows, which indeed was the fact. There was a bright spot to be seen near the centre, and, upon fighting his way to- ward this attraction thereporter discovered that the roof was already on fire, and the particular light spot was & larze body of flame which was feeding upon the cupola or fancy ornamentation ubove the skylight. This was alrcady cracking 2nd hurling hure pieces of blazing timbers be- low into Dearborn street. Half a dozen fire- men who were working upon a hose in the mid- ale of the street subsequently had a narrow es- cape from a horrible death in the tumbling of a whole side of the burning frame down ujon the ground near them. Hundreds of voices were raised in warning as the blazing mass was seen descending, and hundreds of breaths were held in suspense, in anticipation of the crash; but it fell to the earth sbout twelve or fifteen feet from where the brave firemen stood, end was shattered into & million frafrments, some of the burning fagrots islling among them. They ‘paid no attention to this, however, but kept on wwith their work a§. thougl. nothing had hap- pencd. P ‘While the reporter was looking about inside of the building, he observed that the offices of Gen. Sheridan and'his stafl were closed ard the occupants gone. - The reporter then started around to . THOE REAR OF THE BURNING building through the alley from Dearborn strect to observe the progress that was ‘being made in this direction. A large force of Post- Office employes were engaged in zetting out mail matter from the building in the rear of the main structure, which was uscd as the de- partment for outgoing mails. Hundreds of sacks were brought to' the door and thrown to the nesrest parties, who I turn tossed them to the next. and so on down to a line, until finally they were dumpsd upon a vacant lot hard by. Shortly afterward the mail wagons came, the matter was loaded into them, and driven uway. The reporter was told by one of the' men who was soperintending the operation that the bags were to be taken fo the’ Alichigan Southern Depot, and that everythine was saved. The place of remoral was subscquently changed. The building was provided witk statfonary. fre-cscapes, consisting of an iron water-pipe with g ladder attachment. Nobody scemed to think anything about these contrivances at sirst, although they were warranted iofallible by the partics who put them up. A plug jsin- gerted st cach etory, at which a bose might be attached to flood every floor. But although the pipe itself was mot used for this pur- pose, the escape Wwas put into, success- ful operation by the fremen and those imside the bumilding,—the former 10 ascend and the latter to descend. One elderly, gray-haired woman was sten to ererge from the fifth-story window in the ailey. assisted by 1wo firemen, who placed Ler uvon the ladder, und one came down on the upper, while the lat- ter clung to the under, side of the ladder. hold- ing fast to her in the meantime, until she was safely landed upon the ground below. The reporter gained access to the roof of the buiidine otcupied by Culver, Page & Hoyne, neur by, and from the rear end had acapital view of all that took place in the rear of the ‘burning ealfice. The firemen worked like Trojaus, although tbe cold was intense. Many took off their coats and gloves and mounted the ladders 3 cats. Arrived at the top, they let dowa &ol and afterward drew up hose. As the men went up aud down" the Bre-escape from the roofio the ground, their fugers stuck fast to the frosted iron, and it was ouly by considerable ex- crtion that tey could proceed on thefr way; but luckily no accidents were observed from this standpoint. . Several young men fnd girls came out unon 1he escape attached to the rear building from 1he upper floor thongh a window, and showed preat agility in reaching terra-firma. , The fire had gotten under great headway be- fore the men succeeded in getting hose on top of the rear building, but at length several sections were brooght up, and four or five effectual streams werce poured .fn at the win- dows of the upper story of the main strocture. but the fire lad such 2 start that no visible effect was produced. Half a dozen fircmen bad climbed to the roof of the burning building by means of the fire-escape, and a ladder was ex- -position in front of the building. tended to thein from the roof :of the rear bufld- ing, which ‘Wwas'a story lower, just in time to prevent serious accident and loss of life, as the roof went_tumbling in. just after the last man got across the bridge. .~ ° o In front of the bmlding, on Dearborn street, several nozzles were directed to the upper por- tion, but all except one—that of one of the new steamers—failed to reachb the roof, and only covered the first four or five stories with ice and flooded ‘the street. There never wis sucha waste of water at = fire,and it was hard to sce why 1t was done. for at thie time sll the frout: windows were intact and closed. . .ON THE. STREETS., Withid fiftcen minutes after the outbreak of the fire, Dearbern street from Madison to the Custom-House wis a scene of confusion snch 23 one tnizlit imagine in the event of a velcano suddenly bursting through the crust. Engines belching forth their black vomit, and uttering their ear-plercing shrieks for help; the hcavens darkened with the dense volumes of smoke {from the burning building; the mad rush of the muititude to the scene of the, disaster; the scampering of afirighted horses tied to hitching- posts; the: terror, the fascination that draws men and women slike to ‘behold an alarming thing,—all this and more was to be secn in the vast gathering that ran to one point to ‘“*assist at the burning up of the Post-Office. Crowds of this kind certainly do assist the element of destruction, bindering the work of the Fire De- partment, and setting at defiance the efforts of the police. "Tlie streetwas foralopg time'a scene of the wildest disorder, and the best efforts of the Dolice were powerless to control the multitnde. The people were half-blinded by the smoke, apd more thas hal. tecrified by the poises and the sense of impendin calamity, which was preseutly intensified by cries that men and women were being roasted alhive in the upper stories. From the windows of ‘the first ficor men were seen throwing into the street at random ‘pack- ages, waps, books, bundles, anything that came 10 band, while the firemen were striving with all their mizgbt to direct their streams upward to tlic Mansard eminence whence the red flames were just begioning to flicker through the smoke. “D—d these Mansard roofs,” was the exclamation heard from several lips in chorns; ¢ mere fire-traps and tinder-boxes.” * Then a wild hurrah was heard from thecrowd, and looking through the alley one could sce climbing down the iron ladder a brave little woman who had just escaped from the mail-bag room on the upper floor. She reached. the ground in safety, but with evident sizns of ex- haustion after so desperate an escape. Fora time it was supposed that' there were in these .upper rooms several unfortunates who were en- countering a flery fate, and the wildest excite- ment prevailed, until a rope was lowered from the roof by which five men were enabled to descerid, one byfone, like threaded spiders, from tbe top floor to the strect. It was then ascer- tained that there was little likelihood of there befng any one burned in the rooms abave. Presently the clumsy and unwieldy machine .called & life-saving apparatus was lneged to the front of the burning building, and the fire- meh did their utmost to make it available. If the men who slid down the rope had waited for this method of salvation they would unques- tfonably have been reduced ‘to cinders. It re- quired a longer time than it would take to burn 2 mar to plant this apparatusin - the required Then it needed so much longer time to shoot the ex- tension ladder upward. Thenit came in con- tact with the telezraph wires, which bad to be cat. And then after all the men were unable toforce the top of it within twenty feet of any of he windows. The men 1abored painfully up these hard stairs with the {freezing hose-pipes {n their hands, and eventu- ally attained an elevation from which a big. stream could be poured upon the Mansard roof. But_by this time the Mansard was crumbling into rettiruin, and falling in burning masses down upon the sidewalk. Heaven help the poor wretch who was waiting for succor from such a putent apparatus for life-saving! ) The Post-Oflice people were huddled up in doorways everywhere around the vicinity, some bewailing the loss of their satchels, some won- dering if anybody was left in the mail-bag rooms, ‘and some bent on trring to get back into the building to. save something. One pretty little black-cyed employe, who was con- gratulating herselt on the almost miraculous preservation of her sealskin, said that the place went up in a flame almost before they thought of leaving their desks. *‘There was a smell of fire," she said. *and some one told us to hurry out. We thought there was no danger, and just began to gather up our duds, when phew! up it went like s hurricane, and we had to run to save-cur. siins, net to spesk of our seal- skins.? » John Hubbard, who is a little near-sighted, came slong through the crowd. ‘¢ What's all this fuss abont?” he ingquired, in a facetious way. '?-'.[‘ne Post-Office Building is burning, up, don’t you see?” chorused 2 number of voices. “Eh! is that it?’ said John. * Then, by jingo, I'm going up to Squier’s room. Hels got $100 of mincin the sate, and I want to use it this evenine.” Just-then a pile of blazing mansard fell down right by the main egtrance, and Hub concluded he would let the §100 remain in the safe. The police were very active, and, it must be confessed, did cverything in their power to pre- serve order, but so suddenly did the thing hap- pen that it was impossible for them to zontrol the excited throng. The street was flooded with water, hose-pipes were bursting, horses were bresking loose and scattering the people, and the wind blew the smoke down upon the thor- oughfare in dense volumes until at moments there was quite a pandemonium of confusion, illumined by a penetrating red glare from the Mansard roof. People got entangled in the tel- egraph wires which fell into the street;and in trying to escape from this dilemma they came in contact with the hard hands of the policemen or the hoofs of some affrichted animal. The necessity of keening one’s hands in one’s pocket as much as possible helped in no iaconsiderable measure to helghten the. difficalty, and all fhings combined to producea scene of confusion such as has seldom attended our most impor- tant conflagrations. & THE ESCAPE.' Just as the first flames broke out the atten- tion of the crowd was drawn to five men who appeared at one of the open windows of the foarth story near the north end, and be- gan gesticulating wildly. Little of their words could be heard, but it was evident that they were cut off by the smoke from the stairway and could not escape. ‘There was no fire-escape within reach of them on that side of the building, no ladder long enough at hand, and for nearly fifteen minutes they gazed help- lessly down at the ever-thickenfog multitude unable to stir a foot iu their own defense. Then a shout arose as the Skinper firc-escape was driven up. But it worked slowly, and it must have scemed an age to the fiveinthat lofty window before it ot into position. Then itwas discovered thet there wis sume hitch in the apparatus, and'a man mounted to the top of the scction pf the ladder to try to put it in working order. ‘Before, however, he sue: ceeded, Licut. Robert C.Palmer and David 0'Connell, of Hook & Ladder No. 1, gained the roof of the building by means of the firc escape on thé north side, and'in another minutc the end of 2 rope was dangling down before the anxions and well-nigh hopeless five. It was soon lowered to the ground, the upper end fas- tened to a chimney, and the crowd sentupa yell of joy ss one of the menat the window caught hold of it. and began slowly lowering ‘himself hand over band to the ground. He was csught hold of at once and had to go throngh 4 serles of hand-shakings, which told bow much sympathy had been felt for him and his com- papions. The others soon foliowed in safety, snd theirlooks showed that they felt they had escaped from no slight danger. Oze of them, a heavy-built person, with no gloves on his hands, ceme down the rope on 2 run, sod every man in the crowd felt at the moment the same burping semsation as the rope spud ‘through his hands. The names of the 1five'who were Tesced in this way were A How- and, Capt. Hosick, T. Brougham Baker, Col. Charles Webb, and W. L. Thomoson, all clerks ‘fo the Quartermaster’s Department. Mr. Ba- Ler was seen soon after he reached . the ground, and, after showing his bleeding pands where the rope bad taken the skineoff in six or eizht places, he told how he first became awarc oi. the fire. He was sittiog in the Chief Clerk’s room copying, when Capt. Hosick rushed in, say- fog the building was, ' on fire, and the clevator on the east side had caught. He went up-stairs to tell the other boys, dod found the smoke intense. Before they could realize the danger they found the hallwaywas so full of smoke they could not get out, and were forced to shut themselves in a room and depend on as- sistance from outside. E CONLAN’S . EXPERIENCE. The experience of Joe Conlan, the elevator boy, was of a character varied and excitine. He was at the fifth floor when the fire broke out, or rather when notified of its existénce, "His first inipression, he sald, was escape. This was both natural, and, one mignt say, imperative. But a; second’s reflection recalled his senses to a reali- zation of the impending danger, and prompted him t0 o contrary line of policy...He' ascended ' to the sixth floor and warned the janitor’s wife, who, with four children, were occipants of rooms {d that portion of the building. She re- fused to be admonished, and escaped when the: fire got under headway by means of the fire- escape, her children -attaining safety by the sume mediug. On the fourth foor M. Shufeldt, a _lawyer,.¥as oversecing the labors of a gang,. of .carpenters aond - plasterers who were - preparing sn -office for his occupation. Upon belng advised-of the ériticat condition of affairs he, with his daughter and the maehanics employed, were loaded into the elevator end safely landed on the ground floor. They made their escape by the Dearborn street entrance. Conlan made four trips with his clevator, notiiying occupants of oflices of the trouble prevailing by the time the fire had gotten under full headway, aud the means of escape were not only limited, but precarious. . He realizéd this fact ana abandoned the.convey- *ance on the second floor. Blinded by the smoke and seeking any avenue of escapé, he felt his way into the main offico of Sheriden’s suite. The General was engaged insccuring hisvaluable papers, which hesecured and fled. Conlan assisted in thrusting the records’of the department into {lie department safe, and then turned “about to canvass the chances. They were .limited. The fire was almost upon him, and whichever way he turned escape seémed to be cat off. In afit of desperation he rushed to a window opening onfto Adams street, hoping by this means to #ain the pavement. Again‘hé was disappointed. All ‘means of escape scemed to be cut off. He told Tne TRIBUNE man last eveniog, that for ' the first time in his lifc he contemplated the fu- | ture. The contemplation, be said, was, the re- verse of pleasant. He would be willing, be ad- ded, to make any sacrifice to ‘*zet out.” After a moment’s -delay he’ erossed over tlic ball, - the smoke _blinding and impeding his advance at every step, and directing his advance to a window which appeared dirly through the conflagration. After much vexa- tion of spirit he reacned the sill, and realizea how much better it was to be born lucky than rich. For outside the casement he saw the per- manent fire-escape with which the building was supplied, and, avaling bimself of that Samari- tan means, landed on terra firma a safe man, if nut a Salamander. - When Tae TRIBUNE reporter reached the scene of destruction the alley bounding the building on the north was the centre of attrac- tion. The building adjoining the Post-Office was "apparently ~ threatened,—in reality in flames. The top ' story was occupied by five Jadies in the employ of the mailing depart- ment, and cheir ‘““escape™ was a source of wonder.” Oue by one they came' to the window, opened the fire-escape adjoining for an jnstant, and entered. But this could not last. If they remained they'would be ‘burncd, and yes - there seemed to be no “influence that would persuade them to andertake the perllous descent. They seemed paralyzed with fright which nothing could remedy. While -those on the ground were wondering, fearing,asking what should be done, 2 fireman answered in person and solvea the problem. A ladder was elevated to the *‘connecting link” of the escape, upon which,having been firmly ‘ based,” he ascended rapidly. He reached the floor-"on which tne ladies were embargoed and assisted them one by one to places of safety. When' they had ré- covered.from the fright incident to the occasion, woman-like they began to exhibit a wonderful dmount of anxiety for the *wardrobe * left be- hind. This continued, and they would not be } comforted” until that of each was dropped from® the window into the' embrace of iis vearning claimant. It will'be many days be- Tore Mrs. Lyon, Mrs. Dennel, the Misses Fuell, McCorquenoble, and Marry will enjoy such an experience, or be wade the central fiqures of a sensation of equal proportions. When they had been sccured 'and their hearts were palpi- tattng with relief, a lank, lean, and bungry fiz- ure was -observed making tne’ladder-rounds with cat-like azility.” Voices were raised in pro- testation, and the universal verdfct as he disap- peared in the smoke emitted from the fifth- story window was one of condemnatien. He's & bloody fool,” said all with one'accord, and during bhis absence the opinion was universal that the foolhardy adventurer would become a subject for the Coroner. Whilethese judgments were being rendered the * bloody fool ”’ emerged from the window. e held a black-and-tan in his arms and a cat peering ountof his overcoat pocket. Thus accoutered, he descendea the Iad- der and reached the ground in safety, ereeted by cheers. - ) Ben Bullwinkle assisted some of the inmates, to escape, aftera hazardons conflict with the clements. When his charge was safely disposed of out of harm’s reach, the Captain was nearly paralyzed with cold and astonishment 4t a re- quest that he would aid fn securing the safety of a canary and poll-porrot. ¢ b Mr. Kline, of the Postmaster’s office, was no- tified of the fire after it had obtained such head- way as to imperil hiscscape. He went to a door communicating with the elevator and found that was cut off from the means of exit, and that he was left to perish unless the interposition of Providence should prevail in his behalf. After trying every means accessible, he at last found a' rope depending {rom the roof, and siid into the cold and salva- tion by this means. The rope was raised by Chartes Palmer, of Truck 1, and proved the only means of escape for Messrs. Howland, Hovey, ‘Thompson, ‘Baker, and Webber, all of whom came safely down without sustaining any perma- nent injuries. 4 The sixth floor was occupléd in part by W. R. Thomas and family, chief messenger at Depart- ment headquarters. Efforts were made by other occupants of the floor to secure her escape, but she was deaf to their entreaties. All left her to an apparently horrible fate, which scemed to shadew her footsteps, ‘and reached places’ of safety. They doubtless passeda restless night reflecting upon the death she apparently cov- cted, but will be comforted this morning to know that she was saved from the burning. Ou the same floor lived the messcuger of tho Commissary Department with his wifé and threc children.” He was absent from home when the fire broke out, and with thé¢ esclamation, “God help my wife and babies!” hurried to their rescue. When he reached the building al- most the first he met was . his family, saved by ¢ escape-ladder, and their meeting was of that character which to be appreciated must be seen. Mr. Howard, of the Registry Department, :'x;x:lrlsl the fir? early in the afl(;.;muun. but as it v unusnal oecurrence, T Wheo 1t full. crient betame knows be tarust the valuable matter under bis charge into the safe, and, after repeated trials, -escaped. r. Howard is of the opinion that the fire origi- nated in the carpenter’s shop mear the boilers. He says that all the valuable matter is safe, but fears that the records,which cannot bereplaced, are lost. SALVAGE. % Tlge Post-Office Department immediately on the alarm belng given, went to work with great expedition and system'to save the matter under their charge. The firdt mews of the fire was communicated to Postmaster Palmer by Mr. Pattén; whose offico adjoins bis. The Postmas- ter and hils assistants ttempted to get: to - the, basement by the stairway; but were cut ofl<_by immense volumes of smoke and flame coming up the stairways and ¢he Dearborn street ele- vator. They finally escaped by astand-pipe lad- der in the alley on .the morth of the building. ‘The alarm -was given all over the building, and the entire force were put on the work of remioval. Immediately adjoin-, ing the boiler-room, where the fire_originated, is the nmewspaper-throwing room. There were about fifty sacks in the,room, and these were thrown'up the chute and removed to the Amer- ican Express Comapany’s-building* by- the De- partmcnt wagons, assisted Ly the express- wagons of the Company. Just bofore the alarm twenty-tive sacks, destined for Milwaukee, St. Paul, and other poinfs in Wisconsin and Minne- sota, had been sent off in the usual course of business. All of the matter was carried out the rear way through 1hic‘alley, thence .on to Mon- roe street. The newspaper-room occupied about two-thirds of the basement, and communicated dircetly with the- carpenter-shop and boiler- room. - No appearance of .the fire was seen here for about an hour after. the fire first broke out. Bullwinkle’s patrol kept the fre from spread- ing in the basement until everything was saved. In the ,mailing: department every -letter was saved, but only_by the :hest of manazement. tle; confusion, :and the entire s worked: together without any Owing .to the’ delayed. trains, much of the matter.-that would have been in__the office had - mot arrived. There were obout the . wsual full misils in-the building, Saturday being a heavy day in this department., The mails on the Michigan Southern Railrond during the day had not ar- rived at the building’ at thetime of thb fife. In the money-order deparvment every dollar was saved.. The amount {s not large, probably belng less than $7,000. The return for the day had already been sent off, as this department is not in the habit- of carrving large amotints of money over nizht. The surplusis sent to New York daily. ANl the records of busi- ness provious to - yesterday werz - placed in the vault, which :is considered entirely firegproof. The records of yesterday’s business wete carried to the Sub-Treasury. The only books left out were some old records and papers which are of no present value, being ouly used for reference. There will be mo direet loss in this office cxcept on ttie furniture. Every book and scrap of paper bearing on the work of the oflice is secure. The- Special Agents did not trust to vaults and safes, buc carried away all of the valuable papers of their oftice. All of the cvidence against criminals was saved, and the entire secret correspondence of the offlce was carried to & place of safety. In- carrying out some cases, Special-Agent Henshaw had one of his flogers badly smashbed, but it was not allowed to inteifere with his work. The furniture in this room, valued at about, $1,200, was deserted, the attention of the officers being devoted to saving the records of the office ia- tact, in which they were entirely successful. On the fourth floor, where the repairing of the mail-bags is carried on, fio effort: was: made to save anything, as the farnitdre and tools ara of but little value. There: were sbout a dozen | young ladies employed in this department. They were entirely cut off from escape by the stairs, and were compelled to climb down fhe escape on the north side of the building on the ' alley front. - The descent to the ground was ac- complished with safety, one of the” male em- plovyes following with a little yellow dogz care- fully tucked under his arm. - Fk * 'In the carriers’ department, which is in the second story of the wing, the orl of removal proceeded quietly, under the “@iréction of Ar. Jobn M. Hubbard, Superintendent “of Carriers. The ‘carriers had just zone out on their 3 o’clock trip, and the office was™ almost entirely cleared. y-thréc carriérs wént out at that time, and they took out almost Gyery pound of matter in; their department. Hadl the usual large guan- tity of mail lettersti¥éh in the boXxes and in, course of distribution,"a large foss wonld ‘in- evitably have taken piscé.” The damage to this. room will amonant to $1,200, mainly by water, as. the winz was out of the line of the flames.’ Mr. 8. Ruller, the manager of the German- delivery, reports that there were ooly seven- bags of matter fu bis'department, and they were all saved. The registered mail was also brought out safe, although it is believed that there will be some rather heavy losses among the regis- tered packages, many of which were left be- hind: i BT ) * In the wholesale, and retail stamp-depart- ments there will be some Josses of stamps, ete. There were between thirty and forty cases of stamped envelopes in the basement which were completely destroyed. The exact amount "'snd * value >will not * be koown until comparisons” -can “be made from the books. They were placéd " near the boiler-room and rizht next to the carpenter- shop. If not touched by the fire they would be utterly destroved by the water. Mr. E: J. Rook, foreman of the gencral de- livery, reports thot every pound of matter under bis ¢hargé has been saved. > TIn almoést all of the departments an effort was made, and in some cases With success, to save the céases which dre used in “throwing’ the mail. This is an important thing, as_thése cases are specially arranged” for the “work, ;x'nd without them the work of thé oflice would be preatly rotarded. The cases, a5 fast as brought out, were ‘carried off up the alley. lmmediately north of the. building is a large open lot, and a great deal of the mail saved was piled there temporarily and put un- der guard of men from’the’ department. Tar- paulins were brought into requisition, and the piles were protected from the water which was falling on all sides from theé heavy streams thrown from the adjoining buildings. None of the mail saved is believed to have been-injured in the transfer. THE SINGER BUILDING. When it became evident that the bailding must go, Postmaster Palmer made immediate efforts to secure another place for a base of operation. After considering various places, the basement of the Singer Building was se- cured, and the transierof the property to that place began. All of the cases that were saved were sent over first and placed about the base- ment, which is unusually large and commodious. The'bullk of the.mails were sent to the Rock Island depot, where Capt. White had .charge. They were: there distributed through the ma- chinery of therailway postal service. Later in the evening the mail matter was sent direct to the Singer Building, whers Mr. Vrecland, As- sistant-Superintendent of Mails, directed the placing of cases and the reception and disposi- tion of the mail-bags. The office will be located at that place for geveral days to come, as it may be some time before & proper building can be secured. . The rent of the old building was - about $24,000 per annum, und it is ot expected that the Depart- ment will pay as much 'for any other building for temporary use. A proposition for two floors of the Lakeside building was reccived, and will probably receive some considesation. Everything will 2o on as usual 1n the present Tocation. The public will cal! at the basement entrance at the corner of Washington street ama the slley, being - thé southeast cormer of the bailding. The usual Sunday delivery . will be carried on this morning from 11 to 12 o'clock. The fire will occasivn 10 delay except to mails originat- ing in the city, the ontside ma'ls having been handled, as above stated, at the Rock Island Depot. Ail of the reception and delivery customary to the. Central Post-Office will be carried on at the Singer Bailding. Al of the mail at present fn the city will be sent off on the evening traios to-night. Work commenced at. the new quarters last. evening at 7 o'clack, and was continued with a force of 175 men nearly all night. The regular Saturdsy-night mail was distributed at tnat place last night, much as if nothing happened. Tne carriers will make their regular trips to- morrow, and there will-be little trouble in send- mi off the mails collected. Superintendent | Bubbard has séventy-fiyé men “working under his orders at the pjlding, and expects to Have his department in full running order this even-: ing. - 5 s B ‘The sub-stations will play an important part in the work of reorganization, and it is expected that they will be a valuable adjunct to the main office. - Postmsster Palmer last evening stated that the loss would be wonderfully small. This re- sult he ascribes to the splendid way in w!eir_h the “ boys " got to workand the intelligent and sys- tematic way in which the work wasdone., ‘There 1s certainly no donbt but that their prompt and Lietoic action savea the public, nof only.of this city but all over the country, from incalculable loss.s * e S e G Jim Stewart, of the Criminal Court Clerk’s office, who is an old Post-Office employe, Was on band and rendered .great. assistance in the removal, for which the officers of:the Depart~ ment return fheir thanks. i Y Allof the men worked hard snd with a will, and deserve the greatest thanks from the citi- zens of Chicago that can be offered. 5 - The appearance in the basement of the Singer Buliding, while primitive in the extreme, Was suggestive of business from the start. Eight locomotive .heaalights, furnished by Crerar, Adams & Co., were' atranged about the apart- ment and shed a sort of universal glare over surrounding objects, while a bundred tallow candles were disposed so as to facilitate matters of detail. “Enough long distributing tables and cases had been saved from'the- ruins to enable the boys to get the malls into order, and they ‘proceeded direetly to work. *This firniture was invaluable to ‘them, ' as with -its n'ld they’ were. able to make ~ten times the progréss ‘that- they “would - have “made without them. The mail-wagons came to the rear door,of the- basement at short intervals, and the bags of matter were thrown down the stairway with lightning rapidity, to be seized by scores of ready hands and dragged to the point* where the sorting was to be done. ‘The men came prepared to work all night, and Post- master Palmer stated that business' men could come into the rear door of that basement and get their mails this morniog the some’as usual, He also said that, so far as he was able to learn, every particle of mafl matter had been saved, owing to the faithfulness and devterity of the men. ‘The Postmaster sends in the following: NOTICE TO THE PEBLIC. Cmicaco Posr-Ofricg, Jan. 4.—The Chicago Post-Office is temporarily located in the basement of the new Singer Building, at the corner of State and Washington streets. The delivery by mail to- morrow by carriers at the oftice will be made at the usual hour, between 11 and 12a.m. Entrance at the rear of the building from Washington street. The genersl and 'box delivery and_retail stamp division will not be open to-morrow (Sunday). All mails will be closed and dispatched at the usnal hours. F. W PanLuer, Postniaster. 3 — ) THE ALTON -ROAD. About the Ist of last’ May-the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company leased for five years the first and second floors of the south half of the Honore -Block, -to be used as the general headquarters of the Company. At the time the Alton made the lease that part of the building was dot complefed, and the stipnlation’ was thhe the : offices should be arranged according to the -Company’s plans. 1t took the workmen nearly two ‘months to get all the offices in shape to be fit for ‘occupancy. ‘The General Solicitor and Treastrer moved in it about June 1, but the other general dfficers did not gét in‘until about-the end of “June. The oflices were the finest, most comniodious, and most convenient of the railroad offices in this, city, and the varions officials had just about be-/ come well settled by the time they were de- stroyed. The first” floor was occupied by the Geueral Ticket and Passenger Department, the Treasurer’s and Cashfer’s ~ Department, the General Freight Department, and the Contracting Agent. The . second floor was occupied - by the Engineer, General Superintendent, General Manager, President, General Solicitor, and their assistants. Nearly all the furniture in the offices was new, andcost the Company about $10,000. As so0n asthe’ alarm was given the employes went to work to remove everything that could be.removed, General Manager MeMuilio, wbo -was-in the building at the time, having - become -convinced after looking over the situation .that thesvhole structure was doomed. Everything of value on the lower floors wasremoved, but there was not enough time to remove the furniture from the offices on the upper floors. All tiie money and valoable papers .were -taken to the Compans’s former .headquarters, Nos, 2 and 4 West Van Buren street, and all the documents and books were placed in-the vaults, from which they will no doubt be recovered in good condition. General Mangzer McMullin, remained in the vuilding and directed the removal- of- the Com- pany’s- property, until -driven out by the fire fiend. He gave his orders as calmly asif he was directing the movement of trains. _At the last moment he remembered that the most im- portant thing bad not been removed, namely, the blank ..passes..-Volunteers..were at ouce called for to rescue the precious little paste- boards, and brave Sam Whipple,- Mr. MeMul- lin’s private secretary, at the:imminent peril of his life, Tushed up stairs, and soor- returned safely with a large bundle containing the coveted -blanks. Ho deserves the thanks of the whole army of noble deadheads’ for this deed of valor: and, the risk h he incurred,on;their account. The Com- pany had 1o insnrance on their property in the building, but 1ts entire loss will not be more thian $8,000. ‘Until convenient offices can be sé- cured in the centre of the city, the headquarters of the Chicago & Alton will again be at Nos. 2 and 4 West Van Boren street. GEN. SHERIDAN. At the headquarters of the Department of the Missouri, Gen. G. A. Forsythe, who was almost the only officer left in the rooms, discov- ered the flames shooting up the elevator on the Adams street front. He gave the alarm to such of the staff as were still oo band, and has- tened to notify Gen. Sheridau. The General arrived at the building at 3:45, and ascended to the- third - story by means of the firc-cs- cape on the outside of the building. After a brief survey of the field of battle, the General decided .to -make .no attempt to save any of the furniture in ‘the offices, but to turn - all his attention to placing the records of .the army . in . a safe place, The vault was opened and everything considered as specially valuable was_stowed away there.. The vault is unusually large and furmshed all the room necessary. . Mauy of the General’s valna- ble War-maps and a large portion. of . Lis library were also put intp the vault. _AlJlof this time the burping brands were dropping in the hall, and the greatest haste was necessary.. -At 4:15 the fire had communicated from - the -Dear- born street ~clevater to the adjoining office, and tho halls - and offices - were becoming full of smoke, but. the plucky soldier.and his assistants went on . pilinx books and pavers into the vault withont the slizhtest show of fear or nervousness.- At last, when it was absolutely impossible to.remain any longer, the vault was secured and the party madean dash for fresh air, not a minute too soon, for pieces of plastering weére dropping all around, and burning - pieces of scantling.were sailine down the stairs in a very anpleasant way. _The loss at the headquarters will be _ very larze, as it was fmpossible to save the]furniture, ‘which was mostly of a bulky character. .. . The offices of the stail and .Gen. . Sheridan’s rooms had been furnished in an elegant and costly style. Many of the officers had some personal effects in the offices, and_several uni- forms were destroyed, smong other things. There' are a .creat many papers which were. stowed nway in the different desks whose loss cannot be repaired. The papers of Assistant Adjt.-Gen. Whipple and his office are belicved to be'pretty much all.saved, although there. are undoubtedly many stray documents which were destroyed. b - . Gen. Sheridan bas not decided upon any place for the -hendguarters: of - his - division;, and very little can be dome in * that. direction for some time to come, in all probability. Itis believed that all_the .pavers Qearing. on the Schurz controversy are saved, altbough there are some.minor reports which arenot known to have beed put into the vault. No reliable esti- mate of the loss to the, army from yesterday’s .fire cauld be arrived at, but it is pretty well up fnto the thousands. Absolutely nothing of auy pecuniary vatue was saved, and, as all of the papers are in the vault, it i impossibte to ar- rive at the exact amount. Mr. §eiberg. Chief Clerk of the Quartermaster’s Department, had in hus office a chest of iron contaiving bgnd.q, securities, and money, amounting to $25,000. Fearful of its ultimate safety, he mu_da an Lofter of §100 to any man who would go upto the third story of the building and get the box. T. A. Hopltins, a repairer ou the firé-alarm lines, acceptea the offer, went up to the office designated, and threw the box out of the win- dovw, and fully earning the promised reward. The box was the personal property of Mr. Sie- berg. This was about the only thing saved. '|:from the headquarters. 4 B L o - THE BUILDING. This building has been an unfortunate vne from the beginning. It has been twicahburne‘_d‘ and almost as-often sold out under foreclosure proceedings. Soon after Dearborn street was opened through south of Monroe street, Mr. H. H. Honore: acquired” the property on which the ruined strocture stands, and erected, a year before the fire of 1871, abuilding there, borrow- ing the money, $300,000, from the Connecticut Mautugl Life-Insurance Company. 5 " n October, 1871, it. disappeared as o matter of course in the flames.. In the following year its reconstruction was begup, the intentfon be- ing to make of it a large hotel with- over 200 rooms. Honore bprrowed $100,000 more of the Connecticut Mutual, and put in - $150,000 of his own. Gelsite g b 5 The Honore Building, es it is called, on the corper of Dearborn-and Monroe streets, was erccted first, and was known as the Real-Estate Exchange. Next after thatin order of time came the Honore Block.; More money was bor- rowed from the Connecticut Mutual, the inter- est on which Mr. Honore was unable to pay, and it passed, after a fashion, ifto ‘the hands of AMr. Potter Palmer, as Trustee. The structure went up little by little, and was finished during the early part of 1873. The upper story, however, was left untouched, and the sonthern part of the building was in an exceedingly incomplete condition.. The Grand Pacific Hotel, and the Palmer House, had gotten the start of it as far-as hotel purposes were concerned. Mr. Honore’s money had run.out, and it remained abarn without an occupant, or the possibility : of an occapant, - until - the fire ' “of July, 1874, which destroyed the Methodist church in which the Post-Office. was located. Then it came into use, and the Post-Office was transferred thére a day or two after the blaze which drove it off of Wabash avenue. The pavic of 1878, carhe along and d ved any hope which Mr. Honore might have had of Tetdining his buflding. - ‘b’ passed, after ‘the usual litigation, by sale into the hands of the Connecticut Mutua for $500,000,being $40,000 less than the principal and accumulated interest and taxes. Theinsurance company found an -ele- phant on its hands. As time wore on, and the Government ‘ building across the street drew nearer completion,sthe value of the property on Dearborn and Adams streets for renting . purposes began to increase. The Mutual saw: an opportunity for doing some- thing with its big baby, and, early last year, ex- pended $50,000 in fitting and refitting the Hon- ore Block. - F Money was lavishly expended in changing the internal arrapgements-in many respects: »The stairs, - werg. swang around, elevators were pat i, - aod - the . building began to- fill up with tengnts. The department head- quarters - of Gen. - -Sheridan -and the 1he executive officers of the .Chicazo & Alton Railroad Company found rooms there, and ‘va- yious law firms, attracted vy its nearness to-the City-Hall and its presumptive nearness to the Federal Courts, began getting offices there, and fitted them up. in a style commensurate with the figeness of the structure:: Aud now, just.at a time wheu-the Company was-sbout to.derive a return from its heavy investmentsand was be- ! ginnine to believe that Chicago: real estate was 1ot such a bad thing after all, the whole thing has disappeared in smoke and flame, aud there 18 probably mourning to-day on the banks of the ’ Cbroecticut. # 4 B ' The original structure, destroyed by the fire of 1871, was intended for 2 European hotel, and THE RECONSTRUCTION BEGAN in the summer of 1872, Wheelock & Thomas be- ing the architects. The old plans were followed, The building had a Joliet'stone frort, treated in the Rennaissance style, and *was - six stories in height, including thes Manard roof. The front- | age on Dearborn street was 190 feet, ‘end on Adams street- 114 feet. It was un- doubtedly one of the handsomest and best constructed buildings in the city. Mr. H. H. Honore, the owner, spent about $250,000, and was then compelled to leave the structure in an unfinished state for lack of funds. It remained 50 until about cizht months ago, when the Con- necticut Mutual, into whose hands it had passed by foreclosure of a mortrage, began fitting it up for an office building, the whole interior being remodeled. As it stood; yesterday morning, taking into view the depreciation in values, the building was, worth at least $250,000. Mr. Honore, in all, put $550,000 into the two build- ings, the first one costing $300,000. The salvage will be something, and the insurance companies may, therefore, suve a liitle of the $225,000. The accompanying diagram will give'an idea of the ground plan: | - x Adams street. e et s © *199) 00T 100319 _130QIN0CT RED IV oo e 141 feet. - s Marble Place. A. Central elevator. B. Southern elevator. . Main entrance. D. Court. R E. E. E. Post-Ofll F. C."% A. rooms. HOW 1T STARTED. After the firc and smoke had been cleared from the building, about nalf-past 9 o’clock last evening, & reporter went over to take a survey of the ruins, and, il possible, gét ot "thé origin of the eatastrophic. The ‘streets were” flodded with water which was not frozen solid, but rest: ed in o semi-congenled body upon the: pave- ments* varying in depth according to the grades of the thoroughfares, from Madison to’Adams. The laiter street contained slush and water to the depth of two feet and over, and ac the bot- tom of this lay the hose.of the Fire Depart- ment. The men were working nearly up to their middles fo- the -fcy - mass, trying to c¢xhume the .apparatus. in .ovder to ren- der it more effectual . in playing upon the fire that still remained in, cerain see- tions of the npper portion of the building, and to-prevent the hose from becoming imbedded in asolidmass of ice. They called for heip from some of their assistants, .and an officious party who appeared to be greatly under tae influence of liquor, vhough a willing citizex,. stepped for- ward to lend a hand and fell head-foremost into the lake, completely submerging himsell. -The Adams front of the structure-presented a grand appearance, aithough doubtless very disheart- cning to thepoor, cxhausted’ fircmen. | It. was one. mass of ice from -the raof to the ground. ret every detail of the architecture was shown with fearful _ distinctness in _the pale moonlight. It resembled a gigantic o jceberg, or rather a mammoth temple o Upon the sidewalk at the foot of the builgy, arose o miniature mountain of ice, at least g feet high, which had been formed by the conyyy, ued splashing of water thrown by the Plpeg against the walls, Imbedded in this long. of ice were two fine steam-engines and my,, feet of hose. The former were still spitting g;. and working wigh 2 will and faithfulness that would kave put to shame the alleged boy on ™ burning deck. Oneof the first men with whom the repg; camein contact :npon ‘the outside of the was Mr. Warder, the engineer of -, building, who volunteered the informatig, that the report was . false that - iy, fire originated in the boiler-room. He saia py had been all through the basemen: with ty, boots, and averred that the cobwebs in the ¢, gine-room were unscathed. This was aneyw ds parture from the popular theory, and the r, porter insisted upon seeing with his own eyes, * The water is about two feet deep argugy there,” suggested Mr. Warder. “ No matterif it"fs ten; I can awim," ps, turned the seribe. Mr. Warder accordingly sent a guide wity lantern to pilot the reporter through the ruing, The two went around by the way of Monrge street, through the alley and “the" entrarice ty the rear.building, and shortly the ifnundaeq basement was reached. By means of strides; jumps, and straddles, they g §: length . arrived ' at the engine-room, which-was full of water. However, by méany of looking at* section “by section, from’ variony standpoints, the reporter was convinced of thy truth of the engineer’s assertion. The par next went throuzhthelarger, or main, carpenter. shop, which adjoins the engine-room on the sigy next the alley. This was unharmed, excejt ome corner of the celling, whichwas slightly charred. Shavings-were piled upon the floor about -the room. It was evident that the'sest of the conflagration had not yet been reached, By exercising a little strength, a pile of lamber, gloss, apd signs was thrown to one side, & por- tion of the wooaen partition was torn out, ang entrance was effected to the southside of-the engine-room, .or, rather,. .into a narroy passage . between. two walls which leg to & |smaller. carpenter-shop. It was: evidems that here was the origin of the fire. The room was in roins. A wooden partition had been placed there, and slone this extended a work- bench. In the partitien were affixed three fold- ing gas-brackets, which were uagd for ligat, and for heating. glue, paint, ete. Not a vestigeot any of these articles described - remained asei. idence that they had ever been there. About fifteen feet from this little carpenter- shop, toward Dearborn, was the Dearborn-street elevator, and just as soon as the fire had burned through the ceiling it went for the shaft, filling it with flame and smoke. To enhance the prog- réss of the fiery fiend, the “elevator-boy ran his dpparatus fp and down with areat rapld- ity (it was a “bydraulic elevator) I order 0 get” - all the people outof the building and out of danger. Three or four times he made a’ trip to the top floar and back, through flame and smoke, and each time he went above, the fire followed close affér; drawn up by the suction of the elevator, * He was a plucky little cuss,”. said the guide, “but he burned the building.” This was doubtless true, for had the elevator been kent down. {here would not have been suchafre mendous draught of air, which carried the fire to the top ‘of the building in mo time; where it had a fine, dry Mansard roof to feed upon, and upon which it made good time,—the firemen all say the fastest on record, except in a plening-mill. Capt. Ben Bullwinkle stated that he wasthe 7 first upon the ground, haviog been warned bys mercurial signal.. He believed the fire orizinat- ed in the carpenter-shop, as did the eogineer One of his patrolmen turned in the first fire- signal, ‘The following is a Giacram of the basement where the fire originated : Alley. Court. Rear Building.” Q +190316 us0qITO - ce I — e e g Adams Street. Bl - Nore—C, Carpenter shop. C C, Used as a care penter shop. E. Engine room. L, Elevator. Mr.D. M. Kimball, Suverintendent of the newspaper room, made the following statement in regard to the origin of the flre: e The Connecticut Mutual, when they took pos - session of the building, made a complete changs in the arrangements in the botler-room, s light wooden partition, and made some changes inthe srrangements wbich wereat the time commented on as unsafe. The wood-work above was but @ short distance from the boiler, and the firc undoubtedly originated there. The firft * intimation I had of the fire was secing this cell- ing of wood in a blaze, and a volume of smoke pouring fnto my room. I ran to the mercurial slarm and held a lighted piece of paper to it untill my bauds were' burnt- as you- sec them. The - mewspaper; room dircctly adjolns the boller-room aud’ thé carpenter-shop. - There was no oné in the lattér plate at that time. - The firc patrol was the first to respond to thealarm, which was about twelve minutes after I beated the ‘mercarial alarm, The fire went from the botler-room up the ele- vators. .We 1éft by the rear entrance. We . stayed inthe room until- about 6 o’clock, asd saved everything of value.. The fire in the base; ment was. brought under control very soon after the ‘arrival of the firemen, an@ we expert enced very little trouble {n removine the nes papers in the room as well as the cases. 5 B INSURANCE. f The building, which is owned by the Coz- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, is k- sured to the amount of 200,000, ali of which has been placed by the firm of Moore & Jones; and is divided among the various .companies, 8 follows: . * e Lancashire (England) Mnnnractnrc(g .l! ) Royal (England) Nertn British 51 23, Boglston Motaal . Neptune fire & Marine. Penneylvania. Hoffman . Paenix... . Underwriters' Hamburg & firemen .. Commercial Union. Scottish Commercial. .. Doston Mutual.....-. S2gR2asadesnaanine German B St:-Peul Fire & Mar] Commonwealth Lonllard..... Firemen's Fund, Northc; Connecticat Trademan's 3910391010 11930 IS TALN £n 55 1 51 T\ P1 91N L 5T EA SR NS B gn e en n g, - ‘eeugsgasetegtatats