On the other side of us, there was a
smaller fire, but so close as to allow us to see the flames travelling
along the surface of the ground. These fires are very common; we saw no
less than five that night in the course of our journey.
We have been busily employed to-day in going over Chicago. The streets
are wide and fine, but partake too abundantly of prairie mud to make
walking agreeable: some of the shops are very large; a bookseller's
shop, to which papa and I made our way, professes to be the largest in
the world, and it is certainly one of the best supplied I ever saw with
all kinds of children's books. From the bookseller's we went to papa's
bankers, Messrs. Swift and Co.; Mr. Swift took us to the top of the
Court-house, a wonderful achievement for me, but well worth the trouble,
as the view of the town was very surprising. We went afterwards to call
on William's friend, Mr. Wilkins, the consul, where we met Lord
Radstock. Mr. Wilkins kindly took us to see Mr. Sturge's great granary;
there are several of these in the town, but this, and a neighbouring
one, capable of holding between them four or five million bushels of
corn, are the two largest. The grain is brought into the warehouse,
without leaving the railway, the rails running into the building. It is
then carried to the top of the warehouse "in bulk," by means of hollow
cylinders arranged on an endless chain.
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