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Great Chicago Fire issue in a Chicago newspaper...



Item # 665738

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October 18, 1871

THE CHICAGO TIMES, Oct. 18, 1871  A terrific issue from shortly after the disastrous fire which destroyed much of the city, and while it was beginning to recover.
The first column heads include: "THE FIRE" "A Resume of the Great Calamity" "Detailed Account of Its Origin and Progress" "The Destructive Advance of the Flames Through the City" "Scenes & Incidents of the Conflagration" "The Destruction of Human Life--List of the Missing" and much more.
The text takes the entire front, much of the back page, and various reports inside as well. Included is the report of its beginning, noting in part: "...an old Irish woman....took a notion the cow must have some salt, and she sat down the lamp and went in the house for some. In a moment the cow had accidently kicked over the lamp, an explosion followed, and in an instant the structure was enveloped in flames...".
Of special interest to collectors is that this issue was printed under emergency condition. Note how much larger the paper is than the text.. This is explained at the top of page 2 with: "The publication office of The Times, for the present, will be at 105 West Randolph Street, between Jefferson and Desplaines. The present form of The Times is, of course, only temporary. It will resume its quarto form, with many improvements, just as soon as the necessary equipments can be obtained, which will e within two or three weeks. The for next three or four days our limited printing facilities will not permit the delivery of The Times...".
There is also a great editorial concerning the fire.
The issue measures a huge 30 1/2 by 22 inches, with very wide margins due to the emergency printing restrictions. In very nice, clean condition. Folder size noted is for the issue folded in half.

Category: Post-Civil War