October 2021

Page A12 OCTOBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A [later renamed Hudson Avenue 435 west] a little farther north. When the Chicago Avenue bridge [800 north] was closed, many turned toward Division [1200 north] on those streets and were trapped.” October 10 brought blessed rain that helped quench the fire. The fire had also reached the river and did not have the wind to spread it further. There were 117 unidentified victims. They joined some other unfortunate deceased at the Read Dunning Memo- rial Park . Other interments there include, according to a plaque at the cemetery: “Buried here are as many as 38,000 people, including children [orphaned and abandoned], in- mates of the poorhouse and insane asylum, 117 victims of the Chicago Fire of 1871 and Civil War veterans.” Chicago set to rebuild itself with vigor. Industry was ready to invest as they knew Chicago was always going to be a major metropolis. The stockyards and lumberyards were spared by the fire. National Geographic wrote: “Most railroad tracks were not damaged. This allowed shipments of aid to come pouring in from across the country and around the world. Book do- nations collected in England became part of Chicago’s first free, public library. The Chicago Public Library opened its doors on January 1, 1873. Its original building was a water tank on LaSalle Street that had survived the fire.” A new mayor, Joseph Medill, was elected a month after the fire. He immediately instituted strict building and fire codes. Most of Chicago’s infrastructure survived the fire. In 1880, the population reached half a million; by 1890, it was at a million people, surpassed only by New York City. Chicago was again a major urban and economic me- tropolis. In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition that attracted 27.5 million visitors. In an ironic move, in 1956 the Chicago Fire Depart- ment located its Fire Training Academy on the site of the O’Leary barn. Flames! Flames! Terrible flames! What suff ’ring and want in their train follow fast, As forth on the streets homeless, thousands are cast. But courage! Courage! From the midst of the furnace, we sing. —“Passing Through the Fire” by George Root Observations “Alarm bells clanged. Firefighters readied their horses and raced their pumpers through the streets. But it was too late.” —Lauren Tarshis, The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 On October 7, 1871, the 185 firemen and 17 fire en- gines of Chicago, Illinois were kept busy with a major fire. It was brought under control. Chicago had avoided a very significant conflagration. Most companies were ex- hausted when the next major call came in. On October 8, 1871, 150 years ago this month, a fire was reported at the O’Leary barn on the Near West Side’s De Koven and Jefferson Streets Reports came to the fire stations with confusing infor- mation as to the location of the fire. The delay allowed the barn to be consumed and the embers spread to adja- cent buildings. The worst fire in Chicago’s history had begun. A neighboring church was ignited from burning sheds and barns bordering the O’Leary barn. The conflagration started its path to the north toward Chicago. Furniture factories and grain storage elevators caught fire as embers fell on their buildings. Strong winds pushed the blaze. Fire companies responded as best they could, rebuild- ing manpower and supplies from the fire the previous day. The fire took its toll from Sunday, October 8 to Tues- day, October 10. It left 2,000 acres damaged, and between $190 and $220 million in damages to property (approxi- mately a billion dollars in today’s money). One third of the population of 300,000 were homeless and 300 were dead. The poor maligned Mrs. O’Leary and her cow are most probably wrongly accused of starting the fire. Michael Ahern, the reporter that wrote the story about the cow kicking over a lantern as Mrs. O’Leary milked her, ad- mitted later that he made up the story. The fire did start in Patrick and Catherine O’Leary’s barn. Some rumors say it was an illicit dice game and a lantern did start the blaze. Other theories include a drunken neighbor, milk thieves, or spontaneous combus- tion. No cause has ever been proven. John Chapin, who was an illustrator for Harper’s Week- ly , gave the publication his on-scene spectator’s view. He was in a hotel across the river from the beginning flames. By Steven Palmer “I rose and went to the windows, threw open the blinds, and gazed upon a sheet of flame towering one hundred feet above the top of the hotel, and upon a shower of sparks as copious as drops in a thunderstorm.” Months of drought conditions, a fierce wind and many structures made of wood provided the recipe for a fast-mov- ing blaze. Overlooked building and fire codes added fuel to the fire. The wind-driven embers crossed the Chicago River and quickly continued its rapid spread. Hotels, newspapers, large department stores, and government offices were all lev- eled by the flames. Homes of the wealthy burned just as well as the slums that immigrants were forced to live in. The National Archives has kept this firsthand report from a Chicago fire witness: “I jumped out of bed and pulled on my pants. Everybody in the house was trying to save as much as possible. I tied my clothes in a sheet. With my clothes un- der my arm and my pack on my back, I left the house with the rest of the family. Everybody was running north. People were carrying all kinds of crazy things. A woman was carry- ing a pot of soup, which was spilling all over her dress. Peo- ple were carrying cats, dogs, and goats. In the great excite- ment people saved worthless things and left behind good things. I saw a woman carrying a big frame in which was framed her wedding veil and wreath. She said it would have been bad luck to leave it behind.” There are stories of heroic efforts such as that of Joseph Hudlin, a former slave, who was employed as a custodian for the Board of Trade. He ran into the building and saved many valuable documents and records. He and his family opened their home to fire victims, regardless of their race. A temporary morgue was established at 64 Milwaukee Av- enue, a livery stable. The Chicago Tribune reported that the fire had disfigured the decedents so badly that even their sex could not be determined. “No less than seventy charred bodies,” were lying at the fur- ther end of the stable. Of the seventy it was said that “four were of human form, the others burned out of all shape.” The Chicago Tribune reported “most bodies were found in the vicinity of Chicago Avenue [800 north] and the Chicago River. Reporter Cromie mentioned an additional location: the “narrow dead-end streets near Wesson and Townsend The Barn that Burned Chicago Steven Palmer entered funeral service in 1971. He is an honors graduate of the New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences. He has been licensed on both coasts, he owned theWestcott Funeral Homes of Cottonwood and Camp Verde, AZ, where he remains active in operations. Steve offers his observations on current funeral service issues. Hemay be reachedbymail at POBox 352, Cottonwood, AZ 86326, by phone at (928)634-9566, by fax at (928)634-5156, by e-mail at steve@westcottfuneralhome.como r throughhiswebsite at www.westcottfuneralhome.com or on Facebook. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columns online at www. vischerfuneralsupplies.com Call 651-450-7727 to request a wholesale catalog, Our Extra-Large Cremains Bags (13”x 15”) are perfectly sized for the Standard Plastic Human Service Urn. or visit UrnBags.com to order some bags. Just $2.90 each*. * Bags sold in multiples of 10 Choose from Black, Blue, or Burgundy J t $3. 0 each* Choose fr m Black, Blue, rgundy, Green or Gray BENSALEM,PA— StoneMor Inc. (NYSE: STON) reported operating and financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. Joe Redling , StoneMor’s President and Chief Executive Officer said, “The second quarter continued to build upon the momen- tum from the second half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, with top-line revenue growth of 25% and more than a $17 million increase in our adjusted EBITDA year-over- year. We continue to deliver strong cemetery sales production results, with 26% growth in pre-need cemetery sales production.” “We have made great progress towards our previously announced guidance tar- gets for organic growth in our trusts and unlevered free cash flow,” said Jeff Di- Giovanni , StoneMor’s Senior Vice Presi- dent and Chief Financial Officer. “This is a testament to the success of our transfor- mation plan and the hard-work of every member of the StoneMor team.” Redling added, “We are on the right tra- jectory and have the tools and team in place to execute on the next phase of our transformation – which is already in full force – a continued focus on growth.” StoneMor Inc., headquartered in Bensa- lem, is an owner and operator of cemeter- ies and funeral homes in the United States, with 301 cemeteries and 70 funeral homes in 24 states and Puerto Rico. For addition- al information about StoneMor Inc. please visit StoneMor’s website, and the investors section, at http://www.stonemor.com. StoneMor Inc. Reports Second Quarter Financial Results Strategic Focus on High-Cremation Markets Drives Growth at Foundation Partners Group ORLANDO,FL— Foun- dation Partners Group has announced that it contin- ued to deliver on its strate- gic growth strategy during the first seven months of 2021, closing seven acqui- sitions and adding 12 new partner locations. Over the past two years, Foundation neral business owners but our conversations with lo- cal market leaders and com- mitment to serving families have continued unabated throughout the pandem- ic,” said Foundation Part- ners president Kent Rob- ertson. “It’s no secret that we’re in the market for well- run, community-focused, Continued on Page A14 SEND US YOUR NEWS! PO Box 5159 Youngstown, Oh 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com Partners has become the family funeral home own- er’s partner of choice, grow- ing its network of funeral homes, cemeteries and cre- matories to nearly 170 lo- cations in 21 states and serving more than 85,000 families annually. “It has been a challeng- ing environment for fu- funeral service businesses with high cremation rates and agile leaders who share our vision of the funeral home of the future. It’s ex- citing that an increasing number of these firms are seeking us out.” Foundation Partners was founded 11 years ago with