AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



299 



The Chicago Kire. — The near 

 approach of the World's Fair awakens 

 increased interest in Chicago and her 

 wonderful history. To-day Chicago is 

 probably th9 finest city in the world 

 architecturally, and all practically built 

 within twenty years. The most thrilling 

 and wonderful chapter in the city's his- 

 tory is the one telling of the great fire 

 and the subsequent rebuilding. It reads 

 like a tale from Fairy Land. 



The new and magnificent " Cyclorama 

 of the Chicago Fire" just opened in this 

 city, shows in a most surprising manner 

 the city during the great fire ; with its 

 thousands of acres of red-hot ruins, 

 thousands more of a surging sea of 

 flame, and countless thousands of panic- 

 stricken people fleeing for their lives, it 

 is the most grand, awe-inspiring, and 

 realistic scene ever produced by man. 

 The whole effect is greatly intensified 

 by the introduction of novel mechanical 

 and electrical devices, making the whole 

 situation seem like reality. This re- 

 markable exhibition is»located on Michi- 

 gan Avenue, near Madison Street, and 

 will remain as a prominent attraction 

 during the World's Fair. Our readers 

 should make a note of this great work, 

 and not fail to visit it. 



We had the pleasure of viewing this 

 matchless piece of art and nature com- 

 bined, last week, and were simply 

 amazed at the scene presented. We 

 could almost imagine ourselves in Chi- 

 cago on that "red-hot" Monday, Oct. 

 9, 1871 — over 20 years ago. Ten 

 famous artists, both in Europe and 

 America, executed the splendid view. It 

 would have required twenty years for 

 •one man to have alone performed the 

 work necessary to put the picture in its 

 present completed condition. It is 

 viewed by thousands daily, and no one 

 should leave Chicago without spending 

 an hour looking at what a city of ruins 

 this was a few years ago. 



In order that the reader may form 

 something like a correct idea of the 

 magnitude and destructiveness of the 



greatest fire known to history, we give 

 below a few figures to remember about 

 the Chicago Fire : 



Number of acres burned per hour, 125. 



Number of buildings burned per hour, 

 1,000. 



Number of people rendered homeless 

 per hour, 6,000. 



Value of property burned per hour, 

 $12,000,000, or a million dollars every 

 five minutes. 



Loss, over $200,000,000. 



People homeless, 100,000. 



Number of lives lost, unknown. 



If all the buildings burned in Chicago 

 were placed end to end, it would make 

 an unbroken row 150 miles long. 



The painting was supplied to the 

 Chicago Fire Cyclorama Company, by 

 Messrs. Reed and Gross, of Chicago and 

 Melbourne, Australia, the foremost men 

 in the world for the production of works 

 of this class. The contract has been 

 fulfilled °by them to the entire satisfac- 

 tion of the Company, and to the surprise 

 and delight of all beholders of this 

 great work. The subject is the most 

 difficult one that has ever been trans- 

 ferred to canvas, and altogether it is the 

 most elaborate and expensive work of 

 art ever attempted. Messrs. Reed and 

 Gross received for their contract $250,- 

 000. 



The paints used in making the Paint- 

 ing were all specially prepared and 

 ground in poppy seed oil, and are prob- 

 ably the finest ever used upon a Cyclo- 

 rama. Some of the colors cost from 

 $5.00 to $30.00 per pound. Nearly 

 two tons of paints and oils were re- 

 quired. The canvas is nearly 50 feet 

 high, and about 400 feet long. Approx- 

 imately 20,000 square feet of surface. 

 In a letter to the Cyclorama Company, 

 Prof. David Swing — one of Chicago's 

 popular preachers — who was here dur- 

 ing the Fire, writes as follows : 



Your artists have done wonders with 

 the scene known as the Chicago Fire. 

 I had little hope that any painters 

 could do anything with so large a sub- 

 ject ; but to those who saw the whole 

 affair, your painting is true and really 

 wonderful. 



