In the mid-1850s, Chicago became a major city thanks to the newly constructed interstate railroad system that connected the United States, thus causing the once small city of 100,000 people to grow to over a million within 30 years. Due to such rapid expansion, structures appeared with little permits and regulation, causing inconsistencies in the housing quality for decades well into the future. The city became constructed out of wood since the material because it was a quick, easy and cheap resource. Architects before the 1870s served to add embellishments to buildings, not give strength to the building’s floors and ceilings. There the rapid growth also prevented zoning regulation, the lack of rules allowed for houses and businesses to be
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The strength of the Fire Department was dependent on the ability to find and eliminate a fire before the flames spread. At 9PM, the fire sprung to life in a barn belonging to Mrs. Catherine O’Leary, an Irish immigrant, on DoKoven and Twelfth Street. A watchman for the fire department had spotted the fire on the west side of the city, yet was off by a whole mile. A human mistake leading to the Great Fire; consequently, this could have begun from any of the multiple fires that occurred in October of 1871. The article written by PBS tittle, “People and Events: The Chicago Fire”, explains as the flames grew, cool air was pushed down- forming a twister. The fire rose to great heights and in consuming the city, forced the people into local lakes for safety. In the Chicago Evening Journal, even before the fire was extinguished, the origin of the disaster was blamed on to Mrs. O’Leary’s cows. The local Newspapers wrote articles claiming while she was milking the cows; a single bovine knocked a lamp over and sparked the large fire. In rapid population shifts, a dislike towards immigrants occurs normally, as fresh faces alter the structure of …show more content…
Other sources even claim Louis Cohn or even a meteorite for the cause of the inferno. Few photos before the fire took place, photographs by John Carbutt, Silas Peter Melander, and artist renditions done by Edwin Whitefield. Because the fire cleared the city, this allowed for expansion, as the railroads were unaffected, which led to a fresh start for a booming economy and flourishing architecture. From the website, TheChicagoFire, written and edited by Richard F. Bales, maintains multiple articles and possible explanations for the Great Chicago Fire. The excerpt “Peg Leg” goes into detail about the neighbor who may have started the fire. Multiple Irish immigrants lived upon that street, including Daniel Sullivan, who was commonly nicknamed for his wooden leg as “Peg-Leg”. On the night of October 8, 1841, a party took place further up the street while the O’Learys’ claimed to be sleeping- and in the trial, Peg-Leg’s inconsistent statements led multiple historians to believe that Sullivan was the true culprit. Bales continues the article by identifying the holes in Sullivan’s testimony, and debunking the location errors of Peg-Leg’s statements. Early on the night of the fire the hosts claimed to not need Mrs.
The strength of the Fire Department was dependent on the ability to find and eliminate a fire before the flames spread. At 9PM, the fire sprung to life in a barn belonging to Mrs. Catherine O’Leary, an Irish immigrant, on DoKoven and Twelfth Street. A watchman for the fire department had spotted the fire on the west side of the city, yet was off by a whole mile. A human mistake leading to the Great Fire; consequently, this could have begun from any of the multiple fires that occurred in October of 1871. The article written by PBS tittle, “People and Events: The Chicago Fire”, explains as the flames grew, cool air was pushed down- forming a twister. The fire rose to great heights and in consuming the city, forced the people into local lakes for safety. In the Chicago Evening Journal, even before the fire was extinguished, the origin of the disaster was blamed on to Mrs. O’Leary’s cows. The local Newspapers wrote articles claiming while she was milking the cows; a single bovine knocked a lamp over and sparked the large fire. In rapid population shifts, a dislike towards immigrants occurs normally, as fresh faces alter the structure of …show more content…
Other sources even claim Louis Cohn or even a meteorite for the cause of the inferno. Few photos before the fire took place, photographs by John Carbutt, Silas Peter Melander, and artist renditions done by Edwin Whitefield. Because the fire cleared the city, this allowed for expansion, as the railroads were unaffected, which led to a fresh start for a booming economy and flourishing architecture. From the website, TheChicagoFire, written and edited by Richard F. Bales, maintains multiple articles and possible explanations for the Great Chicago Fire. The excerpt “Peg Leg” goes into detail about the neighbor who may have started the fire. Multiple Irish immigrants lived upon that street, including Daniel Sullivan, who was commonly nicknamed for his wooden leg as “Peg-Leg”. On the night of October 8, 1841, a party took place further up the street while the O’Learys’ claimed to be sleeping- and in the trial, Peg-Leg’s inconsistent statements led multiple historians to believe that Sullivan was the true culprit. Bales continues the article by identifying the holes in Sullivan’s testimony, and debunking the location errors of Peg-Leg’s statements. Early on the night of the fire the hosts claimed to not need Mrs.