Showing The Story of the Great Chicago Fire by Joseph Kirkland

Originally published in 1892 as a portion of the author’s larger “The Story of Chicago,” this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 16 pages, tells the story of the fire that devastated Chicago in 1871.

Sample passage:
It is needless to follow the sickening details of the slow hours following the failure of the waterworks. Many a man made frantic efforts to save his home, only to see it lost at last. Each was like a private soldier, facing a victorious enemy after his captain has fallen or fled. Many, out of the direct course of the wind, succeeded in their efforts. They soaked carpets and blankets in the scanty and uncertain cisterns and other deposits not dependent on the public supply, and with them covered their roofs and window cases, while with their feet they stamped out the stray brands that assailed them. So was the destruction stayed on its northwestern edge.

About the Author:
Joseph Kirkland (1830-1894), of Chicago, was an author, lawyer, and literary editor of the “Chicago Tribune.” Other works include “The Captain of Company K,” “The Chicago Massacre of 1812,” and “The McVeys.”