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Second Presbyterian Church
Life Span: 1852-1871
Location: NE Corner of Washington Street and Wabash Avenue
Architect: James Renwick

D. B. Cooke & Co.’s City Directory for the Year 1859-60

Presbyterian—New School. Second Church

Halpin & Bailey’s City Directory for the Year 1863-64
Presbyterian—New School. Second Church—Wabash avenue, corner of Washington street. Society organized in 1842; House erected in 1850. Pastor, Rev. R. W. Patterson, D.D.; S.P. Warner.

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1870-71
Second Presbyterian Church—Wabash avenue, northeast corner of Washington street. Rev. R. W. Patterson, D.D., pastor, residence 5 Van Buren street. Divine service at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sabbath school, 12 m. Kirk Howes, superintendent.

Chicago Illustrated, January 1866

armory

The Second Presbyterian Church is located at the north-east corner of Wabash avenue and Washington street, The building presents a unique appearance, and never fails to attract the attention of the stranger. A description of the mixed style of architecture is rendered unnecessary, because of the faithful portrait of the church made by the artist. A peculiarity of its structure, however, is not so sufficiently shown that a person who never saw the building would discern it, and this peculiarity is in the material of which it is built. The stone was quarried just outside of the present city limits, in the vicinity of the celebrated artesian well, and presents a remarkable appearance. The stone is popularly known as “tar rock”, for which name it is indebted to the bituminous substance which it exudes. This coloration is not uniform: on some blocks: at times, the discoloration is very dark, while other blocks will be only slightly so, and again others only present the natural gray of the limestone. So uniquely is the discoloration distributed over the building, that it has the general appearance of having been produced artificially. The general effect is very attractive, and is so remarkable that it rarely fails to live in the memory of those even who see it but once.

The design was by Mr. Renwick, of New York, though the building was erected under the superintendence of Mr. Asa Carter, an architect of this city. Its dimensions are—front, on Wabash avenue, eighty feet; depth on the line of Washington street, one hundred and thirty feet, extending to Dearborn place, beyond which is Dearborn Park. The main or south tower is one hundred and sixty-one feet high, the north ore is sixty-four feet. The body of the church is sixty-four and a half by eighty-two and a half feet. It will accommodate eighteen hundred persons, and is lighted by stained glass windows. There is a lecture-room adjoining the church, which is used as a Sunday school, and for business meetings of the congregation. The church is provided with a very fine organ, which, as it now stands, cost over five thousand dollars. The building was projected and commenced in 1848, and completed in 1852. At that time labor and building materials were to be had at comparatively insignificant prices, and the edifice was erected and completed with bell and organ, for the moderate cost of forty-five thousand dollars.

Chicago at that time was young in its march of prosperous and magnificent growth. At that time there were but few streets that were improved, even to the extent of planking. Now the Second Presbyterian Church is but one of a large number of church edifices, whose towers and spires mark Wabash avenue for miles beyond what was considered a remote part of the city.

Previous to the completion of this building, the congregation, then a very small one, worshipped in a frame tenement on Randolph street, in the neighborhood of the Court House. The congregation was organized in 1842, and the Rev. Robert W. Patterson, D. D. accepted the call, and has continued as its pastor to the present time. The congregation has increased from that time, until it now numbers about eight hundred members. The church is always full; that is, its membership is always equal to the capacity of the church accommodations. Five distinct swarms have taken their departure, each settling in some other part of the city, and in time erecting another large and handsome building, to be in time also filled to send forth its swarms to locate upon new sites.

The pastor, Dr. Patterson, is of what is known as the New School Presbyterians, and enjoys a reputation in Chicago and in the country for learning, ability, and personal qualities not surpassed by any other clergyman of his church. The trustees at the present time are, P. L. Yoe, Esq., W. N. Gould, Esq., John McGinnis, Esq., R. V. Page, Esq., and William Blair, Esq. The elders are the Hon. W. H. Brown, Hon. R. W. Raymond, Hon. H. F. Mather, J. C. Williams, Esq., T. B. Carter, Esq., and I. Grover, Esq.

The congregation is not only large, but of the most respectable character, including many of the wealthy families of the city. In the list of those who have occupied public position, who belong to the congregation, are the names of Senator Trumbull, Judges Higgins and Skinner, Lieutenant-Governor Bross, Ho. John Wentworth, and J. H. Dunham, Esq. The late ex-Mayor Dyer was a member of this church.

The congregation maintain a number of flourishing mission school is in other parts of the city, and are now erecting a large building for that purpose in the southern part of Chicago.

James W. Sheehan, Esq.,
January 1866

The Second Presbyterian Church was built of grey oil stone in 1852. Its architect was James Renwick, the designer of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and of “The Castle,” the original building of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

The growth of the membership of this Church in 1858 was especially memorable, there having been added to the church-roll nearly one hundred persons, making a total of five hundred and eighty-seven since the organization of the Church. The church-building, on the corner of Wabash Avenue and Washington Street, was regarded at that time as one of the finest in the West. It was constructed of bituminous limestone, and was known as the “spotted church,” on account of the exudations from the stone of the dark-colored, crude petroleum. By the profane, it was known as the “Church of the Holy Zebra.”

Like Crosby’s Opera House, it was lost in the fire. Unlike Crosby’s, it was rebuilt, though not in the same place. It moved to its current site at 1936 South Michigan, close to the Prairie Avenue neighborhood where several of its wealthy parishioners lived.

Chicago Tribune, September 26, 1871

The Second Presbyterian Church having formally united with the Olivet Presbyterian Church, and the action ratifled by the Presbytery of Chicago, notice was given on Sunday that a memorial service would be beld in the Second Church on Sunday night, at which all the old members of the church are invited to be present. On Tuesday evening, October 3, a reunion of the old and new members of the church will be held at the church, after which the church will be closed and the building sold, or the material used as far as possible in the construction of the new church.

Chicago Tribune, March 4, 1894

Drake Block I and II

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Drake Block I and II, Drake, Farwell & Thatcher Buildings
Life Span: 1869-1870 (I)
1870-1871 (II)
Location: East side of Wabash avenue between Washington and Madison streets
Architect: John M. Van Osdel

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1870

Drake’s Block

Farwell John V. & Co.

Kirtland, Ordway & Co.

Laflin, Butler & Co.

Lyon & Healy

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1871
Farwell John V. & Co. (John V. W. D., Charles B. and Simon Farwell, John K. Harmon and Benjamin F. Ray), dry goods, 106 to 112 Wabash av.
Hamlin, Hale & Co. dry goods whol. and retail, Wabash av. cor. Washington

Chicago Tribune, July 20, 1869

A massive and ornamental block is also to be erected the present season on the east side of Wabash avenue, between Washington and Madison streets. On the corner of Washington street and Wabash avenue, Mr. John B. Drake will have two stores erected, which will occupy a front of 120 feet on the avenue and 81 feet on Washington street. J. V. Farwell occupies 72 feet front on the avenue, next south of Mr. Drake, with a depth of 163 feet, running back to Dearborn place. The Thatcher estate will build next to Mr. Farwell, having a front of 40 feet, and a depth of 163 feet. On the corner of Wabash avenue and Madison street, Judge Skinner will erect two stores, running 100 feet front on the avenue, and a depth of 163 feet on Madison street. This completes the block. The entire block is to possess a uniformity of design and finish. The building material will be Amherst freestone. The block will be seven stories in height, surmounted by a French, or Mansard roof. From the sidewalk to the cornice it will be 85 feet. The total height from the basement to the roof will be 116 feet. The architecture is to be a composite of Renaissance style, with ornamented domes, cornices, and trimmings—the latter to be of galvanized iron. The average value of land on the site of this block is not less than $1,500 per foot front. This estimate would make the first three lots—the Drake, Farwell, and Thatcher—worth $350,000 in round numbers. Mr. Drake’s portion will cost at least $150,000; Mr. Farwell’s, $100,000; the Thatcher, $50,000—making the total of $300,000, as the value of the building to be erected. This last, added to the estimate for the land, would show the value of the property, building, and their site, $650,000, or over half a million. When finished, the block will be the finest in the city, and not surpassed by any on the continent.

The Land Owner, March, 1870

The Drake Block I

The Drake Block was under construction just after this map was published in 1869. The footprint of the building is outlined in bold, while the prior structures are screened back.

Chicago Tribune, September 5, 1870

THE FIRE.
Its Inception and Progress.
The quiet and peace which usually prevails on Sunday afternoons, was disturbed yesterday by the fire-bell striking No. 12, which proved to be the signal for the most extensive and destructive conflagration that has occurred in this city since the memorable Lake street fire on the night of February 28, 1868. At three minutes to five o’clock there was a shout of “Fire” along Madison street, which carried down LaSalle and Clark to the Court House, and persons began running towards Washington avenue, in the direction of the smoke. It was found to issue from the upper story of Laflin, Butler & Co.’s paper store, in the new and magnificent block erected about a year ago, on the east side of Wabash avenue, between Washington and Madison streets.

Gusts of Smoke
rose from the southeast rear corner of the building, growing thicker and larger every moment. The engines arrived very quickly after the alarm was sounded, and went to work to get on their streams. The attempt was a miserable failure, and precious moments were lost, not owing to lack of energy on the part of the gallant firemen, but to the false economy on the part of officials over whom they had no control. The suctions were attached to the hydrants, and the engines began to work, but before water could be thrown on the building, the hose connected with three of the engines burst, and was uselss.

The Fire Gains Rapidly,
the smoke at the corner turns into flame, and the work of destruction begins in earnest. The broken hose is repaired and replaced as rapidly as possible, but time that can never be reclaimed, and opportunities that can never be recalled are forever lost. There comes a hoisting apparatus in front of the building. Three firemen get into a sort of a bucket, and others turned a windlass to raise them up so that they can pour the water into the upper stories of the building.

But the Machinery Will Not Work.
The bucket stops half way, having caught in the mast of the machine. The men tug desperately at the windlass; it is freed, and in a few minutes it is on its way upward once more. Fully a quarter of an hour has been wasted in this attempt to accomplish the ascent. When the men get as high as they can, which is only to the third story, they might as well been on the ground, on account of the difficulty of handling the hose in the crazy bucket. The stream is small and ineffectual, and does not reach the upper story.

The Fire Gains Ground.
In the meantime the fir increases, the flames spread rapidly from the rear to the front, and at 5:25 the entire roof is a mass of flame and smoke. Downward into the building the fire eats its way, and in a few minutes the flame and smoke curl upward as if rising from a burning pit. In ten minutes more, or at twenty minutes to 6, the whole of Laflin, Butler & Co.’s building is o fire. The scene even at this early stage is grand. Flame leaps after flame, mounting skyward amid the thick, dark smoke, making the most fantastic shapes and forms imaginable. Around the cornices and windows the fire dances like a demon at play. The light of day is almost obscured by the immense volume of smoke which drifts southerly before a gentle wind, carrying sparks which drop and burn holes in the garments of the vast crowd that had already assembled. There is hardly time to notice minor events for
the fire is traveling fast.

Already the paper store is doomed. Upward and onward surely, steadily, and swiftly the destroyer marches. The roof of the adjoining building, owned and occupied by John V. Farwell & Co., the great dry goods merchants, has caught, and smoke rushes out of the grand Mansard roof. The heat grows intense. The crowd retires before it, and it is growing hotter and hotter every moment. The second roof is covered with flame and smoke. Matters look serious for the building. Volunteers are called for from the crowd to assist in removing the gods.

A Crowd Rushes In,
and the goods are handed out and carried to the Presbyterian Church. further down the avenue. The rescue of the goods goes on, and so does the fire. The cornice begins to fall in large pieces. There is no time to be lost. The bucket machine has been utterly worthless. Its intention may have been good, but its practice is imperfect.The men in the bucket, cannot stand the heat, which is growing fiercer, and they come down. They might have might as well have never gone up. They have done no good. The machine is moved out of the way to Washington street.

The Volunteers are Working Like Heroes
to save the goods. Some of them are away up on the third and fourth stories. Mr. Ira P. Bowen is on the fifth floor, with a Babcock extinguisher, working for dear life, with half a dozen other brave fellows. The smoke gets thick and strong up there, and they have to retreat, their faces covered with wet handkerchiefs to prevent suffocation. They are doubtful about the stairway, and find an exit through the upper story of Lyon & Healey’s building, two doors north. Still there are others in the buisling—a great many—how many God knows, and no one else. They are on the first, second, third, and fourth floors, working as men will work when their impulses prompt them to grand and gallant deeds. The engineer of the building knows what it contains, and is anxious about the lives of the men. He tells officer Wood to turn them out as the upper floor contains hundreds of tons of goods, and if the walls give way they will fall, carrying death to the men below. Wood runs up and drives them from the third and fourth floors. A minute more and he would have been too late. He again enters the store on the same mission. There are a large number inside——and they are in imminent danger. Wood gets inside the door, but, before he has time to say anything, there is a rumbling noise, and a crash, which sends a chill to the heart, and, with a roar like a thunder-clap, the floors fall in from the room to the cellar.

There is a frantic rush to the door by those inside, and men and boys fall over each other in their efforts to escape. Some were caught in the timber and debris. None can tell how went in and how many came out, or how many never came out. Officer Wood, Mr. R.W. Patten and Mrt. G.F. Sterling, are the last to get out, and they say there must have been a dozen men inside. Mr. Patten isw wounded, his back being cut and burned.

The Flames Roar
and leap among the rafters in mad delight. Upward they shoot, the smoke hovering around and over them, while sparks and bits of flame are scattered all over, endangering surrounding property. The fire creeps along the roof of the nnext buildings, occupied by Kirtland, Ordway & Co. and Lyon & Healey, and 5:45 they too are on fire. Men are busy running goods from the building. hose of Messrs. Farwell & Co. are taken to the Second Presbyterian Church, which has been generously thrown open, for the purpose, and those of Lyon & Healey are dragged out into the street. There is no time to spare, for the fire fiend has got loose and is dooming everything that comes in his way.

There is Another Crash,
caused by twenty-five feet of the side wall of Laflin, Butler & Co.’s store falling from a height of sixty feet. The concussion makes the ground tremble, and the affrighted crowd retires in fear and confusion. More of the same wall falls in a few minutes, leaving the interior of the burning visible. It looks like a fiery furnace, and the red and white flame sends forth a fierce heat that can hardly be borne a block away.

It is 5:45; two buildings have been destroyed in three-quarters of a n hour, and yet there are only three streams of water of any use at all and they are not of much service, as they do not rise above the third atory. That hose is spurting an squirting all along the streets, wasting water intended for the building. The impression inn the crowd is that the hose is a fraud, and an imposition, and that it ought to be condemned. It condemns itself. That precious bucket machine has been missed for the last half hour bu half a dozen men who have managed to take it in safely as far as Washington street. Just now it is going under a telegraph wire, and the mast, or pole, on which these men ventured their lives half an hour ago, snaps off, and the thing is a complete failure. The men are released from care of it, and can find something to do elsewhere. So far, there has been but one stream on the rear of the building, and that is weak and worthless. The time lost at the outset is telling fearfully now. Futire efforts will be i=unavailing, even if the hose holds out.

There are half a dozen firemen away up that roof of Lyon & Healey’s, over one hundred feet high, a perfect sea of fire below, dashing in waves against the fated building. Three brave fellows try to get a stream on the roof; but human beings cannot stand fire and smoke, and fire has taken hold of the roof to destroy it. On it went relentlessly, with nothing to impede its course or stop its way. There is no obstacle before it, and the roof is soon enveloped in flames. The firemen escaped in time down the elevator. They have barely got to the bottom, ere a pillar of flame rusches after them down the hatchway. A moment more and they were lost.

It is 5:50, and Lyon & Healey’s building is burning inside. Its fate seems inevitable. Nest door south, is the L-shaped store, occupied by Kirtland, Ordway & Co., dealers in boots and shoes. This store fronts on both Wabash avenue and Washington street. There is now small chance that any of the block will escape, and men begin to remove the stock from the building occupied by Kirtland, Ordway & Co.

The sparks are flying all over, and some fall upon the roof of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, at the corner of Madison street, and at 5:55 the roof is on fire. Some buckets of water are thrown on it and the building is saved. The heat is intense, and the crowds retire before it, and timid persons leave, the sight of the burning mass being too terrific for weak nerves.

At 6:15. The wall between Laflins and Farwell falls with a loud retort into Messrs. Farwell & Co.’s basement, and uprise the sparks and the flame, the latter sending forth a heat that reaches across the street and threatens the buildings there. A strong wall falls inside, giving the flames more food in Lyon & Healey’s building. All this time the hose is bursting, rendering the efforts of the firemen futile. They can do nothing anyway, for the devoted block, which an hour ago stood in all its pride and beauty. The heat again threatens the buildings on the opposite side of the street, and the water is turned on them to cool the fronts. Water is also thrown on the roofs of several buildings in the vicinity to prevent the sparks from setting them on fire.

The rear wall of Farwell’s building falls with a loud report in the alleyway. No one is seriously injured, although the intrepid firemen stand their ground until the very last moment. One man gets frightened, and suddenly letting go of the hose it strikes him in the side breaking two of hs ribs.

6:40. The side walls Layon & Healey’s building, fronting Michigan avenue, falls on Mr. Wilder’s barn, in the alley-way. crushing and destroying it utterly. The entire block is now ablaze, presenting a magnificent spectacle. It can hardly be described. The flames rose all over, just as the moon came out; the heavens were lighted up by an unnatural glare; the smoke and steam rose in dark and curling masses; the walls cracked, wit a report like a pistol, and so the scene increased in grandeur every moment.

The front, from the corner to Lyon & Healey’s building, has fallen gradually, and by piecemeal. Nothing stands but the corner, rising up like an old ruin, or, as a gentleman says, like the ancient tower of Heidelberg.

It is fifteen minutes of 7, and the wall of Kirtland, Ordway & Co. comes down and demolishes a dwelling house, the ruins of which immediately catch fire. The firemen let it burn; they have all they can do but save the corner where Lyon & Healey’s pianos are stored; but even that they cannot do, for in half an hour more, the fire has completed the work of destruction, and the noble pile of buildings and nearly all their valuable contents are destroyed.

The Origin of the Fire
is not definitely known. It was first discovered in the rear of the upper story of Laflin, Butler Co., and is supposed to have been caused by spontaneous combustion among oiled rags, which have been stored there. The flames were first seen by a servant girl employed in a family residing on Michigan avenue, in a house the rear of which faced the burning buildings. She told a little boy, and he ran into the alley-way shouting “fire.” The cry was taken up by several hostlers in the vicinity, one of whom ran to the corner and turned in Box 12. The first engine on the ground ws the Titsworth, which quickly followed by the engines in the district. A second alarm was turned in fifteen minutes after, and in the course of the next half hour to other alarms summoned every engine in the city, including the Illinois and the Winnebago from the suburbs.

J.B. Drake Building
The north one hundred and twenty feet of the building fronting on Wabash avenue was the property of John B. Drake, proprietor of the Tremont House, and was erected at a cost of $160,000. This portion of the structure, although the last to fall victim to the destroying element, will probably be completely destroyed. At the time of writing, the Wabash avenue and Washington street fronts are still standing, but there was little hope that the walls would remain after the interior floors and partitions have been burned. Even though the walls should withstand this eventually, the damage by heat would necessitate their being torn down on account both of safety and utility.

J.V. Farwell and Co.
Next south of Drake’s Building was the immense wholesale dry goods establishment, occupying a frontage of seventy feet on Wabash avenue, extending to the alley. This building was exclusively owned and operated by the Farwells, who rank among the leading dry goods princes of America. The basement was filled with domestics; first floor with dress goods; second floor, cloths and woolens; third and fourth floors, notions; fifth floor, duplicate; sixth floor, packing room. One hundred and twenty-five persons were employed in and about the establishment. The stock was valued at $1,500,000, and the building at $165,000. Both were totally destroyed. Farwell & Co. have already rented the building Nos. 72 and 74 Wabash avenue, where by the aid of a large stock of goods which were warehoused at the time of the fire, the business will be continued at once, and it is expected that everything will be in as perfect running order as before within two weeks. The insurance on stock amounted to $750,000; on building, $130,000.

The Music Store
and salesroom for pianos and musical instruments generally, under the proprietorship of Lyon & Healey and Smith & Nixon, occupied Drake’s Building, the basement being used by Lyon & Healey for the storing of sheet music and book stock; the first floor by Lyon & Healey and Smith & Nixon as the retail department music and instruments; the second floor by Lyon & Healey, for the display and sale of pianos; third floor, by Lyon & Healey for general duplicate stock. The total value of the stock was $140,000, of which $65,000 was saved, leaving a loss of $140,000, of which about $45,000 was covered by insurance.

Kirtland, Ordway ans Co.,
wholesale dealers in boots and shoes, occupied a double store in the for of an “L”—one fronting on Wabash avenue and the other on Washington street. They had $150,000 worth of goods, but a small portion of which was saved. They were insured for $110,000.

Field, Leiter & Co.
The third and fourth floors of Drake’s building were occupied by Field, Leiter & Co. for the storage of a vast quantity of fall and winter dry goods, woolens, etc., all of which has been stored there in unbroken packages. These goods, which represented a cash value of about $185,000 were totally destroyed. It should be stated, however, that these these goods had been stored in the building temporarily, and that their destruction will not in the slightest degree interfere with the filling of orders or the supplying of customers by Field, Leiter & Co. Before this meets the eye of the reader, that firm will have perfected arrangements for the replacement of every case of goods destroyed.

The Thatcher Building.
Nos. 114 and 116, uniform in style and height with the other part of the block, was erected by the agents of the Thatcher estate, and had a frontage of forty feet and a depth of one hundred and sixty-three feet. It was erected at a cost of about $75,000, and was insured for $60,000.

Laflin, Butler & Co.
The building was occupied by Laflin, Butker & Co., paper dealers, who held all but the second floor, which was in use by James & Butler, printers. The first floor was stored with general stationery, the basement with printing paper, and the upper floors with material for the manufacture of paper. It was reported that the fire originated among this material, but the gentlemen of the firm assert that none was stored in the rear where the fire broke out. It is difficult to say whether it originated in this establishment, or in that of J.V. Farwell & Co. Messrs. Laflin, Butler & Co. held a stock valued at $225,000, on which was placed insurance to the amount of $140,000. The firm, with enterprise truly Chicagoan, engaged other quarters while their establishment was yet in flames, and will temporarily occupy No. 39 Madison street, near Wabash avenue. They have a full line of goods on the way, and will resume business shortly.

James S. Butler.
The second floor was occupied by James & Butler, printers and binders. They engaged over eighty persons about theor establishment, who are now thrown out of employment. Their loss will reach $20,000, which is insured for $10,000.

Residence Crushed and Burned.
On Washington street, in a triangle formed by the protector of the Farwell builsing, at the rear beyond the Drake Building, stood the residence of Nathaniel P. Wilder, a handsome two-story frame structure. When the danger became imminent, a considerable portion of the furniture was removed, but before the task was entirely completed, entrance to the premises was barred by the heat, and a few moments later the east wall of the Drake Building tumbled through its roof, and what was not crushed was doomed by the flames. A stable in the rear was entirely lost to view amid the debris. The building was valued at $5,000, insured to that amount. The barn was insured for $1,000. The furniture was not insured.

The Drake Block Ruins
John Carbutt’s photography studio was located very close to this building near the SW corner of Washington and Wabash. He immediately started selling stereo-views of the “Great Fire.” Mr. Carbutt left for Philadelphia immediately after this fire. Also, the architect, John M. Van Osdel admitted the building was not fireproof as the walls were not thick enough.

Scientific American, October 15, 1870

Fire-Proof Construction.
On the 11th of last month the Drake, Farwell & Thatcher block, Chicago, one of the most beautiful and costly business structures over erected in this country, was burned to the ground. Several lives were lost, and the total amount of property destroyed is estimated to have been two and one half millions of dollars. The building was designed by and erected under the supervision of Mr. John M. Van Osdel, a most highly accomplished and skillfal architect, and, while not intended to be fire proof, it was supposed to be among the most substantial structure of its class.

In writing of its destruction at this late date we do not purpose to enter into detail, because the catastrophe was but a repetition of similar disasters which have occurred in this and other cities. In every essential particular the structure, on the morning before the fire, would not have suffered by comparison with buildings of its class in any city in America. The walls were equally heavy, and a careful examination of the ruins afforded convincing evidence that the masonry had been executed with scrupulows care. The Mansard roof, about which so much has been said contained lees wood than the majority of similar roofs in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. According to the American idea it was a first-class building. It was as good as any building of similar size not intended to be fire-proof. And now, after all this, if it can be proved that the walls were of insufficient thickness, that the roof was of material too inflammable, that the system of anchoring joists was bad, what does it all signify? It simply signifies a condition of thines which the Builder has from the beginning denounced. We have said, again and again, that our entire system of building needs reforming. If not, then why are we compelled to witness these fearful conflagrations? Why do we not hear of such fires in the great cities of the old world? Do we ever read of a fire like this in Paris? No: the elder civilization builds better than we; and, building better; it builds cheaper. The expense of iron girders is not a serious matter in the construction of a building which is to contain millions of dollars, worth of merchandise in its several departments, because it is not difficult to construct fire-proof floors after the French method where no wooden joists enter the walls. Our under. writars clamor for thicker walls.

We have been referred, time and again, to the recent fire on Randolph street, where the walls are standing; but those walls were built under Mr. Van Osdel’s direction, and differ little, if any, from other walls. The fire went through them in twenty different places, and all that saved the adjacent building from burning was the Babcock extingnisher in the hands of the firemen and citizens, prominent among whom was Mr. Murphey, secretary of the Home Insurance Co.

It is hardly fair to charge all the evils of the present system of building on the architects, because the evil is back of them. Property owners demand a liberal percentage on them, their investments, and in order to secure it buildings must be erected with special view to cheapness. When the Tribune Company desired a building that would not burn down, there was no difficulty in finding an architect to execute its will. The greed manifested by property owners to secure the largest percentage possible on rentals, and the extreme willingness of insurance companies to make good all losses, are the saddest features of this whole building business.

Chicago Evening Mail, September 8, 1870

THE GREAT FIRE.
Two More Persons Added to the List of Missing.
The work of removing the deb is of the great fire of Sunday evening was fairly commenced yesterday, and continued during the whole of this morning. The mystery enshrouding the disappearance of so many persons has not yet, however, been cleared up, and one other person has been reported as wi-sing. This makes so far a sad total of nine persons missing, and it is feared that that number at least have fallen victims to the fire fiend. The one more disappearance made known is W.L. Fergeson a lumber inspector of the Illinois Central railroad, who resided at No. 430 North Clark-street, who was last seen at the fire.

No bodies have yet been disinterred, and the most painful apprehensions are felt on the part of the friends of the missing, that they may be deprived of even the melancholy satisfaction of looking upon the dead bodies of the lost.

A large quantity of property has been recovered from the ruins, the first discovered was a number of invoices of Messrs. Farwell & Co., which had beea buried in the vault.

Tho work of rebuitding the whole block, with the exception of the 40 feet frontage on Wabash avenue, belonging to the estate, which it has not yet been determined to rebuild, will be commerced immediately under the charge of Mr. John Van Osdel, the architeet of the former bailding. A telegram has been sent by Messrs. Farwell & Co., to London, ordering $7,000 wort of plate glass to supply the place of that destroyed, and the portion of the block occupied by Farwell & Co., will be ready for occupancy again by the first day of January next. It is estimated that the cost of the building will be $125,000 for Farwell’s building. and $120,000 for Drake’s building. This estimate is comparatively light, from the great saving which will se caused by the re-using of a considerable portion of the old material.

The Land Owner, April, 1871

THE NEW DRAKE BLOCK.
Herewith we present an elegant full page illustration of the new Drake Block in this city, as rebuilt since the great fire last fall. Its architecture is mainly the same as before, except the roof ornamentations, which are materially different, the unpopular Mansard roof having been laid aside. The architect is John M. Van Osdel, Esq., of this city. A large portion of this elegant block is the property of John B. Drake, Esq., of the Tremont House. It is occupied by several leading mercantile firms of the city as appears by the signs.

The clock in the new Drake Building was constructed by A.S. Hotchkiss & Co., who have constructed a majority of all the tower clocks in the United States which are worth anything as timekeepers.

Chicago Tribune, March 29, 1871

If anything were necessary to convince the environs of the greatness of our city it would be merely the exhibition of a great mercantile house, equal to anything that the East has successfully accomplished. There are in our city many large establishments, splendid in themselves and gorgeous with goods. The last addition to the mercantile splendor of our city is the new dry goods store of Messrs. Hamlin, Hale & Co., corner of Wabash avenue and Washington street, which was opened on Monday morning, and through which now many thousand of persons have passed it would be difficult to calculate. That all who chose might view, to advantage, the gorgeous array of goods, the firm determined upon having an exhibition on Monday and Tuesday nights, and have, by special request, agreed to continue it this evening for the last time.

The unit, as every one knows, monster wholesale and retail trades, and while this doubles their business each branch works to the advantage of the other. A heavy wholesale trade enables them to keep for retail a large stock of the very finest goods obtained in the world’s market. Add to this the situation of the store, on the southeast corner of Washington street and Wabash avenue—the Drake Block risen, Phoenix-like, from its ashes—and the reader can form some idea of the magnitude of the business the firm have undertaken. This situation possesses a charm in itself, which will be appreciated by business men. A soft light from the north and west are desiderata which cannot be too highly valued. No curtains are requisite at any time of the day, and sale-man and customer alike can judge of the effect of gas light, a little parlor is prepared below, lighted with gas, in which are exhibited the most charming evening colors. Here, in fact, the business is reduced to an art. Carpets and fixtures have been selected with a care of judgement that would not be amiss in the Academy of Sciences.

The opening was a brilliant affair, and the rush last night, although the second, was fully as great as on Monday evening. The wholesale department, up-stairs, and the retail department below, were arranged, in very becoming style, with an exhibition of goods quite dazzling to those unaccustomed to such sights.

The basement of the building is devoted to the retail carpet trade, ladies’ and misses’ underwear, and such like. This, though of course not so showy as other portions of the stock, was arranged with consummate skill and good taste. The main floor is the palace, the charmed pavilion. This, filled to overflowing with ladies decorated in every color known, presented a lively appearance.

The first department is the silk goods department, under the efficient superintendence of Mr. Canfield, a gentleman whose taste and knowledge of color and artistic effect needed little advertisement beyond that which his arrangement of his goods afforded. On the counter were Japanese silks of every pattern, and of seventy-five varieties, from seventy-five cents per yard upward. Around were all the latest delicate shades in silks, so arranged as to set one and her off to perfection. There were black silks sold at $2.30 which $3.00 could not purchase at A.T. Stewart’s in New York. There was a green silk dress, to off a point-lace overdress, for which was asked the modest sum of $700. Near it was a round point-lace flounce worth $1,000, beyond which was another skirt, worth $750.

Adjoining this department is the fancy goods and trimmings department, which was arranged in the best possible taste.

Then comes the hosiery and gloves department. In this connection it might not be amiss to state that the firm have now a new glove, the Perinot, which they regard as superior to the Alexandre, or any other glove yet produced.

The next department is that of dress goods, And this is a triumph in its way. The visitor here find diagonal serges and poplins of the newest and most delicate shades; most elegant spring suitings. Competent judges have declared that, in the selection of styles and shades, this establishment is not outdone by Stewart, or anyone else. The summer dress materials in lawns, organdies, French and English percales, and white piques are extensively represented, and that, too, at a cost which puts them within the reach of all.

Adjoining this is the department which attracts the attention of the purchaser, and that is the cloak department. This under the supervision of Mr. Suits, acknowledged to be a master of his business, and engaged from the same position in Stewart’s to take charge of this branch of Hamlin, Hale & Co.’s. The exhibition of suits and outer garments generally is very encouraging to those who long for a good timing at a reasonable price. Mr. Suits showed, last evening, suits in Victoria lawns and brown linens from $4 to $20; a complete evening dress of Swiss at $40; walking dresses of the same material at $15 and $18. Then, again, surrounded by a knot of admiring belles, was a superb black silk dress, trimmed with lace, for $250; a very pretty and stylish Japanese silk suit for $45; black silk suits for $125, and so on without number. Turning to the sacques, Mr. Suits exhibits simple cloth jackets, trimmed with shades of the same color, pretty, unique, and stylish. These are all designed by himself, and fully corroborate the excellent recommendations that gentleman has received from all who know him.

The floor above is occupied by the wholesale carpet department, under Mr. Peck, lately in charge of Allen & Mackey’s carpet department. Here are Turkish, Brussels, Persian, and all other imaginable kinds, from the cheapest to the most costly. Curtains and upholstery of all kinds are included here.

The third story contains white goods, linens, cottens, fancy goods, notions, and other things without number.

The fourth story contains rooms for fitting dresses, with arrangements showing a degree of consideration for the feelings of customers which, if mentioned, would not fail to secure the approbation for the feelings of customers which, if mentioned, would not fail to secure the appropriation of all delicate-minded lady customers, but which the firm do not care to be made public. These parlors are under the superintendence of Mr. Gormley, a gentleman widely and favorably known among the fashionables of Chicago.

Such is the character of the last colossal business establishment, so balanced as to meet the demands of the wealthiest and the humblest, with a uniformity of excellence unaffected by price.

drake

The Drake Block II

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Field Leiter Building (Potter Palmer Block)

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Marshall Field & Co.

Field, Leiter Building, Potter Palmer Building
Life: 1868-1871
Architect: John Van Osdel
Location: NE Corner of State and Washington

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1866

Field Marshall

Field, Palmer & Leiter

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1869
Field, Leiter & Co. (Marshall Field, L. Z. Leiter, L. G. Woodhouse, H. J. Willing and Henry and J. N. Field), drygoods, whol. and ret. State, ne. cor. Washington

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1870
Field, Leiter & Co. (Marshall Field, L. Z. Leiter, L. G. Woodhouse, H. J. Willing and Henry and J. S. Field), dry goods, whol. and ret. State, ne. cor. Washington

Chicago Tribune, January 7, 1865

Chicago’s Dry Goods Market.
Since the commencement of the new year, several important changes have taken place in the Dry goods trade in this city. The firm of Farwell, Field & Co., has been dissolved by the withdrawal of Messrs. Field and Leiter, and is succeeded by the firm of John V. Farwell, C.B. Farwell, S.N. Kellogg, W.D. Farwell and J.K. Harmon. The latter gentleman is a young man long and honorably connected with this house, and who would be an acquisition to any wholesale establishment in the city. We are glad to see him attain a position which he has long since earned. The other gentlemen are well known to the trade.

Messrs. Field & Leiter, we understand, have purchased the wholesale establishment of Potter Palmer, and will take possession immediately. The stock of goods is very heavy, and is an enterprise of no common magnitude; but Messrs. F. & L. are young and active, and having all that experience and thorough business qualifications can impart, there is not much doubt but they will be successful.

Potter Palmer Building, John M. Van Osdel Ledger, 1866

Chicago Evening Post, December 18, 1867

THE POTTER PALMER BUILDING, situated on State street, between Madison and Washington streets, and erected by the gentleman of that name, bids fair to eclipse any building of the kind in the city. Mr. Palmer claims that he will have the finest structure in the world—not confining himself to the United States. The block is in two parts, the larger being 135 feet front on State street, and the smaller 46 feet on the same thoroughfare.

The plans for this structure are by the well known architect, Mr. John Van Osdel, of Masonic Temple, and the building is, in style of architecture, somewhat Italianesque, being a combination of the Grecian-Tuscan and the Italian schools. The structures are to be five stories in height, flat roofed, with a French roof over the main building, giving it a total of six stories in height. They are intended solely for mercantile purposes, and are not divided into offices or suites of apartments, the same person or parties being expected to take the whole building, from “summit to foundation stone.” The front is composed of of Joliet marble, and will be ornamented by brackets, and a handsome balcony in the center of the main building. The mason work is under the superintendence if Mr. Peter Button, and is progressing in a rapid and satisfactory manner. It is but a little over eighty days since the breaking of ground, and the smaller building is nearly done, having reached its last story, and being ready for the roof. The average amount of brick laid per day is sixty thousand. The mortar for the use of the builsing is hoisted in large tubs by a powerful little engine placed on the first floor; and the whole work goes on so rapidly, in spite of the unfavorable weather, that the owner soon hopes soon to see this fine addition to our city’s already fine buildings complete and ready for inspection and occupation.

The probable cost of Mr. Palmer’s buildings will be not less than $250,000, the whole being done by days’ works.

In addition to the above, and forming a part of the same concern, Potter Palmer is erecting another block on the opposite side of State street, which will be extended when the lease now held by Charles Toby expires. These buildings will be six or seven stories high. The stone for the front is manufactured in New York and shipped here and will alone cost $92,000.

Many smaller blocks of business buildings as well as several large blocks of dwellings and handsome single residences have sprung into existence within a short space of time, adding much to the beauty of the city, and showing its rapid growth, but they will be left for a second article in the Post.

Chicago Evening Post, August 17, 1868

The elegant block of white marble-front buildings, now nearly completed, on the northeast corner of State and Washington streets, for Mr. Potter Palmer, under the supervision of Mr. John M. Van Ordel, in on all hands acknowledged to be the finest building in the city, and in the Northwest, and will compare in beauty, strength, durability and size with any edifice in New York.

The building is elaboratelately finished. and towers above all surrounding edifices, causing them to look small beside it. From the base of the French or Mansard roof which adorn the building, & magnificent view of the city and the groat lake is obtained. The summit of the Court House is the only accessible eminence in the city equally lofty with this structure, which is a noble addition to the city, and will stand as a monument pf the wealth and public spirit of Mr. Potter Palmer. He deserves the gratitude of the public for erecting it.

The block will contain two stores, five stories in height, having a front of 160 feet on State street and 150 on Washington. The corner store 100 feet front and 150 feet deep, is now nearly complete. The basement story extending under the sidewalls and to the center of the alley in rear, making the floor of basement 114 feet by 190. This room is well lighted by Hyatt’s prismatic lights, extending around the three sides of the building; also by large areas of floor light in first story. The basement is a foot high in the clear. First story, 18 feet; second story, 15 feet 6 inches; third, 14 feet; fourth, 13 feet 4 inches; fifth, 12 feet 8 inches; sixth, 12, making the elevation 89 feet high from the sidewalk to the balustrade, above which is a mansard roof 17 feet high, making the entire height of the building 106 feet. The fronts of the first story are of iron Corinthian columns, 16 inches in diameter. The windows are of plate glass, 6 feet wide and 14 feet 9 inches high, in one light each. The second, third, fourth and fifth stories are of white marble, from the celebrated quarries of Canaan, Connecticut, out in the city of New York, and transported by rail to Chicago. The cost of the marble fronts was $105,000. There are six marble balconies each twenty-six feet long, and eight balconies eighteen feet long, supported on carved consoles, with marble balustrades. The pedestals of the balustrade will be surmounted with marble urns of elaborate pattern; the windows are recessed two feet, giving the front a massive appearance, relieved by pilasters. The total cost of this palace will be about $300,000.

Chicago Tribune October 13, 1868

The formal opening by Field, Leiter & Co., of Potter Palmer’s new marble palace on the corner of Washington and State streets, last evening, was the grandest affair of the kind whichever transpired, even in Chicago, the city of grand affairs. The public was informed some time since through the columns of The Tribune of the fact that the premier is so long the exposure of admiring eyes, native and foreign, had been rented to the popular proprietors of the largest and most fashionable dry goods house in the city; and the elite have been all agog with anticipation of the time when the white portals of the retail department should be thrown open, an dan opportunity afforded for a gorgeous revel in the mazes of inextricable finery. The attendance of wealth, beauty and fashion assembled last evening to take the benefit of the grand opening was something, unparalleled in Chicago’s history,and the even was one long to be remembered. One would have thought that the opening last night was an adjourned meeting of the “Charity Ball,” judging from the long line of carriages, filled with the cream of the avenues. The attractions were unusual!—a dry goods store in a marble palace, and in a new dress at that. Enough to turn almost any female head. It was the first of a series of grand affairs destined to transpire in the course of Chicago’s progress, and, as the inauguration of an era, deserves especial notice.

Potter Palmer.
It seems indispensable, in connection with the removal of the wealthiest firm of Chicago into the finest business palace in America, that some allusions should be made to the life and fortunes of the owner and proprietor of this gorgeous adornment to Chicago’s architectural grandeur. Potter Palmer has unquestionably done more that any other citizen of Chicago, not only to build up its trade, but also in the erection of substantial improvements and in the projection of liberal plant for the permanent benefit of the city. He is called the “Father” of the project for widening State street, which originated with him, and from him has received unremitting encouragement and support. He would make State street the Broadway of Chicago, not less by the widening process, than by the character of the structures he would have it entail; and of his intention in this direction ample proof has already been afforded. The bulk of his Chicago real estate is located on this street, covering a frontage over three-quarters of a mile in length. This property was purchased by him about two years hence, at a cost upwards of $2,000,000, and at a moderate valuation is now worth nearly twice that sum. What its value will be twenty years hence at Chicago’s present rate of progress, can scarcely be estimated. No better idea of his position relative to contemplated improvements can be gained than by a recent conversation with a friend, in the course of which Mr. Palmer remarked that the building of the marble palace had given him great pleasure, not merely from the profitableness of the investment, but in the satisfaction of having contributed this structure toward the adornment of a city in which had been laid the scene of his prosperity; and he further remarked that his ambition for the improvements of Chicago was not yet gratified., but he should continue to build and ornament the city, intending soon to construct a hotel which shall bare his name, and shall to say the least, not to be inferior to any on the continent.

Personal and Characteristics.
In personal appearance, Potter Palmer looks to be precisely what he is, a successful business man, whose battle with the world has left the honorable scars of added seriousness, and but little else to indicate that the struggle has worn upon him. In height he stands six feet, slender and erect; in age, about forty years; and save the the slight sprinkling of gray in his beard, looks not a day older; hair brown and curly; forehead wide and full, with indications of caution, prudence and capacity fully developed eyes of a hazel hue which impart a pleasant cast to the otherwise serious countenance; nose well shaped and regular, though not unduly prominent; the lips and chin a study, a puzzling combination of sternness, strength of purpose and refinement, together with an appreciation of the good things, recreation. The latter, however, is by no means a leading trait, for there can be seen on his well-precerved physique no traces of draught, but temperate and judicious, moderation. Looking at the spare, elegant figure of Potter Palmer, one would not be apt once to recognize one of the most business men of the age, for he is young yet, and packs the complacent aspect which characterize the ideal millionaire; but, taking his features in detail, there is no inconsistency, nothing to contradict his character as it is.

How He Spends His Time.
Possessed of a vast fortune, and personality occupied in supervising the employment thereof in business improvements, Potter Palmer’s habits would naturally be thought to be business habits, but this is by no means the case. How to manage millions and find time for ordinary pleasures of mortals would puzzle most men. Perhaps it puzzles Potter Palmer; whether it does or not, he certainly finds time. Bachelor though, he is, it does not follow that he excludes the society of ladies. On the contrary, the fair ones claim a reasonable share of his attention at the opera, in the drawing room, and on public occasions in general. Why he remains single, save himself, no one can tell, unless to surmise that {unreadable} more absorbing have prevented his entering the blessed state. He is friendly and amiable in society; {unreadable} in business. Delight in horseflesh is a noticeable trait, and he turns out the most dashing four-in-hand in the city, on frequent occasions managing the reins himself, and evidently enjoying the sport hugely.He is a liberal patron of the turf, and puts in a frequent appearance at the Dexter Park races. Although cultivating but few intimate friends, he is known among these as a valuable companion and generous friend. He an incessant worker, and his prominent characteristics may be summed up as industry, great foresight and indomitable energy. In liberality toward public and private charities he is by no means recusant, as the quadruple figure opposite his name on many a subscription list will show.

Early History.
Potter Palmer is a native of Albany County, New York. His parents were Quakers, strict and uncompromising, and the little farm they tilled was made, by close economy and prudent management, to yield its maximum of support to the family and profit at the end of the year. Of the boy, Potter’s vicissitudes in planting corn, hoeing potatoes, etc., we know but little; suffice it that his first and only longings were to become a merchant, and at the age of eighteen, he obtained the consent of Friend Palmer to exchange the pitchfork for the yardstick, and accepted a situation at Durham, Greene, Conner, as a clerk in the employ of Hon. Pratt Adams, with whom he remained for three years, developing such a degree of business tact and veracity, that, during the last year of his connection with Mr. Adams, he was vested with the entire charge of the affairs of the store. At the age of twenty one he had succeeded to scraping together three thousand dollars, which was the nucleus of his subsequent accumulations. With this sum as his capital he entered business for himself at Oneida, where he remained for a time, and then proceeded to Lockport, from whence, after having operated on his own account for three years.

He came to Chicago, reaching this point in 1852, with a capital of $5,000 in gold and bank notes, constituting his entire possession. After looking about for a time, he opened a retail dry goods store at the building No. 137 Lake street, where his business prospered through the growth of the city and his own skill and capability. In 1857 he removed into the store adjoining, remaining there until bought out, when he transferred his now large and rapidly increasing business, meantime having added a wholesale department to Nos. 112, 114 and 116 Lake street, the establishment just vacated by his successors, Field, Leiter & Co. Here, with increased room and added facilities, his business rapidly increased until within twelve years after beginning here with a capital of $5,000, the energy, perseverance and fair dealing of Potter Palmer had made his the largest dry goods house in Chicago.

Potter Palmer and the War.
The beginning of the war of the rebellion found him possessed of an immense stock in trade, and his consummate judgement foresaw the inevitable result of war—an enormous rise in prices of goods of every description. With unlimited credit at the East, and controlling, besides, a vast amount of ready capital, he at once set about making the most of the situation. In connection with his business here, Mr. Palmer operated largely in New York, purchasing almost fabulous bills of goods, and in many cases realizing enormous profits without removing the consignments from the custody of their former owners. Not being in the confidence of Mr. Palmer, we are unable to particularize {unreadable} transactions; we only know that mainly through these uniformly successful business operations, in New York and Chicago, his vast fortune has been axquired.

Retired From Business.
In 1864 Potter Palmer retired from business, selling out his stock to Messrs. Field, Leiter and others, and only returning a special interest in the business through his brother, Milton J. Palmer, whom he installed as a partner. Upon leaving the dry goods trade he at once invested heavily in Chicago real estate; as, in fact, he had done more or less, during his career in this city, plainly foreseeing the size and importance which Chicago was destined to attain. Potter Palmer’s business career has been a truly remarkable one. Commencing at the age of twenty-one, with but three thousand dollars of capital—and this the result of unwearying industry and careful economy, he is today beyond question the possessor of a larger fortune than is owned by any men of his age in America as the result of personal endeavors.

Field, Leiter & Co.
The firm of Field, Leiter & Co., is composed of Marshall Field, L. Z. Leiter, Henry Field, H. J. Walling and L. G. Woodhouse, the two first named being the active, managing members, and the other three holding a working interest by reason of being connection with the firm as employees. The business history of Messrs. Field and Leiter is one of peculiar interest, as showing how, from small beginnings and through various {unreadable}, the firm has attained to its present position of wealth and strength. We shall not enter into details concerning the life and experience of these Western dry goods princes, further than to briefly follow them until they became connected a partners, after which they must be mentioned jointly.

Beginnings.
Marshall Field was born in Conway, Mass., in the spring of 1835, and Mr. Leiter in Leiterburg. Washington county, Md., in the fall of 1834, their ages varying but slightly, and both being still in their prime of their life. The parents of both were in moderate circumstances, and both served apprenticeships as dry goods clerks. Mr. Leiter came to Chicago in the fall of 1854, and entered the dry goods house of Downs & Van Wyck as a clerk, and after remaining with them something over a year, in the spring of 1856 went to Cooley, Wadsworth & Co. He remained in this house through various changes and stages of advancement until 1861 when the firm was changed to Farwell, Field & Co., Mr. Leiter, becoming a partner. Mr. Field reached Chicago in January, 1851, and at once obtained a clerkship with Cooley, Wadsworth & Co., where his future partner was already installed as a clerk, and where, in 1864, the latter became a partner in the business, Mr. Field having been the first to obtain an interest in the firm.

As a Firm.
From this time forth their individuality ceases and as a firm their fortunes became joined. For nearly a year they devoted their energies to the work, adding vigor and system to their business, which increased and prospered in consequence. On the 31st of December, 1864, Messrs. Field & Leiter sold out their interest in, and withdrew from the firm of Farwell, Field & Co., and immediately bought the stock goods held by Potter Palmer, taking in his brother, M. J. Palmer, as a partner, under the firm name of Field, Palmer & Leiter. In 1866 M. J. Palmer retired, and, adding their faithful and valued employees Messr. Henry Field, Mailing and Woodhouse, the firm name became what it is now, Field, Leiter & Co.

Growth and Prosperity.
Subsequent to 1865, the history of the firm has been one of advancement and prosperity seldom surpassed in legitimate business. Their only reverse was during the first four months after purchasing the immense stock of Potter Palmer. The war drew steadily to a close from January, 1865, to April, and price of dry goods tumbled down, down, down bringing in their train the ruin of hundreds of wealthy firms all over the country. Within the period of four months, Field, Palmer and Leiter suffered a loss of nearly three hundred thousand dollars, solely from depreciation in value. The blow staggered but did not floor them. With that consummate foresight and and judgement for which they have gained a national reputation, the firm at once settled upon its plan of action, and action was precisely what they settled upon. No effort was spared to push their business forward and turn into money their depreciated stock, constantly purchasing more, until, as they had rightly predicted, the return of the army to private life, wares in pocket, so stimulated business throughout the entire North, that, at the close of 1865, Field, Palmer, and Leiter had not only fought off the threatened ruin, but also realized a handsome profit for the year, and now stood upon an impregnable basis for credit unimpaired, and a greater trade than ever before. From that time forth, the firm has employed uninterrupted prosperity, until today the dry goods house of Field, Leiter & Co., stands third in the United States, the houses of Claflin and Stewart of New York, being the only ones who outrank them in the volume of business transpired. The sales of Field, Leiter & Co., for 1867, amounted to $7,000,000; those of 1868 will reach in round numbers, $10,000,000—a total, for four years, of upwards of $35,000,000.

The Building.
This imposing structure, the interior of which described in detail, in connection with the uses to which it is to be applied, deserves even a fuller description than our space permits of giving, though it would seem almost unnecessary to say much of a building, which owing to its central, commanding position, has been already seen and admired by many Chicagoans and strangers from abroad. The ground owned by Potter Palmer, at the corner of State and Washington streets, has a frontage of one hundred and sixty feet on the former, and one hundred and fifty feet on the latter thoroughfare. On this land two stores are to be erected, one of which has just been commenced and which occupies one hundred feet of the footage on State street. The second, third, fourth and fifth stories are constructed of white marble brought from the celebrated quarries at Canaan, Connecticut, and costing (sic) $105,000. The fronts pf the first story are Corinthian columns, sixteen inches in diameter. The fronts are decorated with six marble balconies, each one twenty-six feet in length, and with eight eighteen feet long, supported on decorated console with marble balustrades of a very elaborate pattern. The building is surmounted with a noble Mansard roof, seventeen feet high, and which combines with modern convenience many of the decorative attractions of ancient detail. The height of the basement is fifteen feet; first story, eighteen; second story, fifteen and a half; third story, fourteen and two=thirds; fourth story, thirteen and a third; fifth story, twelve and two-thirds, making with the roof a total elevation of one hundred and six feet and two inches. The balconies, which have been previously mentioned, in addition to their value as ornaments, cast a shadow upon the deeply recessed windows below. They are recessed two feet, and are relieved by pilasters. The windows are of plate glass, six feet wide, and fourteen feet and nine inches high. The entire cost of the structure, including certain fixtures in the inner arrangement, has been nearly three hundred thousand dollars.

The Interior Arrangements.
Many people have amused themselves, during recent years, in attempting to guess at the causes of the prosperity of Chicago, and in trying to get at the reasons for her gain in commerce and in population. They have concluded this development to her position, to her railroads, to constant puffing, and to a dozen other things. Bit it is very rarely that credit is given to one of the greatest causes of her advancement, and that the merchants the enterprising business men of this city, receive the credit which is due them for their devotion to the interests of Chicago, and for their correct appreciation of the way in which these interests were to be furthered and nursed into a healthy growth. It is owing to them that Chicago has become a central point for trade, and that the dealers of the Northwest look no longer to the seaboard for their goods, but obtain the products of European or Eastern manufactories from Chicago merchants as cheaply as from New York ones. We owe much to our location, but more to those enterprising citizens. So, when we speak of the prosperity, the flourishing condition of any of our great mercantile houses, we are not merely describing them, we are also making them slight return for what they have done, and we show that we are aware of their efforts. It is therefore a matter of public interest and of public pride, when a firm like Field, Leiter & Co., leaves the place it has long occupied and is compelled by its increasing business to move into, and use from garret to basement, a building like the one recently erected by Potter Palmer, at the corner of State and Washington streets. This is a thing gratifying to us all. The success of this house, which is now the third in importance of the wholesale dry goods establishments in America, has been won not only by the ability of its members, but by a persistent adherence to the rule originally laid down, of selling goods at extremely low prices and for cash only. In order to be enabled to carry out this first mentioned rule, the various articles composing their stock are procured directly from the European or the American manufacturer in large quantities, for cash, and thus all the profits of middle men are saved. Their foreign goods are of their own importation. Selling for cash as they do, thus avoiding all bad debts, they are enabled to save the freight between here and the East, and thus offer goods just as cheaply as is done at the seaboard. It was owing to an adherence to these rules that Field, Leiter & Co. found that it was almost out of their power to carry on business in their quarters on Lake Street, which were rapidly becoming too small for them, and they began looking around to see where they could move. Fortunately at about the same time Potter Palmer had seized the idea of building, at the corner of State and Washington streets, the best store in the world. The work was pushed forward with rare energy by all employed on it, and as it advanced Messrs. Field & Leiter saw that it would answer their purposes admirably, and leased it for a moderate rental considering the great advantages and conveniences obtained. A few days ago it was essentially completed, and the leasees began the work of transferring themselves thither from Lake Street. One week ago the wholesale department was in the new building. Between six and twelve o’clock on Saturday night the retail department was moved there and was prepared for the grand opening of last night. The removal was carried on without the slightest interruption to business, closing one night on Lake Street and opening the next morning on State Street. It is unnecessary here to describe the exterior appearance of Palmer’s new building. It has been seen and admired by a majority of our citizens, and one can get a fair idea of it only by a personal examination.

The Sixth Floor.
Of the interior more can be said, and less is known, and we therefore propose to describe briefly, commencing with the sixth and uppermost story., the way in which Field, Leiter & Co., are utilizing the amount of room placed at their disposal. This sixth floor, which is all in one room, one hundred and one feet by one hundred and fifty and a half—the size of all the rooms excepting the larger basement one—is used solely for packing purposes. Here all the goods consigned to country dealers are boxed and prepared for shipment, after which they are lowered to the ground floor, to accomplish which there are a couple of steam elevators, running from basement to garret, and of such strength that an immense safe, weighing three tons, was safely lifted on one of them. On tis same floor are boilers containing thirty hogsheads of water, which, with the steam pumps in the basement, would drown any incipient fire.

The Fifth Floor.
The fifth floor is at present occupied by piles of boxes of goods received, but it will bot be long before a warehouse will have to be erected for their accommodation, and the space thus gained will be used as a wholesale salesroom.

The Fourth Floor.
The fourth floor is given up entirely to “notions,” and is noticeable that this house does a larger trade in articles classified under that head than any house that makes a specialty of dealing in them. Upon the long counters are heaped up ample supplies of Balmorals, hoop skirts, soaps, perfumery, hosiery, and the countless articles called fancy goods. This floor, like the one below, is divided into two department, each one with its head, who is responsible but to the firm, and who has the exclusive control and management of his special province. Here it is that one first has an opportunity fairly to notice one of the things that makes this the best building of its kind in this country, that is, the admirable manner in which it is lighted. Thanks to the windows on three of the four sides, and to the high ceilings, it is possible to see absolutely the color of any article in any part of the rooms, and no clerk is compelled to take a piece of goods and carry it from his desk to a better lighted portion of the room. Good light, that great necessity of such an establishment, has been fully secured.

The Third Floor.
The third floor is given up to gloves, white goods, linens, woolen cloths, cashmieres, flannels, blankets, etc.

The Second Floor.
On the second floor are the staple cotton goods, dress goods, silks, muslins, & c. Here also are its wholesale office, the private office of the firm, and the offices of the heads of departments.

First Floor and Basement.
The first floor is purely retail, and contrasts admirably with the cramped and darker Lake Street quarters. Yet it was soon found that this, large as it is, would not accommodate the retail trade, and hence the front part of the basement had to be used for the sale of flannels, cottons, & c. This basement, which extends so far under the sidewalks on every side as to be one hundred and twenty-six feet by one hundred and ninety, is finely lit, and no person can object to aaking purchases there.

How Groups are Handled.
In the rear of this room are the two large engines which work the elevators for goods, to which another is now being added on which persons may be conveyed, thus saving their customers the trouble of climbing long flights of stairs, and making the building one vast floor. Here too are the boilers by which the building is heated with steam—no stove being used on the premises—and the steam pump to be used in case of fire. A position of the space is also used for the storage of goods. To facilitate handling the immense quantities of goods arriving daily, a chute is being constructed leading from the basement to the alley in the rear so that the entire load of a wagon can be instantly placed in the basement store-room, and from thence distributed by the steam elevators to the departments to which they belong.

Informal Opening.
The informal opening, for purchasers, took place at 10 o’clock yesterday forenoon. Long before the the appointed time large numbers of people crowded about the edifice, and when the doors were opened, there was a perfect rush. In a few minutes hundreds of sight seers were scattered over every part of the capacious building, and every counter was lined with purchasers.

A mid-day view of the establishment gives a true idea of its genuine worth. At night, when the thousand-and-one gas jets throw their light upon the scene, the eye, blinded by brilliant surroundings, is apt to convey false impressions. The establishment can afford to be seen in daylight. It will have nothing by any real comparison. It is superior to anything in the country, and that ought to suffice. The goods were all arranged on their respective shelves in the nicest order, everything looked so neat and tasteful that it was a cheerful sight to look upon. The hundreds of clerks were all in their places, looking their best, and the lady clerks looked their very sweetest.

The cloak and shawl department received the greatest amount of attention from the lady visitors, and their surprise and delight at the wonderful and beautiful garments and coverings on exhibition was expressed in the most extravagant terms. How high and airy are the monster salesrooms; what perfect harmony and unity was observed in making each part conform to the general whole. Such establishments are a delight to the eye, and a profit to the purse, since no obscure light gives a fictitious value in any part of the monster edifice. It is a prodigy of light.

All day long hundreds continued to throng about the building, and at one time in the afternoon it was crowded in the retail departments to a degree of discomfort. A fabulous amount of goods were sold during the day, and everybody connected with the establishment was put to his or her utmost to meet the demands of the deluge of customers. The best of order, and a most complete system for the comfort of both buyer and seller will prevail at the counters, and the treasury desks are so arranged that there will be none of the ordinary bustle of running hither and thither of the youths that oscillate between man and cashier.

The Formal Opening.
The formal opening last evening was a grand success. In the matter of attendance it could not have been greater, for hundreds thought the building too crowded for any degree of comfort, and admired the sights and scenes from the sidewalk and street. No institution in Chicago, whatever its character, ever drew so large an assemblage together at its opening. Politically speaking, it was a spontaneous outpouring of the people, come to view styles and fashions. As has been said before, the enormous edifice, from basement to garret, was crowded to discomfort and the opportunities for anything like a careful review were best limited.

The Ladies.
It is to be taken for granted that the ladies were largely in the majority at the opening last evening. On this occasion they came not so much to be seen as to see. With what a critical eye a woman reviews everything that comes in any way within her peculiar domain, and what at Field, Leiter & Co.’s does neat. Here’s a bevy of the loveliest would be congregated about a beautiful display of Sultans silks, and what woman, with a woman’s heart, does not speak in terms of ecstacy of these gorgeous fabrics. Another knot would over flow with admiration over beautiful chamelions, while a third was absorbed over poplin plaids.

The Scene Outside.
If an inquiring lady acquaintance should ask her friend, “Oh, Julia, where did you get that superb shawl?” The reply will be “At Field & Leiter’s, my dear.” There is not such a place to do a little or a great deal of shopping in the Great West. We congratulate the Chicago ladies upon their rare good fortune. They have good cause now to thank God that they are not as other cities are—for instance, like the dear creatures of Cincinnati and St. Louis, and other suburban villages. In fact, New York, cannot boast such a gorgeous palace for the display of dry goods as that of Potter Palmer’s, and even Lord & Taylor, and A. J. Stewart, the great, himself, must hide their diminished heads and acknowledge the supremacy in their peculiar lines, at all events, of the Garden City. Although for several days thousands of our citizens and citizenesses have viewed the inside and the outside of this chief pride of Chicago’s architecture and given to it unqualified praise and admiration, yet last night was the night of all nights to see it all in

Its Grandeur and Magnificence.
Brilliantly lighted from garret to basement, it stood out in bold relief to the mere shanties, which, to speak comparatively, surrounded it. It looked palatial fairy-like, and, for all the world, as if it had been brought into existence by the magic stroke of an enchanter. The illuminated lights encircling it on the west and south cast a lured and subdued light upon the vase of the building; but these underground rays had no sooner reached the surface of the earth than they were driven back, so to appear, by the dazzling and all powerful rays emitted from hundreds of gas sets on the first floor which, bursting through the immense and magnificent window panes flashed across the street, making the opposite sidewalk as light as day and facilitating the picking up of a pin, if there happened to be a stray one on the sidewalk, by a passing pedestrian as much as as in the full glare of the midday’s sun. Story after story, until the beautiful and tasteful French dormer windows of the attic were reached was illuminated in the same way. To admirers of

Architectural Beauty.
last evening, must have afforded a rare opportunity for enjoyment. Corinthian columns, marble pilasters, balconies with their clear cut and beautiful balustrades, pilaster curiously carved and of snowy whiteness, were so brought out as to remind one of the Alhambra by moonlight or the production of the ??? in the time of Haroun Alraschild. Then, the moving throngs of men and women, who, dressed up in the very styles so lately and graphically described by our fashion contributor, promenaded the sidewalks, gave an animated appearance to the scene.

Lomg Lines of Carriages
consisting of barouches, landaus, phaetons, clarences, and every conceivable style of fashionable conveyance, were drawn upon on either side of State street, between Washington and Randolph. The drivers on their high seats had to wait long and patiently, for their owners were hours and hours in examining the treasures within the palace and it was nearly midnight before many of them were satisfied with feasting their eyes upon the good things within the building.

The Retail Department.
This department occupies the ground floor, together with a portion of the basement, the walls being beautifully frescoed, walnut counters, low shelving neatly furnished, and every fixture of tasteful style and elegant finish. Upon entering from State street, the eye is met with a vast expanse of goods artistically displayed. An attendant politely directs the purchaser to the desired department, and one soon begins to feel at home in the spacious establishment.After taking a brief survey of the wares exhibited, the visitor’s glance will light upon some special attraction, and it will be strange if he or she be not irresistibly drawn toward that portion of the store where are displayed the

Silks.
There are varietoes and novelties most interesting to be seen here. In new designs, imported by Field, Leiter & Co., were noticed some beautiful satin striped silks, plain and embroidered, of black and sultans, Metiernich and other colors, flowers in purple, scarlet and straw, at $9 per yard. A moon-on-the-lake silk embroidered in green, pink and scarlet, at $9. Chamelions, in Bismark and black, Bismark and Pridel, Aceive and Cresese, $8.50 and $9. A shot silk basket pattern at $8. An embroidered robe in rose and white at $125; another, Meiternich and white, $125; maize and white, $125′ black ground, with black and jet embroidery, very handsome, at $4.75 to $6.25 per yard. Some fine grosgrains in colors at $8, in black at $12.

Cloaks.
The cloak department of the establishment has been on a very extensive scale and is fitted up and filled out with the proper articles in magnificent style. A finer and more varied assortment has undoubtedly never been seen in Chicago. The space set aside for the display and sale of these very necessary garments is in the northeastern corner of the store, and is divided from the rest by a railing. This space is beautifully carpeted and fitted up with a stand of the most elegant large-sized mirrors. It is a cosy little nest, and will certainly prove a favorite resort with the ladies. The department is superintended by a number of efficient young ladies, who take a great delight in explaining all the the little (sic) eurlemagiga attached to stupid reporters. One of them desires to make his acknowledgements. There are so many different textures and styles that it hithers one where to begin. First, to speak of cloaking goods, there are striped plushes in all colors, lambs’ wool cloths in all colors, including sultans, flame, orange, & c. In cloaks, one that attracted a good deal of attention was of the finest velvet, in sacque form, with an over cape of velvet, looped in the back with a sash of elegant black silk. The edge was finished with beautiful crochet fringe about eight inches deep. A striped plush Bedouin opera cloak received its full share of attention. It was trimmed with a handsome cord and tassels to match. Then there were elegant cloaks, trimmed with sable fur; seal skins of the most expensive sort, columbiers shaped of royal purple cloths trimmed with black satin, in a very elaborate style; black and white (sic) Asirochans in full sets. In opera cloaks there is a splendid assortment, in sack and Colleen Bawn styles, made of plushes, velours, and velvet cloths, many of them trimmed in colors. Arabian shapes there are also in abundance. Likewise a large assortment of Moscow beaver, in different styles. A majority of the cloaks affect the panier. This department also contains a large and beautiful assortment of children’s cloaks; genuine furs, suitable for street and evening wear. In house-jackets all ladies are interested, and of these the establishment contains both a large and an elegant assortment. They are in every color, and bordered by hand. These jackets attracted more than ordinary attention, and the like of them, the ladies examined, had never been seen.

Shawls.
The shawl department, adjoining the cloak department, embraces the entire catalogue of this article. It contains camel’s hair or Persian cashmeres, varying in price from $400 to $1,200; Paisley’s ranging from $45 to $275; point lace, from $50 to $300; ordinary cashmere, some at a very low figure; every description of wool shawl, both long and square; black Thibets, both long and square, and beautiful grenadines. Also, an immense assortment of Prairie State shawls, manufactured at Lacon, Ill. These shawls are considered in no way inferior to the best Eastern make, and have an extraordinary sale. Of

Curtain Goods.
there is a splendid variety of the costliest fabrics and richest hues.This department is in the immediate vicinity of the shawls, and in many respects may be considered an adjunct. There are also beautiful piano covers of ordinary and the best qualities, and damasks, that put the ladies it to rapture.

Full Suits.
Of these a small number of the most costly and elegant were on exhibition, and excited the unqualified admiration of the ladies. It would be an interminable task to mention all or even many of the more prominent in detail. A few deserve special mention. One was of green and black striped satin; blazed flounce of the same material, headed with folds of the striped satin to match. Another suit was composed of a gold and black striped underskirt , trimmed with biased folds of the dame material; the upper and over garment made of rich black silk and trimmed with a rich silk fringe. Finally, we would mention a striped shot silk, panier-shaped, trimmed with biased folds of green silk, and finished with a fringe to match. Underneath the panier a deep flounce dropoped with rosettes.

Poplins, Etc.
Here are new and fashionable shades of cerise, maize, rose, Metternich green, Sultan garnet, et., and at the right of these the fancy dress goods, among which were noticed some elegant cashmere robes.

Gents’ Clothes.
In this line some novelties of marvelous beauty and great interest are shown, among them French diagonal twills, with broad bands at the side; French meltens; Canada gray colors, with broad stripe; English diagonals, plain, for suits; Scotch tweeds in great variety for suits, green and brown predominating; French cashmeres, gray mixed with broad blue band, very tasty; Elbenf light, with stripe; Hilger’s chinchillas, all colors; piques, granites, trecos and crepes, all colors; English serge coating, plain, diagonals and figures; beavers and English and French broadcloths in endless variety—all the above novel and neat.

Linen Goods.
At the extreme left are the linens, among which were remarked some admirable designs of Scotch manufacture. Two sets represented, one a hunting scene, with horses, dogs, etc., and the other a game scen, woodcock, quail, pheasants, rabbits, etc.—napkins and doilies to match in each case. Double damask cloths in sets, and damask towels were rich and elegant.

Ribbons, Laces, Etc.
Here are novelties and new styles, satin ribbon, plaid and striped; sash ribbons of new patterns; standard styles very handsome; satin and plain silk of the fashionable shades. In the way of fancy dress trimmings there are some pretty and tasteful designs. Among the laces was noticed a teal guipure net at $6 per yard, for capes, over skirts, etc. with trimmings to match; fichu capes, ready made; interesting nets with colored spots; new designs in lace tidies; fine lace embroidered nets, etc., all worthy of especial attention.

Gloves, Hosiery and Underwear.
A fine lot of fancy cloth gloves, for fall and winter wear, new styles and fashionable colors were neat and attractive, and the (sic) kids were faultless, of course. In the way of hose, there are new varieties, such as Paris, Prince of Wales, Balbriggan, silk and opera hose, fleecy lined, & c. In underwear for ladies, children and gentlemen there is great variety.

Gentlemen’s Furnishing Goods..
A new department, and one not usually found in a dry goods store, that of gentlemen’s furnishing goods, has been added, and occupies a prominent place toward the front. A splendid collection of cravats, scarfs, and neck-ties, among them a novelty called the Norwood watch guard, are to be found here, including some extra fine Cardigan jackets. This department will doubtless prove popular.

In the Basement,
the admirable arrangements of which, as to light, ventilation, etc., are attended to elsewhere, may be found the prints, flannels, blankets, and other staple goods. The apartment is spacious and airy, and will prove by no means the least attractive portion of the establishment.

Chicago Tribune, October 12, 1871

WASHINGTON STREET.
Turning east into Washington street, the way is encumbered with the limestone blocks which once formed part of Field, Leiter & Co.’s store, and which were thrown there when the building was blown up. Mixed up with brick, telegraph wire, and other debris, it makes a mass of rubbish which ought to have impeded the progress of the flames, but did not do so. Down in the basement, piles of dry goods are still burning and emitting an unpleneant stench. On the opposite side of Washington, the photographers’ places and the other stores have vanished.

fire

Left to Right:

Singer Building I

Singer Building II

Lind’s Block

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Lind’s Block, Z. M. Hall’s Grocery, Fuller & Fuller, Sargent Building, Deleuw-Cather Building
Life Span: 1851 – 1963
Location: NW corner of Randolph and Market Streets
150 N. Wacker
Architect: John M. Van Osdel, Arthur Woltersdorf (1920’s south portion rebuild)

D. B. Cooke & Co.’s City Directory for the Year 1859-60

Lind Sylvester

Lind University

Lind & Slater

Halpin & Bailey’s City Directory for the Year 1863-64
Lind’s Block, Randolph, nw cor Market street
Lind University, Lake Forest, office Lind’s blk.
Chicago City Dispensary, Lind’s blk., Market, bet. Lake and Randolph.

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1867
Lind’s Block, Randolph street, northwest corner Market.
Hall Z. M. grocer and shipchandler, 259 and 261 Randolph, r. 188 N. State

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1870
Lind’s Block—Randolph street, northwest corner Market
Hall Z. M. whol. grocers 259 and 261 Randolph

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1874
Lind Blk.—Randolph nw. cor. S. Water
Fuller & Fuller (Oliver F. and Henry W.) whol. druggists, 22, 24 and 26 Market
Hall Zebulon M. whol. grocer 259 and 261 Randolph, r. 670 Chestnut pl.

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1880
Lind Blk.—Randolph nw. cor. S. Water

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1885
Lind Blk.—Randolph nw. cor. Market

Chicago Tribune, October 11, 1859

Opening of the New Medical College—Medical Department of Lind University.
As one of the most worthy and sterling objects of just pride in our citizens, deserves to be ranked the progress making in all departments of the educational field. Our public schools, as the foundation of all general and thoroughly disseminated education in any community, possess all the advantages that can be given them by the skill of the builder, and the internal supervision of managers well chosen and indefatigable. Passing into the higher grades, the citizen and the chance, visitor to our city may find ample cause for wonder, and still more for approbation of the number and scale on which numerous splendid educational enterprises are rising. Chicago is as truly preparing to become the literary and educational metropolis of the Northwest, as she is sure of being the mistress of its trade.

Among these higher grade schools, none possess broader foundations, or has been conceived on a more liberal scale, than Lind University, which is fast making a beautiful suburban village at Lake Forest, on our northern lake shore. The munificence of one of our citizens is well perpetuated in its name. He did not wait to make a bequest, after the too common plan of wealthy donors, who are prone to prefer the “will” to the deed, but has, we trust, long years of active life before him to watch the growth of his own good seed.

As obviously necessary from its distinctive features which peculiarly necessitate the location of schools of its class in cities, the Medical Department of Lind University is established and last evening was most auspiciously inaugurated in Chicago.

Good Lecture rooms, museum, anatomical rooms, and every needed accommodation for the medical department of the University, have been provided in the new and elegant row of buildings known as Lind’s Block, on Market street near Randolph, a very central and convenient location, and these several apartments have been already well and admirably put in readiness for their destined uses. Already the Museum presents an—to the professional eye-attractive and interesting array of preparations and specimens of healthy and morbid anatomy; surgical, pathological and obstetrical plates; a cabinet of materia medica, and all the means necessary for illustrating the several departments of the college course.

It deserves to be remarked here that these rooms and appliances are furnished to the College by the liberality of the University Trustees, thus leaving the students’ fees to go to the uses of the medical school in extending the means of its usefulness, a plan every future student will reap the benefit from, as enabling the institution to keep even pace with the advance of medical science.

Last evening was the occasion of the Inaugural Address and formal opening of the new College, the first term of which commences to-day. The gathering in the large lecture room must have numbered at least five hundred, comprising members of the Board of University Trustees, many well-known citizens, and very many ladies.

Dr. H. A. Johnson, as President of the Faculty, presided. An opening prayer was offered by Rev. J. A. Wight, of the Olivet Presbyterian Church Dr. N. S. Davis, of the new Faculty, a skillful veteran practitioner, and medical instructor in our city, the delivered a very interesting and excellent address. His theme may be most comprehensively stated as the urging of the necessity for longer and more extended courses of lectures in medical training, as well as an increase in the number of professors; the division of sindents into Junior and Senior classes, and an increased attention to Clinical instruction.

Accepted as a more than semi-oflicial manifesto and pledge for the new institution, the path marked out is a most worthily progressive one. The best assurance that it will become the rule and the course of the new college, is found in its list of professors. The names comprise several of our best known and most esteemed resident physicians, men who have quietly and yet illustriously advanced the standard of their profession before our community, both in private practice and as teachers.

David Rutter, M. D.

Titus Deville

J. H. Hollister

H. A. Johnson

M. K. Taylor

F. Marla

Edmund Andrews

Ralph N. Isham

W. H. Byford

N. S. Davis

F. Marla

H. G. Spafford

Horace Wardner

The regular course of lectures as we have said commences to-day to continue until March. Already a good class of students have matriculated.

The new Medical College has thus taken its place and begun its career among the educational facilities of our city. It possesses claims which will be recognised to the extent of bringing it at once into an usefal and notable place among kindred institutions of the country.

Chicago Tribune, December 15, 1867

Cheap Groceries—The economical housekeeper should note the fact that groceries are retailed at wholesale prices at the store Z. M. Hall, Nos. 259 and 261 Randolph street. Mr. Hall’s trade is so extensive and his facilities so great that he can sell a pound of tea, coffee or sugar at the same price as if bought by the chest, bag or barrel. He buys all his goods direct from the importer. which accounts for his ability to do this with profit both to himself and customer.

The Chicago Tribune, October 11, 1871

The only houses or buildings in the South Division north of Harrison street are the Avenue House on Michigan avenue, and Lind’s Block, corner of Market and Randolph streets, four dwellings on Harrison street, and two or three houses adjoining Avenue House. All else is in ruins. Considering the great number of large buildings, it is remarkable how few of them preserve and share of their original proportions. The rule is that the walls have fallen.

The Land Owner, May, 1873

A NOTABLE BUILDING.—THE ONLY BLOCK LEFT UNTOUCHED IN THE GREAT FIRE.—MESSRS. FULLER & FULLER, ITS OCCUPANTS
Our citizens and strangers who were in Chicago at the time of the great fire, remember how miraculously the building on Market street, corner of Randolph and the river, was spared by the flames. We herewith present a graphic illustration of it, and take occasion to say something about its occupants, Messrs. Fuller & Fuller¹, wholesale druggists, as a matter of history, and a heretofore unwritten chapter of the great conflagration.

This house occupies a large portion of this block, their warerooms rising one above the other five stories and basement in height. There are so many different departments and so vast amount of detail in this business, that one unacquainted with its world-wide ramifications can hardly comprehend their extent. Believing that a brief notice of an establishment so miraculously preserved from destruction at the time of the great fire would be interesting to our readers, we called upon Messrs. Fuller & Fuller, and obtained permission to examine the various departments of their business. Although aware that this was the oldest and largest drug establishment in the North-West—in fact one of the representative establishments of America—we were wholly unprepared for the extent and variety of the stock shown to us. Passing through their warerooms, we notice not only remedies for disease, but many crude articles required by various manufacturing interests, gathered from every country of the globe—gums from Arabia, spices from India, fragrant oils from Ceylon, rose leaves from Damascus, opium from Turkey, gambia from Singapore, shellac from Calcutta, madder from Amsterdam, cantharides from Russia, fine chemicals from China, olive oil and pumice stone from Italy, cochineal and sarsaparilla from Honduras, dyconde from Cuba, palm oil from Africa, indigo from Manila, and all medicinal productions indigenous to North America—stored ready for the constant requirements of numerous customers. Strict regard to quality in the selection of goods has always distinguished this house. Order, accuracy and dispatch are stamped on every department of their vast business, and every person seem animated by unity of object, effort and feeling. The reputation of this house for mercantile integrity and scientific knowledge is second to none in the land.

Our readers are generally not aware of the great importance of the drug trade to the industries of the country. The confectioner procures from Fuller & Fuller his essential oils, the soap-maker his potash, the apothecary his drugs and compounds. It is one of the vital elements of our civilization.

Chicago Tribune, October 9, 1875

Fuller & Fuller.
The one store that is invariably and always picturesque is a drug-store. The dullest country village has its one muddy street relieved, at night, by the flash of the many-colored jars in the apothecary’s windows. The store itself is the central point around which the health of the community revolves. Everybody has to take more or less medicine, and the homely home-brewed concoctions of our grandmothers have given place to the scientific preparations that crowd the apothecary’s shelves. His store in the Mecca to which anxious parents turn when their children lie on a bed of sickness, in which the husband turns for relief for his wife, the wife for her husband,—somebody for everybody. The powders, and pills, and potions, compounded and sold there are the weapons with which

We fight death step by step, and often drive him away. These weapons are prepared for us the world over. Nature is forced to yield up her secrets that Tom may live. Christendom and heathendom are both ransacked for specifics which will keep some Mary alive. The countless array of drugs thus procured are shipped from far and wide to the great cities, and thence distributed to tens of thousands of drug-stores, and so to millions of homes. Chicago is the natural distributing center of the Northwest. She is as far advanced in the control of the drug-trde as in that of other all-importaqnt industries. The house which THE TRIBUNE has selected as the representative of this business here is that of

Fuller & Fuller at Nos. 22, 24, and 26 Market street, between Randolph and Lake. The selection has been made because this is the largest and best institution of the sort, not only in this city, but anywhere west of New York. Its equal is scarcely to be found, in fact, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Like most very good things, it is a growth. When the senior partner, O. F. Fuller, was a lad of 15, he began to learn the business. In February, 1852, he brought his ripe experience and trained skill to bear in starting a first-class drug-house in this city. He has seen his adapted home and his chosen business grow, and grow at a gigantic rate, together. He did an exceptionally large business the first year, but now has yearly transactions are twenty-five times as great as they were then. The success of Fuller & Fuller, Messrs. O. F. and H. H. W., has been won, not by good luck, but by hard work. In the first twelve-month of the former’s career here, his place on Lake street was scorched by fire, and this was only a premonition of the disaster seven years afterwards, when the flames found the firm’s store on Franklin street, and left only ashes to tell where it had been. In compensation for these disaster, the

Mammoth quarters now occupied on Market, were spared in 1871. This block and one other were the sole remains of the business quarter when the sun rose after that red October night. The preservation of their whole stock was an immense advantage to the firm. They did not lose a day by the disaster that cost some of their would-be competitors months. As a result, their already great clientage was enormously increased. They now sell goods from Ohio to California. It is not often that a house here does much east of Indianapolis, but Fuller & Fuller do a large business in Ohio alone. From the rolling prairies of the Buckeye State to the slopes of the Pacific Coast, the brand “Fuller & Fuller” lurks in nearly every drug-store on box, and bale, and package. That brand means several things. It means, first,

Perfectly Pure Drugs..
Adulteration is so easy and so profitable that it is unblushingly practiced. Only a highly-trained taste, often only a scientific analysis, can tell whether a particular preparation is pure or not. But if it is not, the difference between the thing prescribed and the thing taken may be the difference between life and death. A dishonest wholesale druggist runs the risk of killing by wholesale for the sake of his dishonest gains. When you buy goods of him, you do not get goods at all; you get bads. No such reproach can be brought against the great firm. Its success is a striking proof that honesty is the best policy. The stamp “Fuller & Fuller” is a guarantee of honest drugs. It is a synonym for full weight, too. The average man’s ideas of a scruple, drachm, etc. are of the most hazy character, and he can therefore be cheated with impunity. Two years ago, every druggist in a certain quarter of London was convicted for using false weights, and fined. It was an era of general investigation. Some thousands of other dealers were convicted at the same time. It made a great sensation, and Tom Hughes, the famous English author and politician, who then represented the district in Parliament, lost his seat because he denounced the nefarious practice. The evil may not be as wide-spreasd here, but it is nevertheless great. It finds no place, however, in the establishment of Fuller & Fuller. Here, then, we have two great resources of success,—pure goods and full measure. There are few persons who have been in business for themselves for nearly a quarter of a century who can point to so good a record as the members of this house. The firm has a large capital at its disposal, and uses it with admirable tact. The firm, too, has a large staff of skilled employes and a great amount of skill.

Inside Its Own Two Heads.
The Messrs. Fuller have the business at their fingers’ ends. A lifetime’s devotion to it has taught them everything the druggist needs to know. The site of their building is no mean advantage in itself. They occupy three large stores, Nos. 22, 24, 26 Market street, which run back from that broad avenue to the river. Then, as a matter of fact, their prices are

Singularly low—lower, in many cases, than they were before the (Civil) War. By importing part of their stock directly from Europe, they save dealers’ and jobbers’ profits, and can afford to supply first-class goods at very low rates.

Their three stores are filled from turret to foundation-stone—which is the Walter Scott way of saying from basement to garret—with desks, clerks, and drugs. Besides the eighteen floors thus occupied, they have to hire storage-room outside. One floor is give up to the office. That is, it was so given up, but growing business has compelled the firm to line it with cupboards, and to fill even the space beneath the many desks with drawers and shelves. The desks themselves encroach upon the floor-room to such an extent that the visitor has to tread his way along narrow aisles. The office is decorated with rich stained glass, in which beauty and advertising are happily combined.

The representative of The Tribune left the office in company with Mr. O. F. Fuller to make the tour of rooms which contain the

Largest stock of drugs in the Northwest. The large packing and shipping departments are like those of any immense business, but the floors above are unique. Strangely-packed bales exhale aromatic odors. The products of every quarter of the globe be side by side. Here is a ponderous package of sarsaparilla, bound up in the hides of cattle that once roamed Central America plains. Great bales of arnica and chamomile flowers, which waft a strange fragrance through the air. History tells us of the

Hanging Gardens of Babylon built to suit a despot’s whim, and rich in every flower. In these lofts we find a sort of hanging garden,—a long stretch of plants suspended from the ceiling and covered with the flowers of every clime.—dried, but none the less medicinal, and scarcely less fragment. Going through the great establishment is like taking a course in geography, Every part of the world is represented.

The drug business overlays several others. It includes paints and oils, etc., etc. Fuller & Fuller are prepared, in fact, to equip a drug store with dispensing counters, cases, glasses, show-jars, signs, and every possible variety of drugs. They furnish a surgeon with his tools. They offer you your choice of 105 kinds of oil with which to dress a salad or grease a locomotive-axle. You can select your favorite bitters from a hundred varieties. Two dozen hair-dyes will enable you to disguise your age. You can get enough chloroform here to lull the world to sleep, enough rubber rings for the world’s babies to cut their practice teeth upon. You can buy

Proprietary Medicines
in endless variety. You can fine pure wines and liquors. If you are anxious to discover the sport of remedy Othello had i,n mind when he said his tears dropped.

A line addressed to “Fuller & Fuller, Chicago,” will bring you samples forthwith. Carlyle could get enough mortars and pasties here to bray his “forty millions—mostly fools of Englishmen. The crowded floors have armies of barrels, unnumbered thousands of corks, tons of soaps, a myriad of boxes and bales from every zone, a bewildering variety of wares. The customers of O. F. Fuller and H. W. Fuller are courteously and fairly treated. They therefore come and come again. The firm’s drugs are never a drug on the market, and they themselves are the representative drug-house of the West. As such, The Tribune introduces them to its hundred thousand readers.

Inter Ocean, February 15, 1876

The failure of Z. M. Hall, wholesale and retail grocer, of this city, with liabilities to the amount of about $60,000, is the first mercantile failure worthy of mention in Chicago for tour or five months. There have of course been a great many small failures; but the fact that there has been no regular mercantile failure here for five months with liabilities as large as $60,000. while there have been so many everywhere in the East, speaks well for the condition of mercantile interests in Chicago.

Inter Ocean, February 9, 1890

LEASE OF THE LIND BLOCK,
at the northwest corner of Randolph and Market streets, other considerations are involved,

Gwynne Dennis & Co have leased this property for Jonathan Abel and G. W. Stanford to Marguerite E. Dorman and Rushton M. Dorman for ninety-nine years, at an anoual rental rental of 6 per cent on $150,000, or $9,000 per year. The property fronts 83½ feet
on Randolph street and 91 feet on Market street, with a frontage of 91 feet on the river. The improvements consist of a five-story and basement building, which is well rented to small manufacturers at an annual total rental of $18,152.

The present owners will commence at once to remodel the building throughout by adding two more stories, passenger and freight elevators, steam heat, iron stairways, and such other improvements as may be necessary.

This property was sold a year ago ta Messrs. Abel & Stanford for $110,000, who have since been offered $150,000, but refused to sell, preferring to lease. Estimating values on the 5 per cent basis, Messrs. Abel and Stanford secure $180,000 for their property, which is a remarkable advance on their purchase price of a year ago. The property, if indications can be depended on, will certainly pay 8 per cent net on this sum to the lessees.

Chicago Tribune, Februar 9, 1892

Funeral of Sylvester Lind.
The funeral of Sylvester Land, Land, a Chicago pioneer, who died Saturday, will take place today at 1:30 p. m. Services will be held in Lake Forest Presbyterian Church, at which Chaplain McClure of Lake Forest University will officiate.

Mr. Lind was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Nov. 22, 1807. He began life as a carpenter for Lord Aberdeen, for whom he worked five years. He came to this city in June, 1837, where he pursued his trade for several years. He went into the lumber business also, and later on erected the Lind Block on the ground that had been occupied by his lumber-yard at Randolph and Market streets. He owned his own mills at Green Bay, Wis, and had two vessels to carry his lumber to Chicago. Until his business began to grow large he acted as bank messenger for the veteran banker, George Smith.

Mr. Lind married Miss Eliza O. Thomas of New York in 1846,, four children being born to them. The dark days of the war brought financial disasters to Mr. Lind. By the year 1871 he had acquired another fortune, but the big fire again ruined him. He next interested himself in the real-estate business and continued in it till his death.

When Mr. Lind first came to Chicago had became connected with the only Presbyterian church in the city and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church on Indiana avenue until he died. He was at one time Water Commissioner and was for, nine years the Mayor of Lake Forest. He resigned in 1881,

Chicago Tribune, December 4, 1896

THE LIND BLOCK, A LANDMARK IN RANDOLPH STREET.
The Lind Block, at the northwest corner of Randolph and Market streets, was partly destroyed by fire at 1 o’clock yesterday morning. The flames were confined, to the top story and the next lower story, but the damage from water ran the loss up to $25,000.

The Lind Block is a Chicago landmark. it was one of the few buildings that the fire of 1871 mysteriously skipped. In this it is like the Ogden mansion on the North Side and the office building that used to stand at the northeast corner of La Salle and Monroe streets. It was erected by Sylvester Lind, a Scotchman, and one of the oldest Chicago settlers, who kept a lumberyard on the site before he erected the building and who lost this and all the rest of his property during the war through the wildcat banks of that day.

The name of the Lind Block is now confined to the south half of the original building, which has had two stories added to it within the last six years. This part of the building now belongs to Edwin B. Wright and the site to Jonatnan Abel. The north half of the building and ground belongs to the McCormicks.

The Lind Block is said to have been the headquarters of the Fenlans at the time of the raid on Canada. It is now one of the two or three structures on which the city authorities have caused marks to be chiseled from which to determine city data.

Chicago Tribune, February 24, 1899

The Lind Building, 28 to 32 Market street, one of the landmarks that withstood the fire of 1871, succumbed, to the flames early yesterday morning. With it was destroyed a monument which for half a century had been the authentic basis of calculations from city data. The monument was imbedded in the wall of the building in 1847 at a level established by the Illinois and Michigan Canal Commission and was used as the official level for the old canal and later for the drainage channel. The federal government adopted it as the basis of its harbor and river survey, in 1867 It was adopted by the city as the basis of its surveys of the sewer and water systems.

Owing to the fire in the Stock-Yards few engines were available. The fire tugs Illinois and Fire Queen, however, were brought into service on the 4-11 alarm, and, to good advantage. Joseph Ehert, a pipeman of engine company No. 34, was on the third floor when it fell. He crawled out of the ruins and was taken to the North Side Hospital. It is not believed his injurles are serious.

The fire was discovered by a night watchman and was soon blazing on two floors. The fireproof walls protected the adjoining buildings, but for three hours streams of water were poured into the burning structure, all the contents being destroyed. The loss on the building will be $40,000, covered by insurance. The total loss of tenants was estimated at from $80,000 to $110,000.

A curious coincidence in Judge Kohisaat’a court resulted from the fire. On Tuesday afternoon Frank O. Nelson, the conservator of the estate of Carl O. Maimghen. insane, who had a machine shop in the building, received an offer of $1,850 for the business and machinery in the shop, and the matter was brought to the attention of the courts yesterday for the approval necessary for the consummation of the contract for sale. Attorney W. F. A. Bernamer. who represents the estate, was advising the court of the facts in the case when news of the destruction of the building and its contents was brought Into court, and Judge Kohlsaat decided that there evidently was nothing to sell.

Chicago Tribune, July 4, 1926

HARDWARE FIRM RENTS BUILDING IN WACKER DRIVE
Sargent & Co., a large hardware concern, has just closed a lease for twenty years and two and a half months, beginning Oct. 15, on the five story building at the northwest corner of Wacker drive and Randolph street, known as the August von Glahn property. The firm will spend $70,000 on alterations and will occupy the first and second floors, renting the rest of the building. The structure will be renamed the Sargent building. Alfred H. Wetten & Co. were brokers in the deal.

Chicago Tribune, December 25, 1955
Our mention of the old Lind block at Randolph st. and Wacker dr. has brought a number of reminiscences from historical minded readers. This is the only remaining downtown building, you a may recall, which escaped the Chicago fire. It also escaped another fire last it week.

It seems the building has been able to withstand crises a good deal better than Sylvester Lind, who built it. Mr. Lind, who had been a carpenter in Scotland, came to Chicago in 1837 and got into the lumber business. In 1842 he built his own lumber yard on the river bank at that corner. He got rich, and in 1852 put up the building which still stands.

Its seven stories made it one of the city’s highest buildings. In 1859 Mr. Lind offered its top floors (now occupied by Architect Andrew Rebori) to a group of physicians who were dissatisfied with Rush Medical college and wanted to start their own. They accepted, and established themselves as the medical branch of Lind university, which Mr. Lind had already helped to found in Lake Forest. The first h lecture was given by Dr. Nathan S. Davis on Oct. 9, 1859.

Then came the Civil war, and the collapse of wildcat money left Mr. Lind flatter than a burst appendix. He lost the building. The medical school moved down to 22d st., where it sputtered along for a while until it was adopted by Northwestern university in 1870. It is now the Northwestern medical school.

Lind university, meanwhile, was defunded of students by the Civil war. With no students and no more Lind money, it changed its name to Lake Forest university and blossomed out during the 1870s in its present estimable form.

By 1871 the buoyant Mr. Lind had made himself another fortune in the lucrative field of fire insurance. And such was the situation when Mrs. O’Leary’s cow got rambunctious and left her mark on Chicago -not to mention the mark she. left on Mr. Lind, who ended up flatter than the O’Leary barn.

True to his race, the noble Scotsman brushed himself off, retrieved his dignity if not his fortune, and became mayor of Lake Forest in 1880.

Chicago Tribune, January 19, 1963

Sylvester Lind, who owned a lumber yard at the northwest corner of Randolph and Market streets, built an office building on the property. The year was 1852, Chicago was as big (38,734 inhabitants) as Elmhurst is today, downtown streets were mudholes, the river alongside the Lind Block was a forest of masts towering above sailing vessels. Runaway slaves were sneaked into Lind’s lumber boats at night and delivered to safe locations in timber country near the Canadian border, for Sylvester Lind was a secret agent for the “underground railroad.” The boys in blue marched by on their way to fight Johnny Reb in Dixie. Tenants came and went. Lind lost his fortune, and the Lind Block with it.

When the rest if Chicago burned in the fire that started in Mrs. O’Leary’s barn, the Lind Block was one of the few structures that survived. Market street became Wacker drive and the Lind Block changed its own name several times. The snow of 111 winters melted on its roof, the sunshine of 110 summers warmed its walls. A few years ago an officer of an engineering firm that owned the oldest building in downtown Chicago said proudly:

It’ll be here another hundred years.

Today they are tearing it down.

Lind

NOTES

¹The Fuller & Fuller Company was established in this city by O. F. Fuller in 1851, at which time Mr. Fuller was connected with M.P. Roberts under the firm name of Fuller & Roberts. In 1855, the firm was composed of Mr. Fuller, E. B. Finch and Charles Perkins, and, in 185S, was known as Fuller & Finch. The style of the firm was Fuller, Finch & Fuller in 1862, and since 1871 has been Fuller & Fuller. The present company was incorporated on June 15, 1885, of which O. F. Fuller is president, Joseph G. Peters and W. H. Rockwood, vice-presidents; J. Walker Scofield, secretary; and Jacob M. Shipley is treasurer. They occupy a six-story business block, at the comer of Randolph and Franklin streets. Their establishment is the largest wholesale drug-house west of New York. It is well and favorably known throughout the Middle and Western States.—History of Chicago by Andreas (1884)

Water Works II

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Water Works II
Life Span: 1866-Present
Location: Pine and Chicago Streets
Architects: William W. Boyington (Tower), Ellis S. Chesbrough (2-Mile Crib)

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1866

Chicago Water Works

Chicago Water Works Reservoir

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1870
Chicago Water Works, DeWitt C. Cregier, chief engineer. Chicago av. cor. Pine

The Great Chicago Lake Tunnel, Jack Wing, 1867

Ground was first broken for the great Chicago Lake Tunnel, on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th , 1864. The various causes which led to the undertaking of this gigantic work , and compelled such an enormous expenditure on the part of the city, now being supplemented by a still greater outlay, may be briefly stated. The old inhabitants of Chicago are painfully aware of them.

Since Chicago became a city, its great want had been an abundant supply of pure water. This want became more and more pressing as the city increased from a mere handful of settlers to be the teeming mart of the western world. Unlike most other cities, and especially those of the East, the surroundings of the Garden City were no more elevated than the place where the city itself stood , and no flow of water could be secured from any direction whatever. Originally ,indeed , the Chicago river possessed no current, being in fact a bayou setting back from the lake, its source on a precise dead level with its mouth .

The astonishing growth of the city, unparalleled in the history of the world , its increasing commerce and trade, combined to render the currentless river a cesspool of filth. Miles of sewerage were constructed, which discharged their foul contents into its turbid waters . Hundreds of steam tugs and lake craft plowed its surface, and the refuse and offal from numberless slaughter-houses and packing establishments in the vicinity of Bridgeport, on the South Branch, found its way into the filthy river. In midsummer the stench emitted from this repository of a city’s offal became intolerable; its waters grew thick and slimy, obliging the steam craft that plowed its surface to go far out into the lake to fill their boilers with pure water. Many terrible explosions have been yearly chronicled by the Chicago press, which resulted from the use of the foul water of the river for making steam. The animal matter which it contained generated gas, and explosions followed, which were often disastrous in the extreme.

The waters of Lake Michigan were contaminated and befouled by the influx, rather than current of the river, for some distance from the shore. A short distance north of the mouth of the river the engines of the old Water Works were at work, pumping this foul liquid into the reservoirs, from whence it found its way into every family in the city. Bridget had no other with which to fill her tea-kettle, and the laborer must needs quench his thirst with it. It came on the dinner table and made the goblets look dirty; it was tasted from necessity, and that was all. The guests present, from cities blessed with pure water, disdained to taste it, and returned to their homes, declaring that they would not live in Chicago for the world, its water “was so filthy and smelt so bad.”

Another grievous evil of the old water system was, that as cold weather approached , millions of infinitesimal fishes sought the enclosure near shore, from which the water was pumped. In spite of every effort, these scaly minnows would enter the reservoirs of the city, and come out in scores from every hydrant, alive and swimming. This was the greatest annoyance of all, and one that could not be brooked. Every drop of water drank in the city was highly flavored with fish, and one was obliged to look twice in his goblet to see that he did not swallow one alive. Wagon loads of fishes were often seined out of the reservoirs, but this seemed only to increase their numbers, and augment rather than diminish the nuisance. This was the culmination, the climax of endurance. To have living fishes forced down one’s throat, to taste, smell and bathe in fishy fluid, was rather too great a torment to be borne. The press cried out against this plague, pronounced it a greater than ever afflicted Egypt, and demanded its abatement. Ladies complained that the avaricious milkmen of the Garden City forgot to take the fish out of the water which they mixed with the lacteal fluid, and fishy milk was the consequence. Wicked liquor dealers were caught in the act of adulterating their goods, pickled minnows being frequently found in their best brands. These were among the unbearable features of the old water works, which rather increased than diminished year by year, the nuisance having been worse the season of 1866 than any previous one, as if to give our citizens the darkest side of the old system just before the new went into operation, that they might the better appreciate the pure water of the Tunnel.

The Great Chicago Lake Tunnel, Jack Wing, 1867

The necessary drawings and specifications were now prepared, under the never-wearying eye of Mr, Chesbrough. Advertisements for bids for building the Chicago Lake Tunnel soon astonished the world, appearing in all the Chicago papers, and, as we believe, the New York dailies. Several letters containing “sealed proposals” or bids were soon received, which were opened on the 9th of September, 1863, in the presence of the Board of Public Works and nearly all the several parties proposing. The bids were seven in number, and ranged very wide of each other, as follows:

The question will be asked, why this disparity of bids? It arose from the fact of a difference of opinion existing among the different parties offering the proposals, as to the character of the soil beneath the lake. Some of them claimed that they would meet with sand or gravel in the work of excavation, which would render it both difficult and dangerous; while others argued that the soil would be uniformly of clay and easily tunneled.

Messrs. Dull & Gowan, of Harrisburg, Pa., gentlemen well known in the engineering world, although not the lowest bidders, were the only parties who made an unqualified proposal, taking all risks of soil, etc., upon themselves, and consequently the contract was awarded to them.

The Crib, and Its Successful Launch.
The “crib,” as it has been commonly called, was built on shore, and launched, much like the Great Eastern or any other sea-going hulk. It is composed of huge timbers and tons of iron, no expense being spared to make it strong; is forty feet and a half high and built in pentagonal form, in a circumscribed circle of ninety-eight and a half feet in diameter. It was constructed with three walls the outer, the center, and the inner making it almost like three distinct structures, one inside the other, and all firmly braced and bolted together, so as to constitute one great structure. Each of these walls was calked and tarred, like the hulk of a vessel. They were constructed of twelve-inch square timber, the first twelve feet from the top of white oak and the remaining twenty-eight feet of white pine. Each piece of timber comprising either wall was firmly bolted in its place with square rods of iron, one and five-sixteenths of an inch in diameter and thirty inches long. The bottom was composed of twelve-inch timbers, held in place by bolts thirty-six inches in length, passing through three distinct layers of timber. The whole framework was a combination of massive timbers and irons, firmly held together by bars and bolts and braced in every direction. When finished it contained fifteen separate water tight compartments. In the center was a ” well,” open at the bottom and top, through which the shaft was to descend into the bottom of the lake. Each angle of the crib was provided with iron armor, to protect it from ice or any other body borne upon the waves. This covering was of iron two and a half inches thick, and covered the structure two feet each way from the angles, and extended downwards from the top twelve feet. This armor was fastened to the outer wall of the crib and the adjacent timbers by iron bolts thirty inches long, and to the inner wall and its timbers by round iron bolts, an inch and a half in diameter and thirteen and a half feet in length. That people may form a correct idea of this immense structure, and the importance it possessed in the great work, we give a few items of the timber and iron used in its construction. It cost not far from one hundred thousand dollars before it was moved from the stocks. Reduced to board measure, there were used in building it 618,825 feet of lumber, as follows:

Besides this, there were used five hundred bales of oakum and sixty-five tons of iron bolts.

This immense structure, almost as large as the Chicago Court House, was built like a vessel, on the north pier, a short distance from the mouth of the river. On the 24th day of July, 1865, an immense concourse of people gathered on the spot to see it launched. So great was the interest felt in its being successfully put in position, that merchants left their counting-rooms and hurried to the scene. Thousands of people were present, standing upon the house tops, riding upon the river in yawls, and seated in carriages upon the banks and piers.

The launch was announced to occur, at between nine and ten o’clock in the morning. The day was propitious, scarcely a ripple breaking the surface of the lake. From the summit of the crib floated American flags, and the hat of Colonel Gowan was occasionally visible, as he went to and fro, giving orders to the workmen. The river itself presented a lively appearance. Seven tugboats, with flags flying and hundreds of people on their decks, among whom were Governor Oglesby, of Illinois, and many other distinguished men, were waiting in the harbor to tow the monster to its place in the lake.

Shortly after ten o’clock, the leviathan moved, rode slowly into the river, with streaming flags, and the hat of Colonel Gowan swinging over his head from the top. Cannon boomed, hundreds of steam whistles shrieked, bells rang, and thousands of throats cheered lustily. When about in the middle of the river, the mass left the ways upon which it rode, and rose upon the water as gracefully as any craft that ever was launched.

The Crib, or Lake End of the Tunnels, Where the Pure Water is Taken From the Bottom of Lake Michigan, Two Miles From Shore.

The tugboats now attached their hawsers, and the crib was towed slowly towards the buoys in the lake, which had been placed there to mark its position, on a direct line with the shore shaft. These were reached at two o’clock, P. M., and the hawsers cut loose. The gates of the crib were opened as soon as it was got in position, and it settled majestically into the lake, where it is ever more to remain, a monument of mind over matter.

When the crib was in place it was filled with stone, with the exception of the center compartment, reserved for the lake shaft to go through, and cables were attached to its corners, which were fastened to the bottom of the lake by means of Mitchell’s marine mooring screws, never before used except in tunneling the Thames. The screws had previously been imbedded in the bottom of the lake.

Once in its place, this monster crib became an island in the lake. When filled with stones it was as immovable as Gibraltar. Reaching down to the clay bottom, the water being about thirty feet deep at this point, several feet of the structure remained above the surface of the lake. As winter approached, the top of the crib was covered by a house, constructed with a cupola, where a light and a fog bell were kept at night to warn the mariner of his position, which the law now requires the city authorities to constantly observe. Tugboats plyed between the crib and the city, carrying out supplies to the workmen and conveying visitors to the wonderful island.

The next end to be obtained was sinking the cylinders in the crib, in order that tunneling could commence in both directions. The winter of ’65 was at hand. A large quantity of brick and mortar were taken out and piled upon the crib, as well as provisions for the men; it being anticipated that when winter set in, the ice would not permit of reaching the crib for months at a time.

Descending the Shore Shaft.

Sinking of the Shore Shaft.
Messrs. Dull & Gowan, the contractors, now entered zealously upon their great enterprise. A shaft about nine feet in diameter was sunk, on the above site, a short distance from the shore of the lake. When the workmen had descended a short distance into the earth, they encountered a bed of shifting quicksand, which for a time defied all efforts at excavation. It was originally intended to construct the shaft wholly of brick, running it down from the surface of the ground, to a depth of fifteen feet below the level of the bottom of the lake, but encountering the quicksand compelled the abandonment of this method. The contract was consequently deviated from, and the contractors were authorized to run down an iron cylinder of the same dimensions as the center of the crib, as far as the bottom of the sand bed, about twenty-six feet. This inlet cylinder is nine feet in diameter, inside, and two and a quarter inches thick. It is cast in four sections of about nine feet in length. The great labor of sinking these sections will be apparent to all. From the bottom of the cylinders, twenty-six feet, the shaft was continued into the earth until it reached the depth of sixty-nine feet, being constructed of brick from the point where the iron cylinders ceased.

This shaft is not unlike an immense well. It was destined to be the great highway through which the clay excavated from the Tunnel proper should be conveyed to the outer world, and much satisfaction was felt by the contractors when this bare commencement of their great work was accomplished.

Over the mouth of this shaft, a rough, temporary building was erected, large enough to contain a steam engine of great power, the office of the contractors, and the brick, cement, tools, etc., used by the workmen. An elevator was now constructed, which carried the miners up and down the shaft to their work, being propelled by the engine. Stepping upon this platform, half a dozen hardy miners, carrying each his little lamp, pick and shovel, would descend far beneath the view of the spectators to their labors in the bowels of the earth. The clay which they excavated was brought up the slfaft in the same manner, and the brick, cement, etc., carried down.

At the bottom of the shaft water soon began to ooze in, and it became necessary to construct a pump, which was worked by the engine, and which kept it dry.

Diagram and Apparatus Used at the Shaft for Hoisting Earth.

The Great Chicago Lake Tunnel, Jack Wing, 1867

Excavating the Tunnel Proper.
The lake shaft being ready, tunneling was commenced from the bottom towards the shore, on the first day of the New Year, 1866. The first brick at the crib end was laid on the 22d day of December, 1865. At that time the shore shaft had reached the length of 4,815 feet. The earth removed from the face of the Tunnel was carried up the shaft and dumped into the lake, and as it progressed similar appliances to the furtherance of the work were used to those already described at the shore shaft.

Ground Broken For The Tunnel.
A delay of about two months in the casting of the huge cylinders for the shore shaft of the Tunnel, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, postponed the inauguration ceremonies until the 17th of March, 1864, on which day the first shovelful of earth was removed. These ceremonies were of an interesting character, every man participating in them feeling aware of the great undertaking upon which they
were entering, and the disgrace which a failure would bring both upon themselves and the city. The ceremonies were witnessed by about a hundred gentlemen, among whom were Mayor Sherman, Messrs. Letz and Rose, of the Board of Public Works, Mr. S. S. Hayes, the City Comptroller, Messrs. E. S. Chesbrough, U. P. Harris, and a majority of the members of the Common Council. The Mayor made a few remarks appropriate to the occasion, and then took the pick and broke the ground, amid the cheers of the company. Each of the gentlemen took a shovelful of earth and placed it in the wheelbarrow, which was taken away by Colonel Gowan, one of the contractors. The field was then abandoned to Messrs. Dull & Gowan, and the work placed in their hands; the Board reserving the right to examine and criticise the operations as they progressed.

The location of the shore shaft was on the site of the old pumping works, at the east end of Chicago avenue, directly on the lake shore, about half an hour’s walk from the Court House.

Excavating the Tunnel Proper.
At the depth of sixty-nine feet the workmen stopped, and the shore “shaft” was pronounced a success. Here began that nice engineering, which one of the editors of the London Times, who had visited the Tunnel, pronounced “the greatest of modern times.”

The point in the lake where the Tunnel should receive water had already been fixed, by means of soundings, and buoys marked the spot. An imaginary straight line was drawn, which the Tunnel was to follow from the point where it crossed the shaft, which was little less than prolonging a straight line nine feet in length, without deviation, until it reached some point two miles ahead. The compass, the natural reliance of man upon the lake, could not be relied upon under the lake.

Bricking the Tunnel.
The width of the Tunnel, when bricked up, was decided to be five feet, and its clear height five feet two inches, the top and bottom arches being semi-circles. Two miners were all that could work upon the, excavation ahead of the masons who laid the brick, and they were relieved at regular inter- vals, so that the work should not stop for a moment. The brick masonry, which followed the miners as fast as they advanced, was eight inches thick, the bricks being laid lengthwise of the Tunnel, with toothing joints, to give it greater strength and durability. Between this masonry and the sides of the excavation, as much of the earth was forced back as possible. The lower half of the bore was constructed jn such a manner that the bricks lie against the clay, while in the upper half the bricks were wedged in between the brick and the earth, thus preventing any danger which might result from*the tremendous pressure which it was feared might burst in the Tunnel.

The material used in the masonry was white Illinois brick, of the usual size, laid in cement. The Tunnel was to have a slope from the “crib,” or lake terminus, to the shore, of two feet to the mile, to admit of its being emptied in case repairs should at any future time be necessary, the water being shut off by means of gates at the lake end.

A new pumping engine, sufficiently powerful to elevate into the reservoirs, from the Tunnel, eighteen million gallons of water in twenty-four hours, has been purchased, which will be placed in the new building. This engine, which is the largest ever put up in the West, cost $112,350. It was built from designs drawn by Mr. Cregier, the old engineer at the Water Works, and is a model of beautiful machinery.

Building the tower. Cribtenders lived in these offshore structures. Photo by John Carbutt

1869 Annual Report of Chicago’s Board of Public Works

Chicago Tribune, March 8, 1868

On Saturday fternoon the three members of the Bard of Public Works, and Mr, Chesebrough, their Chief Engineer, took the tug O. B. Green, put at their disposal by Messrs. Fox & Howard. and went out to the crib for the purpose of seeing the state of affairs at that place, from which nothing had been heard for nearly two weeks.

The boat started from the State street bridge and went down the river, in which the ice is running with great speed. The oily matter upon the surface shows how thoroughly the bed of the stream is being stirred up by the rapid current. For a short distance beyond the elevators at the mouth of the river the way was clear; but beyond that came an ice field, through a portion of which the tug made her way with some difficulty. In some places it was bard to say whether the mixture was ice or water, so well were the two mixed up. Immense cakes of ice covered with snow, so white as to resemble coral, stirred by and rolled over like mimic icebergs. The effect of the river was plainly seen in the discoloration of the lake water, its rich green being changed into a muddy, neutral tint. Near the shore, at the point whence the old supply of water was drawn, the water wes peculiarly turbid, and it was a relief, in looking at it, to think that the days for drinking such stuff were over.

On the western edge of the ice field lying off the mouth of the river, the ice brought down stream had lodged, and there was a more offensive smell there than anywhere on the river itself. On one of those dirty cakes was a small dead pig, while on others were straw, manure, bits of wood, etc.

Upon reaching the crib and conversing with Mr. Gregg, who lives there, it was found, as the board supposed, that no damage had been done. Their trip, indeed, was not caused by any hear of a desire to verify Mr. Chesebrough’s idea that the discoloration of the water we drink was due to the stirring up of the bed of the lake wear the crib, due to the ice resting on it.

Mr. Gregg states that the ice only broke away from the crib on Saturday morning. For some time there rested against its southern face an thirty yards long and forty feet wide, and reach reaching up to the windows. The winds have generally been southerly during the last thirty days, and the pressure against the crib must have been enormous, but it was not injured in the slightest degree. When the ice was broken up, the large cakes would turn over and bring up blocks of stone as heavy as two men could lift, showing that the ice had been resting on the bottom, and had really caused the discoloration in the water.

The people at the crib had but one day’s fuel left; so after all that could be spared from the the had been given them, the board returned to the city, well satisfied with the condition in which everything had been found.

Chicago Tribune, July 7, 1865

Collision.—On Wednesday last the schooner Arkitack, in tow of the tug O. B. Green, ran into the machinery set out on the North Pier for the purpose of launching the crib for the Lake Tunnel, breaking two of the weighs and causing other damage. The vessel herself was so much injured that she sunk on reaching the dock at Van Buren street bridge. Amount of loss not ascertained. The vessel was proceeding at the very unsafe speed of nine miles an hour at the time of the collission.

Chicago Tribune, July 25, 1865

The launch of the giant crib for the East end of the great lake tunnel was safely accomplished yesterday morning, after innumerable delays, extending through a period of several weeks. It was done so neatly and so easily as to astonish every one among the thousands who watched the passage from its native element into the water. It will be observed that we invert the usual phrase, according to which a vessel is native in the element to which it emegrates—a phrase, by the way, quite foreign to the subject.

It is now some weeks since the time first fixed upon her launch; first bad weather, then an accident, then bad weather, then more bad weather, then a breaking up of the sliding ways by collision with a vessel, and still again, another touch of bad weather, caused collectively a long delay. Very many of those who read the announcements that the launch would positively be made yesterday, disbelieved it, as the morning broke ominously; but for this fact the crowd would have been much greater. Yet there was no lack of attendance, and spite of the threatened wind and rain, the murky clouds, and the angry waters of the lake, the erecting contractor—Mr. Gowen, decided to venture, and was rewarded in one of the most complete successes on record.

The crib lay on the North Pier, a few rods west of the lighthouse, where it had been constructed, and where no doubt a majority of our citizens have seen it, either closely or at a distance. The latter was no difficult task as its huge unwieldy proportions made it a very conspicuous object. The monster resembles nothing at all, either in the heavens above or the waters beneath, and the only conceivable parallel would be the appearance of Gulliver’s Brobdingnagian box dropped down among the Lilliputians—the chances are that its advent there would have forever silenced their squabbles by breaking their egg at both ends, crushing them to atoms, and driving their island out of sight. It is certainty a monster egg for any ordinary mortal to break, and whichever end he he might essay he would find it a big one; let us hope that the chicken proposed to be hatched will prove it to be worth the trouble.
art
The crib is forty feet and a half high, and built in pentagonal form, in a circumscribing circle of ninety eight and a half feet diameter. We have previously described its construction minutely, and anything more than a brief recapitulation is therefore unnecessary. It is built of logs one foot square, and consists of three walls, at a distance of eleven from each other, leaving a central pentagonal space having an inscribed circle of twenty-five feet, within which will be fixed the iron cylinder, nine feet in diameter, to run from the water line to the tunnel, sixty-four feet below the surface and thirty-one feet below the surface and thirty-one feet below the bed of the lake at that point. The crib is thoroughly braced in every direction, so that it might be tumbled over and over without injury. It contains 750,000 feet of lumber, board measure, and 150 tons of iron bolts; it weighs about 1,800 tons. The outside is thoroughly caulked, equal to a first class vessel, with three threads in each seam, the first and last being what is called “horsed.” Over all these there is a layer of lagging which will keep the caulking in place, and protect the crib proper from the action of the waves. Above is a diagram of the crib, (horizontal section) with the cylinder inside.

The crib was placed on seven ways, each one hundred and forty feet long, dipping down into the water on the incline of one inch to the foot. It was let down on these two by two hundred and fifty screws, similar to those used in house moving and raising. At an early hour yesterday all the screws were got in position, and the ways greased. Nothing remained but the presence of the invited guests, to allow the great slide being taken.

The scene was decidedly a gay one. Seven tugs steamed about the mouth of the harbor, filled with eager spectators, small boats innumerable played on the surging water, the decks and rigging of numerous sail vessels were covered and filled, and the shore for a long distance in each direction was comfortably crowded. A vast amount of speculation was indulged in while the preparations were in progress, as to the success of what everybody

The tug, A.B. Ward (US No. 388/381), having on board Governor Oglesby, Col. Bowen and Col. Snyder of the Governor’s staff, U.P. Harris, Dr. Brainerd, several members of the Common Council, and the usual sprinkling of representatives of the Press, was the first to make the circuit of the crib, and soon with the tug Continental took a “line” and commenced to tow out the crib to its final resting place. This occupied about an hour and a half, the journey being rendered rather disagreeable by the drizzling rain which set in, and a decent swell, which, however, did not materially retard progress. Before noon the crib was in position, two miles from shore, in the middle of the anchors put down several days before, and whose places were marked by buoys, the lines cast off, and the tugs preparing to return to the city.

The only accident occurring to the party was a small one to the tug S.V.R Watson (US No. 22284), which got her screw entangled in one of the buoys, and was unable to get clear till a boat was procured form shore; her passengers were transferred to the Ward. It is worthy of remark in this connection that no accident involving personal injury has occurred since the commencement of the work, nearly two years ago.

Chicago Illustrated, August, 1866

CHICAGO is supplied with water from Lake Michigan, the water being drawn from a point about one mile north of the Chicago River. The emptyings of that river, into which the sewers of the city discharge, found their way to the water works, and were distributed through the pipes to all parts of the city. This became each such an intolerable evil, that it was resolved to secure pure water by other means. Mr. E. S. Chesborough, the City Engineer, projected a plan for obtaining the water as a point in the Lake two miles from the shore, and of conveying is through a tunnel to the city. The scheme was ridiculed greatly at the time, but its success has crowned its projector with deserved fame.

In October, 1863, the contract was let to Messrs. Dull and Gowran, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the prior being $515,187. The work was to be completed in two years, but the term was extended. Ground was broken on 17th of March, 1864. A shaft was made, in the shape of a well, to the depth of 69 feet. The tunnel was then commenced. The tunnel, when bricked up, was five feet in width and five feet two inches clear in height; the top and bottom arches semi-circular. Two miners worked at the excavation, and the brick work, eight inches thick, followed. The tunnel was to have a slope from the lake terminus of two feet to the mile. As the work progressed, rails were laid for the cars containing the excavations, and finally two small mules were introduced to pull these cars to and from the shaft. At intervals of one thousand feet, terra-cote were made, for the convenience of . In this way, the “Crib” destined for the lake terminus of the tunnel was launched and lowered to its place. This is of monster construction; it is composed of large timbers and iron. It is 40 feet high and 98 in diameter. It has three walls, making as many separate structures, one within the other. When finished it had fifteen watertight components. In the centre was the well through which the shaft was to be sunk. When the destination was reached, the gates were opened, and the huge structure settled gracefully upon the bottom of the Lake, in a depth of 30 feet of water. It was then firmly anchored and secured. It has since been covered, a fog-bell and light mounted upon it, and its appearance is faithfully shown in the picture.

An iron cylinder was then sunk for the lake shaft; it being forced to a depth of twenty-seven feet into the hard, blue clay. On the first of January, 1866, the work of tunneling from the crib commenced. At that time the tunnel from the shore had been extended 4,815 feet. The work then progressed steadily from both sides, and on the 25th of November, 1866, there was but a thin wall of two feet of clay separating the workmen. The work had thus proceeded:—Whole length of tunnel, 10,587 feet; excavated from the shore end, 8,275 feet; and from lake end, 2,200 feet; remaining, two feet. On December 6th, the last stone was laid with appropriate honors by Mayor Rice.

The successful completion of this unprecedented work will be followed by the erection of new and handsome buildings at the shore end, and the furnishing of them with new machinery. A new pumping engine, capable of pumping eighteen millions of gallons of water per day, has been purchased at a cost of $112,350. These buildings are but a mile from the heart of the city, and associated as they will be with this wonder of the age, will always prove an object of great interest to visitors, as they are of pride to the people of Chicago.

James. W. Sheahan, Esq.,
August 1866

Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1873

The dusty mortals who look to Father Michigan this weather for relief from the parching atmosphere of summer seldom pause to consider the thousand necessary expedients by which the refreshing fluid is conveyed from its limpid reservoir to their dry and feverish lips. They look out from the lake-shore occasionally, and, pointing to the unsightly wooden structure nearly two miles off, say to the unsophisticated stranger ton the rural districts, “Yonder is our reservoir; there’s where we get our water from. It’s quite clean out there, too, because it comes from below the surface.” Quite clean. Well, it ought to be, after the wonderful efforts we have made to obtain it. We have tunneled the lake, and rung the changes on that feat until the world is tired of bearing of our performance. Now we are reporting the operation for the sake of posterity. Wonderful city, that tunnels the lake for the sake of posterity! But posterity here means only those who come to Chicago for the next five years. She has nearly doubled her population in the past half decade, and seriously anticipates a similar showing for the balance of that term.

But the wonders of engineering in tunnels is not

The Theme of To-Day,
for that is the old, old subject, the crib. Far out in the lake the shabby old building has stood for the past five years, a very useful but none too ornamental challenge to the mariner or the traveler to Chicago by the lake. It merely suggests to him:

In me you receive the first faint indication of what you may see in Chicago. I am quite unworthy of your prolonged consideration, but merely stand here to show you that the city of which I am an insignificant portion does not hesitate to place. an outpost at that distance. Don’t let me detain you. Farewell.

Of course such a commonplace wooden structure is, as it says, quite unworthy of extended investigation. Hence the city is building a much more imposing affair of granite and sandstone. To do this it is necessary to pull down the present dilapidated shanty, and build upon its site.

The Foundations
of the new building are identical with those of the old one. The whole is a combination of stone and timber. It may appear strange to the aoinitiated that a massive structure of granite and stone should be erected upon a foundation of wood. It is strange—strange that the wood should never rot under water; but, though strange, it is nevertheless true. Piles have been raised at London Bridge which have been imbedded in the mud for some 1,300 years, or there-abouts. If our crib foundations will last as long as that, then posterity is pretty well provide for.

The crib, as everybody should know, is pentagonal in form, each face measuring 58 feet. across. The foundations are built of timbers 12 inches square, and filled in with rip-rap filling. Upon this bed, three feet below low-water mark, the foundations of the crib building are being constructed. The first course of six feet is of granite, upon which the limestone walls are built. The masonry is further solidified with concrete, and is about as substantial as it can be.

From the line of low water to
The Floor of the New Crib
is 7 feet, and from the same point to the highest part of the crib building is 23 feet. The tower, which is to be supplied with a very powerful lantern, is 72 feet in height, divided into four stories; a light-room 10 feet 6 inches in height, and a small store-room above this, 3 feet 6 inches high. This light will be a boon to mariners, who claim that the present feeble lantern

Cannot Be Seen
at a greater distance than three or four miles. This is a subject of vast importance. A heavy vessel running into the wooden crib would do immense damage to the crazy building as it now stands. When our rock-built crib is finished, what propeller, scow, or schooner will have the hardihood to ram her nose against it

Yesterday
was an eventful day in the history of the water service of Chicago. It was eventful as being the day fixed for laying the corner-stone of the new building, and quite a concourse of people assembled there in the afternoon. First and foremost was the engineer in charge of the whole tunnel and crib business, Mr. W. Bryson, whom a reporter interviewed a few days ago half a mile under the lake. There also were the Messrs. Steele, of the firm of Steele, McMahon & Steele, the contractors, and Mr. Gobel, of the firm of Earnshaw & Gobel, also contractors; Mr. Eisendrath, brick contractor for the work, and a host of others, whom the tug VanDalson (US No. 7310) conveyed out to witness the ceremony.

The sides of the wooden building had been torn down—its-shell, it seemed to be,—and a course of masonry had been laid all round it, except at the corners. When the tug arrived, several men were catching fat perch from the wooden island, and toothers were lolling about in a dirty mud-scow, awaiting, the arrival of the officials. On the dirty, mud-scow were lying, the five

Enormous Corner-Stones,
weich. fog eight tons each. They were 6 feet square and 2 feet 6 inches thick. They came from a quarry near St. Louis and are well adapted to the purpose for which they are used, being extremely hard and capable of sustaining an enormous pressure. Everybody assembled, the mere matter of laying these monstrous masses was commenced. Each was raised with a derrick and lowered into its place. Its bed was

A Sack of Cement,
which, being laid upon the foundation, remained there of its own weight. The object of laying cement in sacks will be readily understood. Placed in the water with nothing to confine it, the cement would be washed away and lost. The sacks were made of a very coarse material, and the weight of the stone was sufficient to squeeze it through the interstices. By the time the sack rots away the cement will have become stone. The corner-stone was laid, and Mr. Bryson expressed himself highly pleased with the manner in which Messrs. Earnshaw & Gobel had performed their work, and spoke in the most complimentary terms of their efforts.

The stone being laid, the party looked over Mr. Bryson’s drawings of the new structure, and

Investigated the Crib.
Its appearance had changed immensely. The rooms had been torn to pieces, and temporary quarters were being occupied. The officer at crib has plenty of company now. Besides the masons, there is an assistant engineer, Mr. Clark, and a corps of men under him. A great part of the first floor is occupied by an engine and air-pump, the use for which will be explained below. During the investigation Mr. Clark, who took great pains to enlighten the visitors upon such points as they did not understand, asked of the reporter,

“Have You Ever Been Under Pressure?”
It was a singular query. The reporter said he had, and explained that the grocer refused to trust him any longer; his landlord clamored for back rent, and the contractor who built his clothes had been up to the office for him twice within a week. Mr. Clark thought he could put the reporter under a heavier pressure under the weight of three atmospheres, or 45 pounds to the square inch. Would the man of lead pencils and “small cap sub-heads” like to undergo the operation? The reporter, being unknown in fashionable circles, and therefore not likely to to be missed in the world, should the pressure be too much for him, warmly thanked his questioner and accepted the invitation.

Why The Pressure Is Needed,
But before giving an account of the experiences of an unfashionable person under pressure, it would be as well to give a little history of the need for pressure at the crib. Without further apology, here it is. The old tunnel which supplies the North Side pumping-works with the crystal stream of purest water, opens into a well in the crib. well was to be made, To supply the now tunnel, another and accordingly a shaft was sunk. An enormous iron cylinder 8 feet 6 inches in diameter was sunk in the crib to the depth of 88 leet below the surface of the lake, and nearly 70 feet beneath old Michigan’s bed. The shaft was sunk and everything went along comfortably. Then came the necessity of cutting in the iron cylinder a hole, the size of the new tunnel, where the perpendicular and horizontal bores were to meet. To accomplish this purpose, a circular mark of the required size, was made at the right depth. Holes were drilled through the thick iron wall, at this unpleasant depth, close together, and the intervening spaces broken through. The circle was divided across to facilitate the removal of the mass of iron, and it was taken out with ease. But behold,

The Clay Did Not Adhere
to the iron shaft evenly. The water from above came in in a tiny stream. The pressure upon the clay was too great, and the new shaft leaked. Here was a catastrophe. The water was rising in the shaft. The men endeavored to plug the holes, but the water still poured in, and, to make long story short, the shaft was full in no time. No lives were lost when the accident occurred, but the shaft was useless. It was of no to pump the water out, because Lake Michigan was practically inexhaustible, and the water would come in as fast as it went out. The hole could not be reached by a diver very comfortably, nor repaired if it was reached. There was only one way to reach it, and that was “pressure.” An air-pump, capable of exerting a pressure of about fifty pounds to the square inch, was rigged up; the cylinder was divided by a hermetically-sealed iron trap, about eight feet from its mouth, while the mouth itself was closed with another similar trap. The tube which conveyed the cylinder opened, by this means into an air-tight chamber, 8 feet 6 inches in diameter and about 6 feet in height. The upper trap was fastened. down, the lower one opened, and the air forced in. As the pump poured its air in the water was forced back into the lake from the place where it entered, until it reached the leak, but no further would it go. Here was a pressure of 45 pounds to the square inch. All that was necessary was to shut the lower trap or valve, let out the condensed air above, and open the upper one. All this was told the reporter afterwards, when he could understand it from personal investigation, and before he accepted Mr. Clark’s invitation.

Under Pressure.
The questions asked by the unfashionable man were readily and plainly answered by his now acquaintance, and, being fully satisfied of the insurmountable obstacle to his ever amounting to anything, he dressed like a miner in dirty overalls, a pair of rubber boots, and a waterproof jacket, and, borrowing a cap from a miner, prepared to descend “under pressure.” Skipping down into the little air-tight chamber, into which nobody appeared anxious to follow him, he was directed to hold a candle while Mr. Clark and an assistant, who was called Joe, and was exceedingly pleasant and agreeable, closed the upper iron and the trio were cut off from the world, daylight, and fashionable society.

“Do you feel nervous?” inquired Mr. Clark.

“No,” replied the reporter, who would not admit anything at that moment.

“You will find,” said the engineer, “that your ears will become affected. The Eustachian tubes are too small to let the air in readily but keep them cleared by holding your nose and blowing hard. Whenever you feel the effect, either painfully or otherwise, signal to me, and I will shut off the supply.”

The reporter said he certainly would, and told him to fire away, let in the air and try the effect. The wrench closed the tube which connected the chamber with the outer air, and a moment later partially opened that which connected with the air-pump. With a shriek the hot air rushed in, and in a moment the reporter’s ears were buzzing, and in a few seconds more it seemed as if some unkind wag was ramming a base-ball club into each ear. Mr. Clark saw his distress and kindly turned off the supply. “Swallow ” he said, that will relieve you.” The experiment succeeded and again the air rushed in. As his ears filled, the reporter swallowed, until his mouth was as dry as Dearborn street, or a bummer on Sunday. His efforts to swallow were fruitless. The situation became agonizing. The clubs were being thrust into his brain now, it seemed, and he could stand it no longer. “Have you a piece of lead” he shrieked to the engineer, “I can’t swallow, and the pressure is awful.” There was no lead to chew; nothing to provoke the salivary glands, not even a chew of tobacco. Happy thought, a bunch of keys. With infinite scrambling beneath the dirty over-alls the reporter found a pass-key, and, by dint of sucking upon it, produced the grateful moisture under his tongue and relieved himself from the pressure. In ten minutes the atmosphere became hot, almost intolerable. The density of was palatable. “How many pounds have you?” required the reporter. Joe and Mr. Clark gave a whistle. “We have only 9 or 10,” said the latter.

“You can’t whistle when we reach 30 pounds.” The air becomes so dense that you cannot stir it. The reporter tried to whistle while that privilege remained, but it was of no use.

Five minutes more. Mr. Clark said, “Are you getting tired of it,” but it sounded like ” Are you ire?”

“What ails your voice ?” asked the reporter, but he had no need to put the question. His own words sounded like “Wha our oi.” That was absurd. No one could make any meaning out of that, so he tried again, and by means of a great effort, splattered out his query. Gradually the system became accustomed to its unnatural surroundings and conversation, such as one hears between two gentlemen wondering how they came into the gutter, became possible, The shriekings from the air-pipe grew fainter and fainter; the pressure on the ear-drum more and more intense and difficult to dispose of; conversation resumed its previous abnormal style, when: click! the air was shut off. The two additional atmospheres had been achieved. The pressure in the chamber was 45 pounds to the inch. It was not so disagreeable after all—a trifle strange. The pulse had risen to a full galloping swing. It must have been driving along at 100 and over per minute. Hot,—wasn’t it hot! The three atmospheres repressed the perspiration, and the skin was as parched as the tongue had become again, and that was absolutely wooden. Breathing, was easy, not to say pleasant. A full breath was luxury. One’s brain appeared as clear as ever, but the eyesight was a trifle wavering.

Under The Lake.
The windlass was now called into requisition; and by its means the lower iron valve laboriously raised. Poor Joe! As he turned the windlass he looked fearfully ghastly. Perhaps the yellow light of the candles was responsible for this, but to stand still in that heat, unable to perspire, being simply intolerable, what must it have been to turn the windlass?

The valve raised, Mr. Clark bade the reporter look down. Would he care to venture down with his foot in a. noose, and investigate? Of course he would, and, after Mr. Clark had led the way, he followed, steering clear of platforms and valves, and all sorts of of rubbish, until he reached the bottom, and there Mr. Clark explained the cause of the catastrophe. The hole was clear under water, but something would be done as soon as the diver could examine it.

In order to show the amount of pressure in the cylinder, Mr. Clark drew from a hole drilled in the iron from wooden plug, less. than an inch in thickness. Instantly the air rushed out screeching, and the explorers could hear it bubbling up alongside their iron The suction was very strong, but one could put a finger through the hole and feel the water 65 feet below the bed of the lake.

One side of the tube, it was noticed, was moist and dark, while the other was dry and light. Mr. Clark said this phenomenon had puzzled him at first, but he had eventually accounted for it. The temperature of the clay was considerably lower than that of the water, which at that depth was only 53 degrees. That portion of the iron to which the clay adhered accordingly condensed the moisture, while the other did not. By this means he could tell where the water had forced its way in between the clay and the cylinder.

The Ascent.
The locality, the bottom of a shaft, with a pressure of three atmospheres upon one, and articulation only possible by immense efforts on the part of the speaker, combined to induce the reporter to ascend, which he did.

“Hoist away,” shouted he to Joe, above, and the words sounded like “oe-ay,” but Joe hoisted. It was easy work going up. All one had to
to do with two hands was to hold the rope very tight, also hold the candle very tight, and at the same time steer through the scaffolding and valves lying loose above him. It was pleasant at top. The reporter flung his candle on the windlass and endeavored to get clear of the rope. “Don’t set fire to anything, please,” politely remarked Joseph, you cannot blow it out again, if you do. You can’t blow out a candle in this atmosphere.” The reporter thought he was joking. He put the candle very near his nose, and blew, but it was as Joe said. That candle could not be blown out.

Mr. Clark having returned to the surface, the lower valve was closed. The supply-tube was shut off, and preparations made for

Blowing Off Air.
“You will feel the same sensation in your ears as you did before,” said Mr. Clark, but not so severely. I will let the air out slowly;” and he turned the valve.

The shriek of the outgoing air was as if a hundred locomotives had agreed to whistle a match with the same number of steam-tugs under the reporter’s ear. It was horrible. The shriek grew more and more intense; the air bubbled from the ears as the pressure diminished, a dense mist rose as the moisture was given out from the air; the candles were cancelled; it grow dark, sickening; the head swam, the heart seemed crazy and leaped and thumped like a battering-ram on the ribs; a moment more and all consciouses would have left, When

Bang!
The upper valve, supported alone by the atmospheric pressure below, fell in, the air in the chamber simultaneously rushed out, and the confined air in the Eustachian tubes of the ear sought its equilibrium, with an explosion which, though in itself insufficient to scare a fly, sounded like the report of a cannon, The vapor rose from the mouth of the chamber, and the investigator, limp, and trembling in every nerve and fibre, jumped up with all the vigor he could master. The cause of this exertion was a little knot of ladies who had sailed out to see the crib in a yacht, and, hearing that a reporter was down investigating, wanted to see whether he would come out alive.

It appears that the nervous prostration which followed the reporter’s return to wholesome air is an invariable result of such experiences.
Working under that pressure for a long spell ends in paralysis and death. In St. Louis, quite recently, several deaths occurred from this cause.

Dressed and washed, the reporter thanked his paide, to whom the reader is indebted for the above experiences. And away steamed the tug with as merry a party as ever left the crib.

The Rebuilt Two-Mile Crib
1874