The water communications of C. are of vast extent, embracing the whole chain of northern lakes, with their 3,000 m. of coast-line. Steamboats and sailing vessels of the largest class are employed in commerce with lake Superior, bringing down vast stores of iron and copper ore from that region; while through the Welland canal (around Niagara falls), connecting lake Erie with lake Ontario, vessels loaded at C. pass east ward to Montreal, where connection is made with steamships for Europe. The Erie canal through New York is also a commercial highway for Chicago to the ports of the Atlantic seaboard. The Illinois and Michigan canal, already mentioned, gives the city communication with the Mississippi and its affluents during nine months of every year. But, important as all these water channels arc, they are not more so than the network of railroads by which C. is put in rapid communication with a vast region of country extending from the lakes of the north, eastward to New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Portland; southward to Louisiana and Florida; and westward to the Pacific coast. There is not another such railroad center in the world. From 10;000 to 12,000 m. of railway are in a greater or less degree tributary to this great city, now about 50 years old. The different lines of road converging to the city, as represented on the map, are bewildering alike to the eye and to the imagination. Nearly 400 trains enter and leave daily upon these roads, making an aggregate of nearly 800 arrivals and depart ures. The accommodations for these roads are, upon the whole, excellent. The Union depot, one of the largest and finest buildings of the kind in the country, is used by two of the principal roads; the Central depot., • by two others; and there are three or four more for the use of others. Plans for uniting all the roads at a common center, or for connecting them by a common track, have been proposed.
C. is supplied with an abundance of pure water from lake Michigan by a process which is one of the wonders of modern engineering skill. Two cylindrical brick tunnels, one 6 ft., the other 7 ft. in diameter, starting from the shore at different points, extend a distance of 2 m. under the lake, and meet in an immense crib inclosing a grated cylin der, through which the water descends into them in a stream unfailing as the lake itself. The smallest of these tunnels, extending from the shore of the n. division of the city, was completed in 1866. The water as it is received at the shore end of the tunnel is forced by steam-pumps through a stone tower to a height of 160 ft. into a reservoir, whence it is distributed by pipes to different parts of the city. The top of the water tower, which is reached by a spiral staircase, affords a fine view of the city and the sur rounding country. On the crib, 2 m. out in the lake, stands a light-house, with a dwelling for the keeper. The second and larger tunnel, which supplies the south-west ern section of the city, was completed in 1874. A tunnel 7 ft. in diameter, passing under the central portion of the city, is to connect the old works with the new, and afford an independent supply of water for extinguishing fires. The tunnels under the lake cost $1,507,622. The water-works altogether, to Jan. 1, 1873, are estimated to have cost more than 0,000,000. Besides the supply from the lake, the city has another resource in some 40 artesian wells, two of which (694 and 911 ft. deep respectively) yield about 1,200,000 gallons per day. The great stock-yards, the west-side parks, and sonic of the manufacturing establishments, are supplied from these wells.
The educational facilities of C. are extensive, and of a high order of excellence. The public schools, which give instruction to the children of citizens with no distinc tion of class, are well organized and efficient. The number of these schools in 1872 was 32, occupying 45 buildings and employing 476 teachers—all but 31 women. The school pop. of the city (between 6 and 21 years of age) was 88,219; the number of pupils enrolled 38,035, of whom 512 were hi the high school, and 63 in the normal school. Of the teachers, 221 were graduates of the normal and high schools. Total expenditure for these schools in 1872, $499,349, including, about $360,000 for teachers' salaries. The school buildings with the land on which they stood were valued at over $2,265,000. The Roman Catholics also have schools, and there are many private academies. The university of Chicago, a Baptist institution, founded by the efforts of Stephen A. Douglas, has connected with it a law school, and the Dearborn astronomical observa tory, both well equipped and efficient, and a' library of 20,000 volumes. St. Ignatius's college, founded in 1870, also is a flourishing institution. Of the six medical colleges of the city, one is open to women, one is homeopathic, and one eclectic. Of the four theo logical seminaries, one is Baptist, one Congregational, one Lutheran, and one Presby terian. There are also three sononiurcial colleges, and four female colleges or seminaries of high grade. The acadealy of seiunces, established 1857, lost heavily by the great fire of 1873: but is getting a new museum and library. The public library occupies the
old custom-house and post•office, whose walls outlasted the great fire: the number of volumes is estimated at 100,000. According to the latest reports, there were more than 100 newspapers and periodicals published in the city. Of these 11 were daily, 5 tri weekly, 45 weekly, 3 semi-monthly, 1 bimonthly, and 4 quarterly; 18 were religious, 16 political, 18 literary, 10 commercial, and 5 juvenile. Some of these papers have a very large circulation, exerting a very wide influence in the north-western states.
the principal religious denominations, according to the number of their churches, rank as follows: Roman Catholic, Methodist, 22; Baptist, Presbyterian, and Epis copal, each 18; Congregational, 17; Swedenborgian, 4; Unitarian, 5; Universalist, 4. Benevolent and charitable associations and institutions are numerous. Among them are 7 orphan asylums, 6 dispensaries, 2 asylums for the aged and indigent, 1 home for the friendless, and a multitude of smaller charities. The C. relief and aid society, from its foundation, 1857, has had the management of a large portion of the voluntary charities of the city for the benefit of the poor, infirm, and helpless. The same society disbursed to the sufferers by the great fire of 1871 .the sum of nearly $6,000,000, sent for their relief from Europe and every part of the United States. The youno. men's Christian association was also very active at that time, as it was before and has been since, for the relief of the poor and destitute. The population of C. in 1870 was 298,977; according to the unofficial figures of the census of 1880, as reported by the Tribune of that city, it is 503,298. [At the date of this the census has not been officially issued.] As a commercial city C. ranks next toNew York. It is the center of a vast trade in breadstuffs, live-stock, pork, beef, provisions, lumber, wool, hides, groceries, dry-goods, boots and shoes, hardware, clothing, and tobacco. The statistics now accessible are very inadequate as a means of showilyg the present extent of the trade and manufactures of the city. Every year shows a startling augmentation of the volume of business of almost every kind in this great western emporium, itself the wonderful growth of but half a century. The aggregate wholesale trade of the city in 1872 was reported by the board of trade at $500,000,000. The total receipts of wheat in 1873 were 16,626,923 bushels; to this add 88,426,842 bushels represented by the flour received in 1872 (less, doubtless, than was received in 1873), and we have a total of 105,053,765 bushels for a single year, The great yards which are the center of the live-stock trade were opened in 1858. They cover an area of 345 acres, affording a capacity for 21,000 cattle, 75,000 hogs, 22,000 sheep, and 200 horses. They are thoroughly drained, supplied with water from artesian wells, and furnished with every convenience for the reception, care, and transfer of the animals. The total value of live-stock received in 1872 was estimated by the board of trade at $75,475,000. The chief branches of manufactures in C. are iron, flour, high-wines, agricultural implements, pork and meats, boots and shoes, leather, cotton, and watches. It is supposed that at the present time not less than 60,000 people are employed in manufactures of one kind or another, and that nearly one third of the commerce of the city is based upon what they produce. Ship-building also is carried on to some extent. The flour manufacture was temporarily crippled by the great fire, 6 of the 15 mills having been destroyed. The banking business of C. is very large. In 1872, there were 21 national banks, with a capital of over $11,000,000, and more than $23,000,000 of deposits. There were also 18 savings-banks with over $12,000,000 of deposits, and numerous private banks. The total valuation of real and personal property for taxation in 1872 was $284,197,430; the actual value at the same time was more than $620,000,000.
The great fire of Oct., 1871, raged two days and nights, destroying everything upon an area of 2,100 acres, embracing nearly all the business portion of the city, and a very large number of private residences, among which were the most costly in the place. More than 17,000 buildings were destroyed, including the custom-house, court-house, post-oftice, gas-works, the principal newspaper offices, 32 hotels, 3 railroad depots, 8 school-houses, 10 theaters and halls, 41 churches, 5 grain elevators, and all the national banks but one. The loss on buildings was estimated at $50,000,000; on personal prop erty and merchandise, $140,000,000; total $190,000,000, of which a little over $40,000, 000 was recovered on insurance. Many insurance companies were utterly ruined. Not less than $7,000,000 were contributed in this country and in Europe to aid the sufferers. Over 98,000 persons were rendered homeless, while 200 were killed. The recovery of the city from this calamity was rapid, insomuch that after the lapse of three years scarcely a trace of it could be seen, and almost its only evidence was in the immense improvement of the buildings over all the ravaged district.