Chicago Fire Research Paper

905 Words4 Pages
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 Introduction The Chicago fire was a blaze of epic proportions. It consumed much of the city and took out all barriers of social class. Yet in the end the people of Chicago used the fire to build their strength and ban together. How it started The fire started on October eighth, 1871. The cause of the fire is still unproven, but a cow owned by the O’Leary family usually catches the blame. It is said that the cow knocked over a lantern and started a fire on a stack of hay. This fire quickly spread to all reaches of the barn. Where were the fire fighters? The watchman on duty spotted the fire and sounded the alarm, but he miscalculated the fires position by about a mile. This caused the exhausted firefighters…show more content…
Chicago’s summer for 1871 was supremely dry. The city didn’t receive more than an inch of rain within 100 days of the great fire. At the time of the fire, Chicago was completely made out of wood. This meant everything including houses, private mansions, businesses, and the sidewalks. This made sure the fire had a heck of a lot of fuel and a lot of ground to spread to. New fire department Chicago had just received a new fire department. They were asking the city for some new gear like fire hydrants, new hoses, new trucks and deeper water wells, they were also asking for more men to be firefighters. They were also asking the city that a home inspector department be formed so that they could check the houses and businesses for any safety errors and violations, and to help people correct them. The day before The 185 firefighters had just got done battling a fire for 17 hours. This fire started Saturday, October 7th and the firefighters weren’t able to rest until Sunday morning. This fire burned four blocks of the…show more content…
As the heat of the fire increased so did the temperature of the air, thus forcing cooler air down. This air is then super-heated and begins to swirl around and create what was called, “the fiercest tornado of wind ever known to blow here, ” by former mayor William Ogden . The regular winds were about 30 miles per hour, however, these winds blew fast enough to throw flaming shrapnel everywhere. One of these shrapnel pieces flew across the Chicago River and landed on a kerosene tank on the North Side. This residential, wood-constructed North Side was doomed by that. The flames had gotten so hot that they were able to melt iron and steel. Steel melts at 2,500°F. Iron melts at 2,800°F. its flames had gotten so hot that the following events transpired: trees exploded, rampant horses swung wildly, dogs ran around in circles, rats fled only to be trampled by stampeding humans, and pigeons were sucked into the flames. The prison was unlocked to allow the criminals a chance to survive. Much of Chicago’s population found themselves near or in the lake to escape the heat and
Show More
Related

  • Chicago Fire Research Paper

    578 Words  | 3 Pages

    People could drive through Chicago and sparks would be flying everywhere! The Great Chicago Fire was the greatest fire in the history of Chicago. A massive heat wave started the humongous fire. The Great Chicago Fire had spread rapidly through Chicago. The fire mad a lot of destruction in the city. People started rebuilding stores and homes very quickly. This was a very tragic event for Chicago. In Chicago during 1871 the city was ready to burn because of a massive heat wave. Many people were dying

    Read More

  • Chicago Fire Research Paper

    790 Words  | 4 Pages

    While researching information about the Chicago’s Great Fire, I found a few facts about how it started. One day in October 1871, on a dry day, wooden buildings, streets, and sidewalks started the great flames of Chicago’s streets. The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration in Chicago, Illinois that changed Chicago forever. (History.com/topics) The Chicago Fire of 1871 burned for two days straight. It burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871 and destroyed many buildings, killed hundreds of people

    Read More

  • Great Chicago Fire Research Paper

    1083 Words  | 5 Pages

    It is often said that The Great Chicago Fire was one of the most destructive disasters of the 19th century. Through our history we have learned how the Great Chicago Fire started, why the fire was so server during that time, and the fires impact the city. It has been historically said that on October 8, 1871 that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern, which started the blaze and in turn lead to The Great Chicago Fire. (The Great Chicago Fire of 1871) The O’Leary family lived on the southwest

    Read More

More about Chicago Fire Research Paper

Open Document