When he reached the drugstore, he was gasping for air. In a breathless voice, he demanded the key to the alarm box that was mounted on the outside of the store. Little did he know, things could only get worse from there. The great fire was a huge problem when it happened. Many mistake were made to let it begin. Nobody was safe from it's power. And though at first it was just the every day Chicago fire, what seemed small and merely threatening became one of the worst fires in history. The man was William Lee, a poor soul who had witnessed the fire and was hurrying to Goll’s drugstore to signal the firemen. Barely breathing, Lee begged for the key to the alarm box that was mounted outside the store. Bruno Goll, the store owner, refused to …show more content…
In the larger parts of Chicago, mobs of people filled the streets, trying to escape the fiery rubble. Despite rough shoving and bumping, some were able to stay with their things and the rest of their families. Others weren’t as lucky. “I felt as a leaf . . . in a great rushing river. We turned up a street of bookshops, some of which had their windows broken. Father picked up Willy and was carrying him, while Mother held Charlotte and Robert by the hand. I was some steps behind. The wind was terrible, like a storm, and filled with cinders and fire. I held up my hand to keep them from my eyes," (Murphy 1) Through all of the panic, some either tripped and fell or were pushed from their place on the crowded street. Stray animals such as horses, cows, dogs, cats, and even rats ran wild, causing even more confusion, as the charging crowd ran through the streets. Some people even tried to duck and hide in alleyways, often times hoping that by standing there they might catch a glimpse of the fire. The panic was getting to it's peak, and the wind had increased in velocity, as burning chunks of wood scattered the streets. No accurate measure of the wind had been taken during the panic, though many eyewitnesses claimed it was as strong as a