-THE PHANTOM CITY. Tin A-Moonlight Stroll Through the Shades of Chicago. Rapid. Disappearance, of the Poetry and Romance of Our Ruins. It is Material Destruction, an! Nothing More, that One Views. The Toppling Walls and Ruined Files Giving Way to Prosaic Men. It is only three weeks since the fire, im. polled by the stormy southwest wind, swept across oar city, leaving behind it the blackest desolation and the completes! destruction, and mure folly obliterating all traces ot the busy men whs for years have toiled and striven there, and who, anticipating their for tunes, had piled stone upon stone, and filled their completed piles with the products of the world, than the red flames that blotted out Nineveh, or the sword of the Assyrian or Ro man when be devastated conquered Jerusalem. And yet so little regard bare we for the past, and so constantly do we turn our thoughts to the future, that the very appearance of those ruins, which we gazed at so sorrowfully and wonderfully twenty days ago, will soon be effaced from our minds, and we will forget that this new city, in this new country, has had its ruins, as well as Italy or the East, though onrs were onre the homes of merchant princes, and .-thrirypf~Emperors~HnU -parbafie'Kangs! At present we have stereoscopic views of shat tered walls and fire eaten stones, and little boys have spread out on plank?, placed upon trestles, or carry about in their hand?, idles ot the conflagration. Poking omong the ashes, they have raked out melted insulators, broken crockery, singed china dol’s, and half-fused oyster shells, which will figure noon mantel-pieces by the side of fragments ol stouo from Melrose Abbey, or mosaics from the floors of Roman palaces, or pieces of shells that burst within the walls of beleagured Paris. But this traj|e. the happy in spiration of sonic smart bo}*, will cease in a few days, for it is generally only strangers who buy these things. So many men here have ruins of their own, anti cellars full of private relics, that they do not Giro to buy.' A man who has an insurance policy in a Chicago Company has a memento for which he has paid quite enough, and which is as intrinsically valueless as any relic can l>o. lie can have it framed and hung on his walls as an illustration of the vanity of human hopes, and the mistaken-meanings which dictionaries give the won! “Insurance.” But the truth is, wc arc unable to sec anything praiseworthy in a tumble-down structure, and would give one marble front for all ibe ruined castles in Europe, and, having stared at our ruins for a duv, wc set to work to clear, them off. It would he a pit v, were they to pass so quick ly into oblivion, since to us, who lived here, they were so wonderfully suggestive, and we could spend Jays in studying them. They were filledwilb fresh and living associations. While those in other lands wxile only, vague memories of a hazy past, ours brought up no recollections of fommtal hnils, of predatory Lords, historic name-s.and princely revels, but they were linked directly with the life we had been living. They were not moss-covered and ivy-mantled, but green and crude. There is much in Pompeii (hat brings us in contact with the every-day life of the people, but Pompeii is no more a ruin than a mummy is a skeleton, and our city did resemble a skeleton which lacked quite a num ber of bones; and would require a deal of res toration before It could be properly mounted. Here we had the perfection of latter-day deso lation, and had th*ey been let alone for a year, nothing could have surpassed them. They would have been as interesting as a ruined city of Yucatan. But when we go now in the daytime, through the burnt district, we find that the infinite pos sibilities tor romance nod poetry which they once presented, arc rapidly disappearing. They are spoiling our mins, and it is not time that is mellowing and adorning, even while destroy ing them, but it is prosaic and matlcr-of-taci men; In among these ruined jiilcs, and at the feet of these toppling walls, pine shanties are springing up, imitating in name only, the edifi ces that preceded them. It is a Western settle ment going up among the ruins of Tadmor; a gipsy encampment beside some decaying Eng lish castle. Hundreds of men are picking up, cleaning and piling brick. Owners and archi tects talk hopefully ot what is standing. ■Women and buys, with sacks on their shoul ders, arc picking out scraps of old iron, or bits of half burned patter and cloth. Full street cars are running back aud lorth. Police men walk slowly on their Iteats. All is life and activity. And if a jK»r?on, desiriou? of reaching a contemplated frame of mind, and of working himself up to a proper pilch lo write the history of the wreck of the imperial city, scats himself on a pile of brick in some quiet corner, the keen influences of hi nt awaken him to the tact lliul the llamcs yet smoulder, and he walks off, with Ills hands behind him. On the North Side, German men, women, and children, who cannot for a minute endure the thought of abandoning the laud that is theirs, are chattering aud srrcamiug, and working away at the shanties they are pulling up. It is only near the ruined churches that there is peace and quiet. There the silence is unbroken, except when some wandering stranger stops for a moment to look curiously at the shat tered walls, the empty windows, and the broken arches, or when some woman, who hod once worshipped there, came to look tearfully at the place where she had so often knelt, aud whence she bad gone home, her heart full ot emotion, and her eves full of new bonnets. In the centre of all this life and acliritv, it is Impossible to reflect on the disaster, or to'behave as people arc expected to do when brought face to lace with ruin*. Wc expect of them that they should be older than we, while here they are mere creatures of the preceding day, and wc have abode hero lor years. What do you care for a bald piece of rockwork iu your neighbors yard, or the grotto that used to exist in Lincoln ,l?Arfo but which is now happily burned out? What magic spell could there be upon them? and yet these ruins are fearfully suggestive lo their war. Where now lies a shapeless pile of brick and stone, wits once the store at which our wives and daughters were accustomed to trade. Thence came the fabrics that delighted them, and the UIU that discontented us. But where now arc the clerks that snubbed us. and Informed us that uo gentleman would wear the .particular article for which we were asking,and •whereare the errand boys who were so long |n our scanty change? And yet from 4boSejrorted gouts have uselessly dissolved iu smoke. The wines have been drunk up by the fire without stupefying it. English pickles, French sardines, American oysters and preserve#, have met a common fate. The rare products of se* and shore, the delight of thousands, have disappeared forever, swal lowed up at once, and yet this conflagration, more voracious than au ostrich, never got the dyspepsia from them. There dwelt the tailor, who was engrossed upon our overcoat when the flames caught him. Where lie has gone, or what has become of him, no one knows. A tailor is a domestic animat, who hales to abandon the spot where be has established his artistic temple. Hu may have lavished in trying to save his patterns, and at the midnight hour his visionary form may be seen cuttiug shadowy cloth with phantom shears, and observing iu ghostly tones, “A very gentlemanly garment indeed, and a most stylish fit.’ 1 But this is no town for tailors now.* All wear old clothes—some from necessity, aud oth er* to affect a sympathy wiijj ihe disaster. When our Irlends die we wear black; when their fortunes melt, we wear sliabby raiment It is economical and becoming. When our wires die wc marry again. Thus do people be have, when called upon to sustain great calami ties. Yes, the tailor is gone; Lut we will run across him at the Day ot Judgment, and he will apologize for the delay, nod promise to send the garment around next week. Just a* if he were still If the city wore three weeks voungor than it is, right there would be the theatre which we so often visited. They have had manv scenery effects, but never a one to equal this. Nature has tried- her band at the sensational drama, and liasshown the playrights that she under stands her business. Wlml is a burning ship to a burning city, or a flying crew of five to the escape ot tens of thousands from destruction? It would take at least four theatres united, to play such a piece and to produce even a fraction of the effects. The actors have lost their jests aud they have not met the disaster with the careless levity of those who hud hitherto liecn merchants only, and had looked mostly upon the serious side of life. Were it not tor the fear of hurling his feelings, one would be tempted IHE^CHXGAGi TEIBITNE. yOLUME 25. to seize one of our notors by Ills coot collar, ami put to him the self-same questions which the l noce ol Denmark once propounded to-Vorick’s skull. The remains of Crosby’s Opera Hou?c re m,u*l u* only how few 'ever saw the genuine gold-loaf that wus lavished upon it so profusely, thenewand luxurious seats, the imported carpets, the costly bronzes. They have all disappeared, and the very newspapers that contained the description of them hare been burned up. That peculiarly picturesque ruin, on which half a dozen men are working, and near which I a shanty, with a store-pipe chimney, is stand ing, was once the home of the friend of the needy, the custodian of those not needed arti cles which people would leave with Idm for a time, receiving therefor a tenth of their value and a dirty ticket There -is no more wrong now about those pledges. Who can identify bis own watch among the twenty thousand •hnmged ones offered for sale? Who is not glad that he is saved the necessity of saving and sparing in order to redeem some useless affair? And who is not delighted that retributive jus tice has overtaken the whole tribe of those who got 10 per cent per month? So, at every step one tikes, he sees something which reminds Idm of the immediate p-ist The restaurant at which he used to cat, the saloon at which he took his beer, the hotels at which he was snubbed, the place where he went to admire bad pictures, because some one said they were good, are ull around him, and they cannot but recall what has been. There is much that saddens, something that amuses, and u little that does not displease, but there is precious little that is pathetic about it—it is material destruction and nothing more, that one views. But when serene night comes, all this is changed. Then these crudities and discrep ancies disappear. There are no gas lamps with their out-ot-plnce artificial lustre. Only the moon just rising in the east, Gists an umror laia-iusire over-dx? gone. Nothing is heard btulhcSteSoyloot fa 1 1 of the patrolman, ortho quicker steps of some one hurrying to reach his home. The board structures, which by day ofleuded the sesthelic taste, arc now lost sight of. limned wall and shattered masonry are softened .and refined by the clear mild light. Dark nooks, and dee dv shaded recesses, which by daylight would lose their aecresy, and be nothing but waste blank?, arc in the evening full of the charm ol mys tery and of darkness. Fancy peoples those se cluded snots with the creatures of her imaghi lion, and tncy seem fitting homes for ghoul and afreet, creatures who lurk among the ruined tombs and devour the belated wanderers liter-. The long, black lines.of p.ivemcnt stretch out into the infinite dim distance' as if they led to the quiet homes of the dead. Here and there the vast bulk of undestroyed buildings lower nr, silent and uninhabited, like the watch-tow ers which Vathek saw at Islakhar. Through their open windows streams the moonlight, and half hides and half reveals th- fallen walls and shattered floors within. There are inscriptions on them, nut it is too dark to spell out »he names of Supervisors who tried to secure immortality, and have passed successfully through this ordeal of fire. Nor is it worth while to try to dv cipher these names, since were they* once made out, all the enchantment would disappear. It would be like stumbling across a faint in- scription on a pyramid, and finding, on exam- inallon, that it was the autograph of J. H Smith of the United Suites. Butin this iudef- inite light all things are old, and all things are strange. It ts no longer"Chicago wherein we walk, and the sky above us is clear and slarrv I enough to look upon the Rhine and Arno in stead of the Chicago River. Telegraph costs are transfigured into burned and branchless trees, and in this blue laud of supreme fancy, 1 the prosaic and the commonplace have disap peared forever. There are slight, faint sounds, which may be the imagined voices of the night, 1 or the pulsations of the lake, or the sighing of 1 the wind, but there is no hum of myriads, no 1 many-voiced utterances of men. 1 Yonder, burnt, and bruised, and blackened, stands the church, its pealing organ stilled for ever. Through its gaping portals no more wed ding parlies shall pass. It has buried its last dead, and there it re mains, its own monument. Those who have been baptized there, are scattered far and wide, and have forgotten the font over which they were once held. The young men who, iu the intoxication of first love, followed their sweethearts there mid endured the sermon for the sake of being near the beloved, have out lived the passionate ardor of then, and will not regret the ruined sanctuary which, to them, was the temple ot Cupid, and not of Jehovah. The light, glancing through the wide window, falls lull upon the untouched memorial ot marble. All the artificial aid to devotion, the cushioned >ews, the soft foot Stools, the elegantly bound jooks. have disappeared, but it remains, un moved, while all around is in ruins. The mon uments ot the dead outlast, by iar, the homes of the living. Here there is no feeling of newness. It might be a Page taken from middle age his tory. Cowled and girdled monks, or corpulent friars, might have dwelt there, and the odor that one perceives might be a remin irceneu of frankincense and myrrh, con sumed iu swinging tensers, rather than that jK-culiar smell which follows a fire. It is so dark that one cannot see the ivy on the walls, but one knowsthat it is there, and 5f it were not >o hackneyed, one would be apt lo quolecerlaiu lines concerning Melrose Abbey. But on such occasions )>euplu do not express their feelings in the words of another. They do not seek to express them at all, but float along idly, borne by the current of their thoughts, like u boat drifting on the bosom of the river. At another point one can faintty distinguish twisted and distorted iron beams, hall catering and half covered by massive blocks of etooc. There they lie, in one chaotic muss, dumb wit nesses of some terrible conflict. By the light of day w« could tell how recent had been their overthrow, but now, by the uncertain beams ol the moon, wo cannot tell but what they are as venerable as the world itself mid, silling there, we can reconstruct them a? we will. Story bv story rises the airy pile. Bright lights gleam from its windows, .and strains of music minglo with the tread of the feet that cross its marble floors. But the flickering flame still fitfully burning iu the centre of the rains suddenly dies out, and the lights disappear, and the building goes down as suddenlyas it rose; and with it, the guests that thronged its hqlis. Beyond it is something that was once a pile of wheat. .\ow it is a hill of which dwarfs those in Lincoln Bark, aud from its sides come intermittent jets of fire and smoke. Were it only higher, then imagination could easily convert it into a new Vesuvius. Its flames serve lo light up the building beyond, and cast a dim, uncertain glare u;»on the river, a rival of the light-house, and an unsafe guide for sailors. Jt is a great pity, for purely artistic reasons, that there’are not mure standing. These poor Imlf-story remnants have nof half the pathos uf a building, which, destroyed within, still uprenr? itself, mid bids defiance to fate. It is a blind jlimson, but h Samson still power ful for good or evil; and the architect will come along in the morning, and will scan the vast, though scarred proportions, and will dose him with bricks and mortar, and white wash him, and restore his flowintr lucks— to wit: put a Mansard root on him, nqd he will look about as good as new, though the truces of tfle wounds are still visible, if vou oply know where to foul, frr them or clse*lhe r ire Mantml order the walls lo come down, and. in the act of doing it, two ,i, rt i. uiulis lines will be slain, and the Coroner will be called upon to hold au inquest, and will find a difficulty doing so, since the county is too poor to pay twenty-five cents per head to jury men, aud there ore no mure inducement* to ac cept the position. For office-seeking is at an end tor the moment, and, when the Court House w:is burned, more than half the candidates promptly withdrew. To tlic.*c buildings, thus left partly standing, tficre is a wonderful ex pression, varying with their condition.’ There are those which S£&m to implore, and those which seem to threaten. Koine ara weary of die coolest with fortune, while others are still obdu rate, and unwilling to give way, but about these odds and cuds uf brick and mortar there is no expression wlfafoyer. No life remains iu them, and nothing cau lend them the power lo charm. But the eye lingers fondly ov£f hanging cor nices and projecting pinnacles, Due moment bright with the moon, aud then shading away into darkness. Over lo the left, there U ti»lhfog. There no walls reiuoiu, and the eye can distinguish uo’h ing but a succession of slight hollows nod slight elevations. It might hive been anything—a water-washed field, or a space of ground, on which had been deposited dust-heaps, ur the re fuse ot a furnace.- Beyond that, lies a black cboatn where the river flows, and as one gels nearer, the gleaip of (fie moonlight upon the waves at queu changes the character of the scene. 'Thou there was a dark abyss, beyond n liicli grimly rosea lung vistau! half-destroyed and threatening trails. Now, the glancing and s arkhng waters have dispelled the loneliness and wildness ot the spot, ror who pag foal solitary when he is near a stream that is pyre enough to mirror the firmament in its bosom, and whose slight, inarticulate noises luruish him company, and invite him, like the Song of the Sirens, to come nigtur and nigher? bile the brook is a child with whfoh one laughs and babbles, the river is a full-crown fuan, wherewith W e can hold rea sonable converse, and ..wherefrom wti can gain rare information, to be found nowhere else. Fora moment the uoou is eclipsed, and the powers of the night have fully resumed their control. By the dim starlight one cun see ouly the vaguely outlined fonqs of objects near at band. The river has gone-from sight, and the buildings beyond arc swnllowed up in the dark- Fur away arp'tho lilajung coal heaps, burning up like mimic volcanoes, nod farther jet, ibe gag lumps ot the \Vest Side hut they seem infinitely re-mote,’and on Hip verge of the horizon of the night. AU other sights, all sounds, have died away, and there remains only a sense of desolation and ruin, so great and ter rible that one can linger no longer, but gropes bis way as best he cau back to the light, and tho homes of men. ItEBriLVIA'U CHICAGO, Letter from Jntlse Caton. Tot hi Editor of The Chicago Tribune: Sm: Perhaj« a few suggestions, at this im portant moment, from one who has been a care ful, if not a judicious, observer of the rise and progress of Chicago, from its very beginning, may not be unac'epiable. In this supreme crisis some of the friends of Chicago may feel inclined to despair; but these are very few, and their despondency will be but temporary. The same men who built Chicago from the beginning, and raised *a great city from a marshy prairie, are still there, and arc yet in the prime of life. When they began they were young, without fortunes, experience, reputations or credit. All these they had to achieve. They were without the sympathy of the world at large, and could only command aid from abroad as they actually earned it. The country back wild prairie, and the commerce of the city only existed in their sanguine expecta tions, inspired by a wise forecast of the future. Mills for making thelrlumber they hud to build in the forests of Michigan and Wisconsin; quar ries for their stone had to bj opened; transport ation .provided aud preparations lor making their brick and other material had to be made. They bad no railroads, no canal, no telegraphs, to help them. They had no water works and no gas works provided at their hands. Even the ground itself lud to he made on which to build the city, nod enable them to adopt a svstem of sewerage. Hoivisitnow? The same men still live, their judgments ripened by experience, their energies confirmed aud strengthened by a suc cess which, bus beentbvi ntyf nf nrnntirt nmi phe ibciue v thfr-ctvilizcd world. Tlicy nrrnrrepii laUuas for integrity, for industry,* for enterprise,'and for business sagacity, which adhere to their per sons, and are beyond the reach of the destroying element, and which arc worlh untold fortunes because they will com mand them. They have a world’s sympathy, which will uphold their bands aud stimulate them to redoubled energy, and which, added to their unsullied integrity, will secure them ail the credit and assistance they want, the world over. The mills which supply their lumber are still, to a large, extent, in existence, while they have no ample supply on the ground; their stone qaurriesare open; their brick manufacto ries arc in order; canals and railroads are in op eration for ample transportation while a very consiaerubleproportion of the material in'the rums can be made immediately available. Tne water-works still remain, and, with -a.trifling cost, will be aa good as ever. The gas mains still traverse the city everywhere, and soon such ot the gas-works ns have been destroyed will be rebuilt, and will be Immediately available. The ground which hud to be made,‘and on which the city was built, is still there, aud the sewerage is uninjured. The vast country which is tributary to thecity.and which rendered it possible to achieve SO' much there iu so short a time, is still teeming with industry and demanding its commercial facilities. Its inhabitants are left, and its common and skilled labor is there, anxious for employment, while skilled labor from all parts lo the world will rush in to help build the city*, which allied intuitively must be done at once. The build ings alone are gone. All else is left, with every means to replace them, more harmonious, useful and graud than before. Commercial necessity compels this. Goods must be supplied to the consumer, lo the same extent as formerly, and those who have supplied them from other parts ot the world, must supply them the same us ever. Now, what Instrumentalities will thuv use lo carry them to the coneumcr? The men who have performed this cilice hitherto, must be their first choice. Even if they had nothing left but their integrity, their talents, their energy, and the good-wilt of trade, —either one of these estates is to-day actually worth more to them, in dollars and cents, than the total loss by this fire. t Hut the loss will nut be borne by them alone. The insurance companies will no doubt pay a large per cent of me losses; for self-interest must prompt them to make herculean efforts to do so. Those which pay their losses in full are assured a brilliant future, while those who fail lo do so must ever remain in discredit. Indeed, this great event will make a sifting of the in surance business, leaving only those to do the business hereafter which now prove themselves worthy ol the utmost public confidence. The means »o do the great work of rebuilding Chi cago, aud winch must and will be confided to the same hands which built it before, will not lie wanting. Their own banks will, in au in credibly short lime, be actually stronger in cash than they ever were before. flieir managers havo established a .•baracler for high-toned integrity, which will command universal confidence both at home and abroad. They have but to ask assistance from the East, and nil they ask will be gladK given them. Theircouotfy correspondents will lake a pleasure in showing them forbearance, even without the asking. Hereafter, as hereto fore, the cash in the city will be kept iu the banks in the form ol deposits and through the banks, ns usual, all exchanges will be made. Now, let us assume that but 50 percent will be |«aid by insurance companies, and Still the amount will probably read: sixty-five millions. This will pass into the banks iu the form of Eastern exchange, which they will pul into currency, lo be paid out for rebuilding the city. Then there are tho donations from all parts of the world, which must lake the same direction, and will bo gradually extended as •he emergency which called them forth will re quire. And so 1 could enumerate many other sources uf strength to the banks, growing direct ly out of the loss. Besides all this is their own inherent strength, with their vaults safe, and ic probability that nearly nil their receivables will be paid, though, perhaps, with a little de lay. I repeat that, iu a very short time, the banks of Chicago will he stronger than ever be fore since their organization; and through their hands must the money pass which shall rebuild Chicago. 1 have now assigned a few of the reasons why I think that Chicago will be rebuilt iu a time so incredibly short that I dare not state the dale, and by the same men who built it at first. Its commerce will flow through the same channels, and bo manipulated by the same bauds as heretofore. The good will of a trade has ever been recognized ns of actual and iulriusic value. That still belongs to her business men individually, and to all together as au aggregate. Those who have goods to sell In the West must employ, in some form, these men to sell them, or others will speedily supplv them. Cheerful dispositions, stoat hearts, and active hands will do nil, and make Chicago a greater wonder, even, than she has hitherto been. The people of Ibis Slate, in particular, from one extremity to the other, by this event haye been able lo appreciate the great value of your city lo the whole State, and the pride which they have taken iu her as tlicir capital cummer cial cit;.; and the Governor, in palling the together, has properly apprehended the public judgment and the public sympathy. The Legislature, by its wise and liberal action, will talthtully reflect the public will. The architects, under whose supervision the city must be rebuilt, will learn wisdom by the lessons taught by the events of this fire, and so will make it more secure, more commodious, more uniform, and more beautiful than before. Ottawa, I*-.-, Oou U. w J. I). Catos. The Republic Insurance Company of Cblcayo—Fecllnp in the Country. Toifi4 EU'Uorof Tftd C/Mcigo I’-rihuru,’ Sm: As I have, been travelling in different parts of the country, 1 have observed the teeling of the people nod the country stockholders of the Republic Insurance Company of, Chicago, and, in hopes that what I may write will he of some benefit to the policy-holders of that com pany, 1 ask you to give place to this letter la the columns of your valuable paper. 1 find the fecliug to be very biller against the way the Ex ecutive.Committee and..Secretary are settling the losses la the Chicago I|te. The letter of j! R. Puvson. of the 23d Instant, is considered an artful advertisement, written for the especial boiKMjt of those “sharpers and speculators” that he seems to ho|d in such holy horror j qs he assures them that he will pay, out of the SOOO,OOO of cash assets belonging to the company, a sum equal to 25 cents on the dollar of the losses.—showing them that, if they buy up the policies of the sufferers lor 10 or 15 per cent, they will make a handsome profit. Tlien he tries to scare,and intimidate the policy hold ers by telling them that the stockholders are scattered over the country, from Massachusetts to California, andiron} Minnesota to Kentucky and that, if the former should throw the com pany into ban Kruptcy, tncy would not reaMze even twenty-five cccnts on the dollar for their claims. Tbs is not the kind of indemnity that ii son Poised that these country stock holders would give when he was advertising forbusiqes. This wall from Payson is all moonshine. The majority of the stock is held right here in lili frdO.OOO is held in Pnuccloa; about 550.000 in Mendota; $120,000 in Galesburg; SIOO,OOO in Monmouth; and in other princi pal towns of the State men subscribed to this slock, and a* majority of them are good business men, and bankers, who 1 believe, are filling to pav in the 80 p:*r cent dqe; and they pan fio it and ’not injure their business. One- stockholder in Galesburg says he hassl,ooo m stock, and has the monevm bank teadv to pay it when called upon. I understand from good authority at a meeting of the stockholders in Galesburg, they unani mously resolved to do Whatever the officers in Chicago decided upon, even to paying up the last dollar of their stock, Why, then, do the CHICAGO, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31,187E Executive Committee not give the stockholders a chantx* to pay Hus 80 per cent bv calling upon them, fur it?. Thcv R re within easy*' access by’ the mail. They have received dividends made from the premiums of the Chicago sufferers oowjioM ,n policies for which'they arq pow .offered 25 cents* on the dollar. Let'dhese- men' who hold jmlicies combine and net in concprfvappoint some good man in Chicago .receiver of the com pany; make call upon the stockholders and give them a chance to redecm'tbefr credit, and to save their honor and manhood.' If Mr. Parson s co-operative company Ts to die an igno ble death, he can nt least afford to step aside and let the stockholders pay the expenses and per form the but sad riles of .burial, and relieve the Chicago (tolicy-holders from' the ncchssity.of be ing chief mourners. Moue Axon*. Momioctu, 111., Oct. 28. Steam Through All the Streets. To th( Editor of 77is Vhiuyo Tribune. Sib: .Vuu will not be offended just :noxv if I sny “Ventilation aud Heating” to you. I know you have bad a good deal of both lately, and perhaps more than you waut/but now a splendid opportunity for you to Introduce* gen eral system of steam-supply through all the streets. Steam is the great moving power of modern civilization steam has made Chicago a 'great city within a short lifetime steam has enabled every v illage and hamlet to unite jvilh the great commercial cities on the Al'aulic and bn the Pacific 16 pour into Chicago millions oC cooked rations, almost before they-are cold, for her thousands of starving population. Steam is the great civilizing agent of qgijifra' fbr, ■cooking, for WaruTTng. for ventilation, arid, b“f cou*sb,‘to*r power. Every house ought to have an abUndunl supply delivered at its door, the samo-aa gas or water,, .without the enormous expense, danger and. labor of each man maim-, fucturing for himself. Wc all know that it i feasible to deliver steam to whole blocks of bouses from one set of boilers, because all of our large ho tels—some covering whole squares—liml no difficulty whatever in carrying it to-ilio re motest corner. All out large factories, asylums, ami public institutions o{ all kinds deliver the steam 1,500 or 2,000 feel from the boilers and the difference in the pressure or temperature can hardly I>e detected ut the furthest point. -There would not be the slightest practical difficulty in supplying all the steam required for ten, filtcen, twenty, of even fifty blocks, trom one central position. The loss of beat would be a very smalfffactiou of that escaping from as many separate fires; and onlv think of 'the luxury of having your'whole house warmed and ventilated too, and most of your cooking done,-without tbuP-greatest' of aundvances in housekeeping—making the fires. The eeonom v. too, in such an arrangement, would be very great. Ail the steam could be furnished for ventilation, beating, cooking, and jK>wer, for less than it now costs for fuel, and would then pay a handsomer profit to a company than any gas company ever earned. There was- never so grand nn opportunity offered in the world as is uo\v offered to Chicago for the introduction of such a scheme; and I wish it could be presented in such a manner to some of those bold, liberal, and far-seeing men who have done so much toward giving Cuicago a world-wide reputation as a leading city, tna( they might seethe opportunity for the intro duction of so great and valuable an improve ment. LEWIS X. LEEOS, Engineer of Ventilation, ie.. No. liu Eroudway New Vork. To the Editor of The Vhieayo Tribune: A calamity like this which has visited our city sets every thinking man about devising means to prevent, if possible, such a catastrophe in the future. One of the means which’ goos very far to protect lito and properly, to main tain public order and security, is the lormaliou of a Citizens’ Guard. But, ta order to make such a body permanent and effective, ami not dependent upon the will and pleasure’of the in dividual, it is necessary to make the duly here contemplated obligatory* by a municipal enact ment, conformable to the constitution of the Stale. A city like ours, of 300,000 inhabitants, will be able to furnish with the greatest case a body of 15,000 active citizens for its de- f nee, of an age from 25 to 35. or 3U to 40 Years*. Liability lo duty may be limited to five Vears, and thus tbu ranks kept lull. To secure as h gll a standard of character and honor us possible, it would be advisable lo restrict the inembersh-p of this corjis to such of our citizens only as are treehoMets.—permanent settlers—having the se curity and pmsjierity ot our city really at heart. Uniforming and arming to be ul public exp use. The corps to be divided into ibre* di visions, one for each part of the city; to drill every fourteen days, mid have a general turnout once every month o- two. In case of fire in unv of the three parts of the city, the division of the c.irps located iu that pari lo turn out u{s»n the sounding of a second alarm. The conflagration to be surrounded by u slrongcordju of sentinels, to keep back nil sight-seers, mid all those who have no business there, thus preventing robbers and loafers from taking awayfrom a citizen that little which he saved from the fire, and giving the Fire Department free scope to operate. Wc will sooner or later bo compelled by necessity lo form such a corps, nod, the sooner it »,i douc, the better for the security ofthe city. As wo arc situated at present, we are nt Hie mercy of any set of ciu-throats, and our char tered, fancy, dress-parade companies are no where when they are the most needed, because, forsooth, they turn out only when they please. If the Authorities of the city of Chicago will take steps to insure the execution of me above proposition, they itpiy beforehand depend uj>on tile hearty support of every honest and upright citizen. CuxtaES G. Fukuioke, To the Kditor of The Chicago Tribune Sib: Would it not be of some advantage to adopt, in tbc most valuable part of your city, the building ot entire iron houses? Have the par tition W2ills made of a fourth of an inch thick, with ribs projecting, ready to receive the shelves. These sections may be cost four to six Icet each. Your people, under ibis plan, may have the following advantages 1. They would gain ground, and the value of that ground would almost build the wall, most especially it two neighbors would join. 2. If you could not get the castings all done in your city, you could bare them shipped from i other cities, ready to put'up. 3. Your people could go right to work at put ting tip houses, in spite of winter. 4. Cast-iron houses, built iu a row. would be £re-prouf, so that; sumo. 5. Any change or improvement could be made in these houses better Ilian iu stone houses, and more readily, and with less expense. There arc oilier ad vantages that may he shown, ami many improvements in.iy be made after this style of building is once introduced, Padccah, Ky., OcU 2.". Inquiries Crotu a House Dnildcr and Okanck, X. J., OcU 22. Tv the Edi ‘or of The CftiViyo Siu; I'lcaae scud mo a few of your papers. 1 am a builder, and, within the last two or three years, I have built some fiueen bouses lor sale. It you will iulorm me, or give me the beat of your ideas about the building prospect this win te? iu Chicago, I will cutub obi there And nut up soine buildings*' How are your people off fur money Have luey money enough to go ou with ur nut? And is it best for me not to cumc out this winter? BeSuUafncU, Province of Quebec. Canada, i oci.’it.' J To the Editor of Tie Chicago Tribune 23ta: lam u contractor, and, as such, have been employed in Canada, by different persons, for twenty-fire years. Recommendations os to my ability can be obtained at any lime Irdm different parties, and also from iht> government of this Province. I have under my command workingmen ot all classes—musous, stone-cutters, brickiavers, carpenters, joiners, plasterers, etc., etc* and ail are most willing to go to your locality. Ir anything in tpy line can be doneiu Chicago in the winter season, please let me know tOa lrt ?t, CvBILLB -CuSTtNT. lllsher Water Rcservoiri. To Uu Editor of The Cidcago Tribune Sib; The late lire should clearly demon strate to our city rulers the necessity of loftier reservoirs. It U needless ip euiimcrate the ad vantages which would arise from such an ele* vutiug change; the .experience of jnuuy cities in this country shows that thev would be mani fold. Besides affording a better supply, and raising the water to greater heights iu all build ings, it would afford u much better opportunity *j c crc u S thv ‘‘stitch iu time’* principle, a °dt by constant welling, keep the tinder boxes U(iuu the tups of buildings from igniting. CiIICAUO, OcU 2d. JbCOUBSTBB. To the Editor of The Chicago Tribune Sik; I, as a stranger, bep leave to suggest’ a scheme which I am confident would be of im mense importance to a city such as Chicago is estiued to become, that is, the seizing the pres- A Citizens’ Guard. 47- tSlutu street, Chicago, Iron llou«e*< Joll.N A. iIILLBU. Contractor. H. L. SpiSEK, Architect and Builder, Vublio I>oeki» enl opportunity of securing to the city the pro pcfix.oo the river as far west as where the river diverges north and' south'! to be used us public docks. Were the city to pur chase r both aidof North and South Water streets, tbe')otSwould cost .the- city comparatively .-little lor jmch urr-improvement. The-soath* side of South Water street would be a splendid location tor public buiJJ|tf^ i 'wit£|* ,thcir; fronts: ttf the river. It would make a fine entrance tp'ihe city u Watcr h6p©-I may be excused* .for saying* that'd tnowiptmoTity of «u*b importance witH so poor public doclf'adedmtnbdailon. Chicago, OcL 27. A Canadian. n SIAATOK SUMA’EB. RR JC*tter ■Co tU© Colored Men In Con* V ventlou mV Columbia/ S. C: Washington. Oct. 23.—The following letter from bctinior bumwr.w»» retd at ih- convention of color ed men atCplniubia/ 8. C., onTJonday: _ 1 Boston, Oct- IS. Dear Sir: lam glad that our colored fellow-citizens ore to have a convention of their own. So long a? they are excluded from rich is, or suffer In anyway on account of color, they will naturally meet together in pnlar.to find proper remedy, and since yoa kind-' ly invito ma to*cuuummlcate with the convention. I make hold ta offer a |cw.brirf suggestion*. In the tirst place, you moat at all times insist upon yourrigntt. and here 1 mean not unly iho?o already 1 occotdedfbupoihifre atll! denied, all of jwtuchciru cod- before the law/,. Wherever the law supplies a rale there you must insist unequal rights'. Iluw much remains to be obtained you know too well. lu the experience of life can a respectable colored citizen travel on steamboats dr railways or public conveyances generally without Insult on account of co!ur? Lot Governor Dunn of LonUlana describe his journey frum Nvw Orleans to Washington. Shot up from in th« can, toe doors of the-bcßatr^h^nt>er -dpe.tcd to him,* aad'therc he wjr/vln iry which a railroad conductor had denied. excellent friend, Frederica Doug ttlAhSiHftinetancholT experience, when within sight or fne TTrecutlve Mansion he waa thruftback from the dinner table where hla brother Commission ers were already seated. -You knowthe outrage. I might ask the same question in regard to ho*eU, ami even the common ecbools.. A hotel is siegal institution, and so is a common- scbuol. and avouch mu-«t bo for the equal lu ncdt of all. Kor can there be any exclusion from either on account of col .r. 1 It isnot enough to provide separate accommodations for colored citizens, even if in ail respects as goodas those of other persons. Equality is not found lu ■equivalent, but only In equality; in other words, there must be no discrimination on account of color. The discrimination Is.au insult, a hindrance, and a bar, which notonfv;destroys-co nfort and prevents equality, butweaKena kll other rights.- ■lbe'right to vote will havj no security until your equal rights In the public conveyances, hotels, aud common schools are at last established; but here you most insist by fpt-ech. by p«:ltIou, and by vole. Help yourselves, and others will help also. Tnc civil rights law need* a supplement to cover their cases. This defect lias been apparent from the beginning, and for a long time I have striven to re move it. 1 have a bill for this purpose now pending in the Senate. Will not colored fellow'-citizcns see tliat those in power no longer postpone this essential safeguhrdt- Sorely here d an object worthy of effort. Nor lias the Republican party done Its work nntll this Is accomplished. Is it not bettor to establish all onr own people In the enjoyment of equal rights before we seek to bring others within the sphere of onr institutions, to be treated like Fred Douglas on his way .to the President from San Domingo? It Is easy to see tint a small pari of the moans, the enerev, and the determined .will spent in the expedition to St. Domingo, and In the prolonged war dance about tliat island, with*menace to the black Republic of Uayti, would have secured all onr colored fellow-citizens in the enjoyment of equal rights. Of tbla there can be no doubt. tha cardinal object* Is education, which must be insisted on; there again must be equality •dda aide with thq alphabet, It ii< vaia to teach equality If y-.u do mtnnicUco It. Itie vaiuto reilte the great words f>rth*il)cclarsUonoMndepcndonce if you do not mike it a living reality. What la a lesson without examples As all are equal nl the ballot-box, *>o mast all be equal ut the common school. Equality in the com* limn school is the preparation for equality at the bal lot-box: Therefore do I pot this among the essentials uredncailoa. In assorting your rights yon will not foil to Insist upon justice to all, nndur which la neces sarily Included purity in the govern, ment. Thieves and money changers, whether .Democrats or Republicans, must be driven out of onr Temple,* Tammany Hail and Republican self-neekers most be overthrown. Thera should bo no place fur-either.- Thank God, good tnou are now coming to the resene. Lot them, while uniting against corruption. Insist upon equal .rights for all; also the suppression ol lawless violence, whether lu the-Klu-Klax-Ktau outraging tho South.- on Illicit undertakings outraging the hlnck Republic of Uaytl. To the; 4; inesiiumbia objects.addjtpecla payments, nudyon.vlll have a platform which ought tobeac cepted by the American people. Will not our colored follow cl 1/ens Iwgln this good work Let them at the same time save themselves .ana save the country. arc only hints, which I submit to tbe con vention. hoping that Its proceedings will tend espe cially to the good of the colored race. Accent my thaukt and best wlshe* nnd believe me. fal.hfully yours, CHARLES aUMNEH. LECTCItE Bl SECBETAKV IIOIT- WELL. Present Questions AfTccttutf Public Pros perity—The Errors or the Laboring Classes—The Tenure of Lauds—A HU at llallroad Monopolies—Our Shipping Interests—Looking Toward Specie Pay ments* Boston. Oct. 86. Hon. beorge S. Boutvrcll delivered a lecture this evening lu the Bay State conr>e, at Mask Ball, to a very large audience. 110 was greeted with enthnj as tic applause. Bis subject was Present QaeMloDs Affecting Public Prosperity/' After a few prelimi nary remarks In intr dudng bis subject, he said that within the last two decades two great bvctitA have taken nlace- the omanclpallon of the Perft and the emancipation of the slaves. laIK7U those formerly slave!* wero living In ignorance and poverty, ami yet in spite df“hll this they prddneed 4,4W).WK) bales of cotton against t,6U0.0U0 while slavery existed. The speaker said ‘he would consider some l:chig»n-aT. Piasoi laned and repaired. MILLINERY. H.W,&J.M,Wetherell, 369 ¥ABASH-AY. WHOLESALE MILLINERY! We would inform our patrons that our stock is now complete, and we are now prepared to wait on them and to fill their orders with despatch. Our new stock has been selected with reference to the season, and we offer the same at the low est market prices. Special inducements to cash buyers. TAILORS. JOP STEVENSON, DRAPER TAILOR, (LATE OF MADISON-BT., EAST). Will resume business October 31. with an entire new and choice stock of IMPORTED GOODS, In the new 9larhle Building on the corner of Wabash-ar. and Xwenty-sccond-st, NUMBER 85. BUSINESS CARDS. Reopening. DIMKEITMCO., Having secured the spacious brick building No. 601 Wabash av„ uearTwcHth at., take great pleasure in in* forming their patrons, and the trade generally, that they will, on the 6th day of November, open an entirely new stock of all g«ids heretofore kept by them. Oar purchase# are made for cash, and the beat goods at the lowest prices may be found-with ns. ur books were all saved, and we hope our friends wil aid us to maintain our position as the Leading Hons* (In our line) in the West by promptly remitting for all bills dnß D.W. A A. KEITH ICO. Oct. 77. i GREAT WESTERN TYPE FOUNDRY. Ten Per Cent off on Type. The above discount will bo cfTen publishers and print ers who suffered by the Large stock arriv ing. AM order* promptly hilud. AVe are now manufac turing leads, slugs. I.mm rule. etc.’, and will have onr type machines running in a few days. Barniartßios. Spmdler, 50 West -Itundolpli-Kt. Hardware and Tools. XIERABEE NORTH, (Tnile 17t Lake it.) Gave resumed bnrimw*, and are now opening, at No. 48 W. Lake-st., Uielr usual full EMorlm-nt of Builders’ Hardware Mechanics Toot,. Fine Cutlery, Drawing Instruments Sheet Braes. Brans Wire. Ac. BLISS. MOORE CO., Wholesale Grocers, Mkhigan-av., Between Peck and Eldridge-courts, Aro prepared to fill nil orders promptly. Are receiving and shipping at u«i 9 lh»m undoubted acuritf for their hooks, etc., ao'l wluire tiiey arw cuoductiux businea* the nm« as previous to the tire. «It DAT WESTERN TYPE FOUNDUY. No. SO West Itamlolph st., upstairs. Type arriving, ami slues, calltys, Ac, UAUMIAKT BUOS. ASPINDLKB. Durands Powers, Successors to Durand llroa. A Powers, aud Durands, Powers X Mead, WHOLESALE GROCERS, Corner West W'ashioglun wn-I Gre>tt> sts., Chicago, HI. Now read/ to fill all orders in out lln* fur old or new customer*. JI.IBTIX MAYEUUUEFEU’S BOARDING AND SALE STAULKS. IJ2 lla«thigi at., corner Lootuis-sl.. west of Blue Inland AV., haviuitevery lacility for the business. Will board hor»rs for lees turn any other man in town, aud will guarantee to sell my stock to per cent cheaper. Come •ttnl ►fr* me. Winduw Glas*. D. S. SCHANCK A SUNS, Importers of Plate and Window GI as. tiT Chambers st. Now VorkT To Chicago merchants starting anew and requiring such goods as we mannlae ture. It wilt afford us great pleasure to fill their orders at most favorable prices, and anon liberal terms. Norman 91. Kerr A Co., Manufacturers of Jewellers’ Boxes, and all kinds of Paper B»x»s. 31 South Fourlhat., Philadelphia, Pa. Arthur We WluUelt, LAW OFFICE, 562 Wabash-av., aud Boom 6 Lind’s Block. Ban- dolpb-«t. Window Glass, Full stoclt. AH sixes. MENDENHALL A K ITCH ELL. No. 84 West Front »t„ Cincinnati. O. Galvanized sheet Iron AND SHEET IRON, Full stock. All site*. MENDENHALL A KITCIIXLL. Na.y< West Front at.. Clnciunati.'Ohio. H. W. AUSTIN 00., 52 NORTH CLINTOS-ST, (Near the Shut Tower.) We l>w A full stock of Pumps, Gas Pipes, and Staple Hardware, sstne as kept at 221 and £3 Sooth Water si., aud at same prices as before the flre. To PUyslclaus. RLI9B «Jfc SHARP, Lata 106 State at.. Sooth DiTlaion, are located at *heir firauch Store, 154 Twenty-second at,, corner Wabash av., WRh a pew and coranlste stork of DRUGS AND SUB GIOAL INSTRUMENTS. Orders solicited, and will re eelve prompt attention. A, M. llinman Co., COMMIS3ION->l)r«s«ock of Millinery Goods, booght af nefl h a I* 0..w arriving, and on and after mil? position to wait on cnstonVera tB 3 formerlyT Everything new and stylish sod snltsdde for winter trade. Parties owing ns can. by sending os HONEY at this particular tin*, assist us rare much IS A. B. Baldwlu, LAW AND LOAN Of FICt STEARNS KENNY, Stationers and Printer*. A largo stoexof at wholesale and JOB PRINTING OP EVERY DESCRIPTION. )56 Twenly-secood-at., Chicago. from th» country will lecelfeproapiattaa. NOTICE. Greensfelfler, Hosentbal Co.. HAVE OPENED THEIR SEW PLACE. Cor. Michigan-av. Congress-st., (Opposite Michigan ar. Hotel), and are prepared to Oil orders fer BOOTS AND SHOES With tbetr wonted promptness and panetnallty. STANTON CO. OFFER A FULL LISE OF Family Groceries, Wines, Liquors Havana Cigars, AT 857 WABASH -.A. V. SAMUEL S. WHITE’S DENTAL DEPOT, Tuato 131 and 133 State-st., Will shortly occupy the new building ;now Ulna ixpressly fop oar batinees. ea Madison st., east ®f'•••*» T wa receive oar friend* sod fill their orders at 121 Eighteeotbst,, near State B. R. BINOHA3I. Manager. BAmacteu W th celebrated ROCHESTER Instock:. Locks, screws, butts, binges, carpenters’ tools, carnage bolts, At., Ac. Goods arriving dailr horao nail* r*edved*to>day! The trade are iQTlled to coll on us. Van SW, Stevenson Eeid, Wholesale Druggists, Si7 t 840y and 831 Wabash Aytnue, Arspreparedteflil ail ordera promptly; are lecturing and shipping a* usual. Jobn tylo Kin?, 433 State ft,, at east end of Polkst. Keystone Collar Co. U.T, reopened os Stlt. ,t, .ban ihrr Till b pleased to eee their old Iriends.land as many new ones a* may choose to call. Jevne Almini, D«*lers in artists* and painters’ materials'.' Fresco and house painters, «6 9 ST AT£ *S T Goods arriving daily. John Davis Co., hkre resumed baalnesa at their old stand, 75,77 and 79 Michigan st, between Wells and Franklhvetp. Steam heating and iron pipe fliting In all Ita ranches promptly attended to. Cbfts* R. Messtnger, Underwood «Ss Co., SEED MERCHANTS. 10 Weat Randolph-st. 'S. Lillis, Geo* H. Gale, Commission Merchant, LAW OFFICE, UAUUAK A JACOIUK, Albany* N. Y Cook McLain, DYERS, MILWACKEE. We are now located at C B. iluamer Sou, Notary Public. No. S3 9 WABASH AT, LAW OFFICE,