Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/406

 398 CHICAGO many, 39,988 in Ireland, 10,027 in England, 4,197 in Scotland, 565 in Wales, 6,374 in Nor- way, 6,154 in Sweden, 1,243 in Denmark, 1,226 in Switzerland, 1,418 in France, and 9,648 in British America. There were 59,497 families, with an average of 5 '03 persons to each, and 44,620 dwellings, with an average of 6 '7 per- sons to each. The number of persons engaged in all classes of occupations was 112,960, of whom 533 were engaged in agriculture, 42,063 in personal and professional services, 29,806 in trade and transportation, and 40,558 in manu- factures and mechanical and mining industries. According to a local estimate, the population was 334,270 in 1871, and 364,377 in 1872. The climate of Chicago is highly favorable to comfort and health. The prevailing wind for the year, and especially during the summer, is S. W. The mean temperature for the eleven months ending with September, 1872, was 46-7, and the total rainfall 33-71 inches. The death rate per thousand inhabitants in 1872 was 27*6, while that of New York was 32-64, Philadelphia 25-34, Boston 30-89, Cincinnati 20-3, New Orleans 30'6, and San Francisco 16-9. The rate for Chicago, however, was higher than in any preceding year except 1866, when it was 32-22. It was 24-53 in 1870, and 21-46 in 1871. The city is regularly laid out, with streets generally 80 ft. wide, and many of them from 3 to 7 m. in length, crossing each other at right angles. The principal thorough- fares extend N. and S. In 1872 there were 534 m. of streets, of which 94 were improved ; 72 m. were paved with wooden blocks, 5 with cinders, 7 with gravel, 2 with stone, and 6 m. were macadamized. The streets are well lighted with gas and supplied with 161 m. of Chicago before the lire. sewers. Chicago was formerly noted as being a city of wooden buildings and very low site. About 60 brick- structures were erected pre- vious to 1852. The bricks were made from excavations in the river and slips ; 25,000,000 were used in 1854, and 50,000,000 in 1856. About the same time a beautiful stone was in- troduced from Athens, 20 m. distant, on the canal, since called Athens marble. It was ex- tensively used, being nearly white, soft when cut, but hardening by exposure. In the great fire of 1871 this marble crumbled before the fury of the flames, and since then many of the business structures are built of less beautiful but more durable sandstone. Iron is now much used, and the fire limits in- clude all the more settled portions of the city, within which no wooden buildings may be erected. After the filling-in process was under- taken, the principal buildings were raised to the new grade, whole blocks being lifted up at once by numerous jackscrews, and kept to the required height by solid masonry laid while the buildings were in mid air above the work- men. Before the fire, a strip of land along the lake shore, from a quarter to three eighths of a mile wide and llm. long, embraced the finest residences of the city and the suburbs, Lakeview and Hyde Park. Nearly the whole of this section was covered with costly resi- dences and grounds. Michigan and Wabash avenues were especially devoted to the homes of the wealthy. The business portion was in the South division, and extended from the river S. to Harrison street, embracing an area of about three fourths of a square mile. Here were nearly all the banks, the principal hotels and theatres, the leading wholesale establish- ments in every branch of trade, and many large manufactories, chiefly of clothing and