Today we had yet another research day in class. Mr. Bruns quizzed, or reviewed, depending on how you look at it, us over our topics to make sure we were on the right path. Our powerpoint thingers are due Tuesday, which means I'll probably be up late Monday night. At least we only need 3 sources now.
Notes:
-Fire: The limited water supply contributed to the spread of fires. Major ones occurred in almost every large American city during the 1870's and 80's. Cities were also packed with wooden dwellings, which also did not help the fire issue, considering it was just like kindling waited to be lit on fire. The use of candles and kerosene heaters also posed a fire hazard. In cities like San Francisco, fires often broke out during earthquakes. Firefighters used to be volunteers, and so they were not always available when they were needed. Cincinatti established the nation's first paid fire department in 1853. By 1900, most cities had full-time professional fire departments. The introduction of the practical automatic fire sprinkler in 1874 and the replacement of wood as a building material with brick, stone, or concrete also made cities safer.
The Great Chicago Fire:
-burned over 24 hours
-estimated 300 dead
-100,000 homeless
-over 3 square miles of the city center was destroyed
-property lost was estimated around $200,000,000
-17,500 buildings destroyed
San Francisco Earthquake
-quake lasted 28 seconds, fires burned for 4 days
-estimated 1,000 people dead
-over 200,000 homeless
-fire swept through 5 square miles of the city
-property loss was estimated at a tremendous $500,000,000
-28,000 buildings destroyed
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