THE WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION,

world. A little before midnight, on October gth, a
fire broke out, at the corner of De Koven and Jeffer-
son Streets. The weatherfor weeks had been dry,
- and a high wind prevailed. Before daylight the fire
_had burned its way to Lincoln Park, nearly four

 

TACOMA BUILDING.

miles ; and by the following afternoon it,had spread
Over 2,100 acres, 100,000 people were homeless,
and $200,000,000 worth of property was destroyed.
The business part of the city was a waste of ashes.
With characteristic generosity the whole country

' Chicago met promptly. A

321

sprang to the relief of the stricken city. A fund of

nearly $5,000,000 was quickly collected, and the

work of succoring the needy and rebuilding the city

was begun. Within two years almost every trace of

the stupendous calamity had vanished, and the
growth of the city proceeded even more
swiftly than before In 1880 its population
was 503,185, and in 1890 it had been swelled
to the enormous total of 1,098,576—the
second city of the Union, Its growth is at
the rate of more than 1,000 per week.

When it was incorporated Chicago cov-
ered an area of two and a-half square miles ;
now it covers 181.7 square miles. Its lake
front is 22 miles, and its frontage on the
river 58 miles. Ithas more than 2,230 miles
of streets, mostly broad and well paved.
Its water supply is drawn from away out
in Lake Michigan, and amounts to a hun-
dred gallons daily for each inhabitant,
though the works are capable of furnishing
twice that quantity. Twenty-six indepen-
dent railroad lines enter the city, making

_ it the greatest railroad centre in America.

Nor is Chicago lacking in facilities for
transportation by water. Its situation gives
it easy access to all the commercial activi-
ties of the great lake system; and it has
direct water communication by way of the
St. Lawrence River with Montreal, and by
the Erie Canal and Hudson River with
New York.

Figures are dry reading. But these few
statistics are necessary to show what man-
ner of city is this Western metropolis in
which the greatest exhibition of the world’s
industry isheld. How the city was selected
has already been told.

In order that the City of Chicago might
enjoy the honor conferred upon her by hav-
ing the Exhibition held there, she was
required to furnish an adequate site, accept-
able to the’ National Commission, and
$10,000,000 in money, which sum was, in

the language of the Acts of Congress, considered
necessary and sufficient for the complete preparation
for the Exhibition. This obligation the citizens of
suitable site and
$10,000,000 were provided, and, on evidence thereof,