Autograph Letter, not signed, in ink, on both sides of 5 sheets (2 conjugates and 1 single sheet). 22.5x17 cm (9x6½").
Remarkable, lengthy letter describing the horrific fire that engulfed Chicago from Sunday, October 8, to Tuesday, October 10, 1871, caused, as legend has it, by Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern. The fire killed approximately 300 people, left more than 100,000 homeless, and burned over three square miles of the city. In the letter, the unnamed survivor reports the safety of his family members and narrates is desperate efforts to locate his father, who miraculously survived the fire despite losing his house. The letter is vivid in its description of the disaster - the death, destruction, panic, and masses of suffering people - and is specific about locations, mentioning the exact streets and intersections on which certain events took place. It is clear that both the writer and the recipient knew the city well. The letter concludes "...I must bring my letter to a close. 1950 acres were burned. 92 thousand people made homeless. $200,000,000 in property destroyed, 500 lives sacrificed, 500 premature births in the streets, parks, prairies, only today have we gotten the water again." A complete transcript is available.