Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, October 28, 1871

What did they find in the stories about the fire? The professionally produced "graphic accounts" in the newspapers, magazines, and histories included every manner of opinion and detail, but, like the personal narratives, what they said is in many respects less intriguing than how they said it. As a rule, their diction was far less restrained and their tone far more sensational than the eyewitness accounts, as their creators vied with each other for the public's attention. Partly because of the hasty and eclectic manner in which the source material was gathered and fashioned into narrative, the styles of reporting are strikingly mixed and uneven. So we find the Chicago Times juxtaposing a sober analysis of the city's credit rating with a description of how the "twin rioters of flame and wind, with their appetite sharpened instead of gorged by the blast among the meaner buildings of the West division and river side...fell in dire carnival upon the noble edifices of LaSalle Street." Authors asked their readers' indulgence, given the difficulties presented by their subject. "It is a chapter of horrors that can only be written as it was, with a pen of fire," read one fire history, "but our task it to clothe in words an approximate idea of its realities...." Different forms of expression within single newspapers, magazines, or histories expressed different kinds of outlooks, from a highly sentimental view of the fire as a test of heart and soul that Chicago and the civilized world passed with flying colors, to a highly critical and rational prescription of what rules and regulations must be applied to avoid the same irresponsible oversights that allowed this catastrophe to occur. Certain aspects and incidents of the fire seemed to evoke and justify particular attitudes and beliefs. The stories of bravery, selflessness, quick-thinking, and enterprise seemed to indicate that the city's character had seen it through this crisis. But the talk of sloppy building and the tales of drunkenness and looting, of vigilantes stringing up would-be arsonists, of unspeakable atrocities against unprotected women in the places of refuge, and of General Sherman coming to the rescue revealed a deep suspicion that there was a large unruly underclass that would raise its ugly head the moment the city's guard was down. There is no question that the more positive view dominated the reporting and commentary, and, beyond that, the public memory of the fire. But the persistent doubts and fears expressed in the media were also an important part of the heritage of the whole experience, influencing subsequent discussions about the need for regulation and how different classes perceived each other. What was common to these very different outlooks was that they both served an audience seeking to comprehend this incomprehensible event, and through it the elusive and contradictory nature of the urban culture they were all creating together.

Harper's Weekly, October 28, 1871

Previous