Untitled Document

Excerpts from Joel Bigelow's letter to his family

"It is my painful duty to write to you and inform you of the sad misfortune that has befallen Chicago. The proud city of Sunday last was in 15 short hours reduced almost to ruins."

"The loss is perhaps the largest that has ever occurred to any city on the Globe not even excepting--the Great fire of London in 1660--or the burning of Moscow by Russia as a military necessity against Napoleon--the extent of which may be Judged--when it is known--that 200 churches fell a prey to the fire."

"To begin with I may be thankful that last night I had a house to sleep in, which was not the case with fully 75,000 people."

"The loss includes every wholesale house in the City (except Fuller & Fullers Drug House)."

"There must be many lives lost. I have seen two today--at the Police Headquarters I am informed 30 are missing on North Side--there are so many reports one dont know what to believe--there are some who assert that it is a preconcerted plan by a lot of villains to meet here and burn the city--for plunder--I saw one party who says that two parties were caught in the act of setting fire to side walks in the West Division--and that they were both hung to lamp posts--the party asserted that he saw the bodies hanging--an acquaintance of mine says that he is reliably informed--that in the South Division two men has been hung and one shot."

"Railways are furnishing free passes to every person who wants to leave the city--5000 left on one train this evening. We hope to reduce the houseless and idle population."

"P.S. Don't you think it would be well to take advantage of the present to invest a little money out here?"

Excerpts from the memoir she sent to the Chicago Historical Society on the fifty-fifth anniversary of the fire, in 1926.

"My experience on the memorable October 8th was certainly a unique one. We had retired when we were awakened by the fire. I was thirteen years old at the time. Arising I concluded to save my best clothes by putting them on."

"When he saw the city was doomed, my father, Judge Bradwell's first thought was to save the rare old law books which he had been collecting for years and which he had been collecting for years and which, if they were burned, he could never replace."

"On the street it was confusion worse confounded with people crowding you on all sides. It was like a snow storm only the flakes were red instead of white."

"On the bridge, a man hurrying along, said "This is the end of Chicago" but with all assurance the thirteen-year-old replied, "No, no she will rise again."

"My coat had been on fire two or three times. People would run up to me and smother the flames with their hands. Then we hurried on, the fire madly pursuing us."

"After I left my father he kept on carrying his valuable books downstairs, and they were then beginning to blow up the buildings. No expressman was in sight. He concluded his life was more valuable than his law books and ran down Washington St. to the Lake."

"There he found my mother and brother. His first words were "Where is Bessie?" Mother said "Why, I thought she was with you." My father was sure I was dead. My mother, who was always an optimist, said "No, I'd trust that girl to go the ends of the earth--she'll come out all right, don't you worry."

"The next night after the fire, my father attended a citizen's meeting and spoke of the loss of his little girl. A gentleman with whom I had breakfasted on Monday morning jumped to his feet and said, "Don't worry, Judge Bradwell, your daughter is safe on the west side and she carted that great heavy Legal News subscription book for nine hours."