Dear Tom,
You once published a list of Chicago’s coolest autumns, and the autumn of 1871 (when
Chicago burned) was among them. Surprising, because I always thought hot weather led
up to the fire. Also, your story about Peg Leg Sullivan was interesting.
--Claire Johnson
Dear Claire,
The Chicago Fire raged Oct. 8-10, 1871. That autumn, with an average temperature of
49.1 degrees (4.1 degrees below average), ranks as the city's seventh coolest out of 137
years. That it was so cool comes as a surprise, but the essence of the disaster was a
preceding two-month drought, high winds on the fire days and a tinder-dry city
constructed mostly of wood. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern, thereby igniting
the fire--or so claimed Daniel "Peg Leg" Sullivan in questionable testimony (but, at the
time, unchallenged) that he gave at a post-fire inquiry.
