Sunday, August 4, 2013

Fire Extinguishers Chicago In The 1871 Disaster

By Cathy Mercer


The Great Fire of 1871 might have been made worse by a lack of fire extinguishers Chicago. Believed to have been started in a barn by a cow kicking over a lantern, the blaze lasted for two full days and was only extinguished with the aid of heavy rain. The invention of the fire extinguisher occurred in Rome as far back as two centuries before the birth of Christ. This was a simple matter of lines of people passing water-filled buckets back and forth.

Chicagoland, the name for the greater metropolitan area incorporating parts of Indiana and Wisconsin, is situated on the soutwest shore of Lake Michigan. It is the third most important urban conurbation in the United States, following only Los Angeles in California and New York, New York.

The city became incorporated in 1837 and continued to grow until being nearly completely demolished in the Great Fire of 1871. Among its many nicknames are "The Windy City" and "Second City." To date, Chicagoland has featured in numerous novels, short stories, films, television series and computer games.

Twenty miles northwest of the main town via Interstate Highway 90 is O'Hare International Airport. A wooded area known as Catherine Chevalier Woods separates the air field from the populated area. The airport is fully owned by the city and forms the hub of Air Force One, the US President's private jet, and two major national airline. Almost half of the flights are occupied by passengers from one major American airline.

One of the few buildings to have survived the Great Fire was the Chicago Water Tower, built from Joliet limestone, erected in 1869 and designed by William W. Boyington. While British writer Oscar Wilde thought the structure looked like it had pepper boxes stuck all over it, its castle-like architecture was the inspiration for the design of a chain of restaurants.

The city is a haven for architecture enthusiasts. One of the best ways to enjoy the variety of building types is by a cruise on the river sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. One can't help but wonder as one gazes at the skyline just how many fire extinguishers Chicago are contained there. Half a million, perhaps.

There was another grand city that endured a major conflagration that went down in history. London, England, also experienced a great fire in 1666. Here, squirts were employed to help put out the flames. These consisted of a nozzle that was placed into a source of water. Approximately a quart of water was drawn into the device via a plunger. The squirt was then pointed at the flames and the plunger was pushed to expel the contents.

Located where it is on the lake, with world class shopping and restaurants, numerous cultural attractions and inspiring architecture, this is an extremely popular place to live and work. Fortunately, there are now sufficient fire extinguishers Chicago to make sure history does not repeat itself.




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