Great Chicago Fire | Fleeing the Flames | 2

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2021

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Just before midnight on October 8, 1871, the inferno that had ravaged Chicago’s West Side leapt the Chicago River. A wall of flames surged toward downtown, threatening to devour Chicago’s most magnificent hotels, offices, and government buildings. Mayor Roswell B. Mason raced to the Chicago courthouse, but he would soon find he was helpless to save his city.

Panic-stricken South Side residents streamed out of their homes and fled to the North Side, the stately residential area they were certain was safe. Dodging flaming debris and crashing buildings, they flooded the streets. But the fire’s path of destruction was relentless. The flames were following the refugees to the North Side, hurtling straight toward the Chicago Waterworks.

It was the final link in the city’s defense. Chicagoans knew that if the Waterworks burned, their city was doomed.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:09.4	Imagine it's early in the morning on October 9, 1871.
0:22.0	You're a captain in the Chicago Police Force.
0:24.8	The fire that's been burning through your city for the past few hours has just spread
0:28.5	here to the courthouse.
0:30.4	You're sprinting down to the jail in the basement, hoping it's not too late.
0:37.6	Prisoners are shouting, banging on their bars, screaming, let us out, please.
0:42.6	It's worse than you imagine.
0:44.5	Smoke is pouring into the cells from beneath the doors and through the narrow windows near
0:48.2	the ceiling.
0:49.4	But the young sergeant in charge is still sitting at his desk, arms folded defiantly across
0:54.0	his chest.
0:55.0	Still, there's a glint of fear in his eyes.
0:57.6	Sergeant, what the hell do you think you're doing?
0:59.7	My job captain, watching over these prisoners, unlock the cells, Sergeant.
1:03.1	You can't be serious, there are murderers in here, Captain.
1:06.0	Mayor's orders.
1:07.0	We need to evacuate this building before it burns to the ground.
1:10.0	Roof tops already on fire.
1:11.6	And doubt we have more than 30 minutes before it reaches the basement.
1:14.8	The sergeant stares wearily at the prisoners.
	...

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