A Paradox of Water

Water is essential for life. But, sometimes it has an opposite effect.

On October 8, 1871 the great Chicago Fire ignited its devastation. Over 2,000 acres burned; 13,000 homes were destroyed; over 200 people died; some 100,000 --one third of the population-- were left homeless; major commercial properties, such as city hall, Marshall Field, and the Palmer House were destroyed.

While Chicago had a central water utility system, the raging scope of the fire quickly made water unavailable to firemen to control the spread of the flames. As one witness wrote, "By midnight the water stopped running. The fire had engulfed the Water Tower on Chicago Avenue. The catastrophe of it, in an instant caused the most horrible dimensions in other parts of the city because there was no water with which to put out the fire. The entire north side of the city was beyond help given the odds of wild flames." (1)

But where there was water, there was not necessarily life. Another witness said "The din and pandemonium was beyond description, into which mingled wailing, screams and calls of people, some of whom seemed to be going berserk. Suddenly a half-naked woman raced out of the running crowd and, waving her arms, dashed above the entrance of the tunnel. As she did, she laughed crazily, until it cut into one's ears. 'My darling!! My darling!' she cried amidst her laughter, and began spinning around in wild whirling around the railing. When she reached the entrance to the tunnel, she fell to her knees and began praying aloud. Suddenly she leaped up in the air and before someone berated her, she was on the railing from which with shrieking laughter she plunged down on the heads of the horrified people who ran out of the tunnel. The poor woman remained lying dead below and terrified people ran over her body out into the street. Suddenly a man ran up to us and asked what the woman looked like. He could not make out her face for all the smoke. He spoke German. 'She had fair hair and blue eyes and on her bare neck she wore some kind of amulet,' I told him. 'She threw herself down!' 'That was my Agnes! She became crazy when our only child burned to death--little Robert!' Then he ran down into the tunnel and dragged out the lifeless body of his wife onto the sidewalk, and sank down to it. We stood behind him. 'What will I do myself?' whispered the poor man and took his dead wife into his arms and walked with her to the River, and before someone took him to task, he disappeared into the River...That horrible moment will never leave my memory." (2)

What water gives, it also can take away. Fortunately, for most customers of a public utility central water system today, fire protection water service is available. State laws and regulations, as well as sound engineering practice, generally dictate requirements for adequacy of systems to provide "fire flow" volume and pressure in mains. Accordingly, utility water service means more than just the convenience of water at a faucet. It also means the availability of water for fire protection. Before one is tempted to object to a rate increase, one should bear in mind all the benefits of water service.
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(1) Bubenicek, A History of the Czechs in Chicago, 1939, Sheppard translation, Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 2011, p. 235.
(2) Id. at 237.