California, which had just finished its railroad and increased the ranks of unemployed souls, was one of the worst affected. The majority of the workers were Chinese, hired en masse to work on the railways and dismissed like broken dolls once they finished the job. Pour into Chinatown was the next obvious and single move. There, almost everyone was a foreigner. Almost. The very few White businesses, however, did not last long. Working fifteen hours per day and paid only few pennies, Chinese -once again- were the only ones who not only survived but thrived. ...
( About the Pacific Railroad: Was A Joint Venture, Involving Two Major Companies Created With That Sole Purpose -Union Pacific And Central Pacific- Also Involving The United States Government. Its Construction Connected Two Strategic Points For American Economy -The East Coast And The West Coast- And Represented The Beginning Of A New Era For Both USA And The Rest Of The World. That Railroad System Was A Colossal Quest, But Budget Scandals, Huge Subsidies, And The Involvement Of POTUS Ulysses Grant Almost Crashed The Country).
Pacific Railroad 1869
It was not all hunky-dory, though. Three fires surrounded them. The United States, China, and the Triad. Together working as one to exploit them. The prosperity of Chinatown's shops was often fictitious. Very few of them made an actual profit. The incomes from gambling, Opium houses, and liquor went directly into the hands of the Mobsters, who dispensed a good amount into local authorities.
The US flourished with the trade of Chinese products -included fruit, vegetables, fish, and necessities acquired overseas at very low cost- and local businesses went bankrupt, because they could not compete with such low prices.
By 1880, the entire national economy depended entirely on import-export with China. The Empire, on the other hand, imposed a Commission to verify the conditions of its subjects in that foreign country. Consequently, the Triad had complete control of Chinese immigration in the US. Keeping Uncle Sam in a sort of hidden subjugation. But hidden does not mean unknown. Hence, the scandalous Racial Laws and an overabundance of Fake News regarding the Yellow Peril were promulgated and spread on a massive scale .
Figure 13 – Thomas Nast’s Illustration “Go West – Go East” Exposing Jim Crow Laws. The Father Of The American Cartoon Openly Criticized American Political System In The Magazine, Harper’s Weekly.
Trusting in the innate racism of Americans, the Government described Chinese as undesirable . Therefore, it deprived them of any legal personality. Every time they suffered an injustice at the hands of someone White, full immunity was granted to that individual. And every time Chinese -allegedly- broke the rules, an example was made out of them. In short, every Yankee felt legitimated to take matters into their own hands .
The Los Angeles Massacre was a direct consequence of that perverse mechanism. As usual, in order to justify the crisis and its own flaws, the Government creates a perfect scapegoat.
Figure 14 – John Chapin’s Great Chicago Fire. $222 Million, 17.500 Buildings Destroyed, 300 Deaths.
The fire in Chicago on the 8 th of October, 1871, was the final act. It registered three hundred victims, one hundred and ten thousand homeless people, and eighteen thousand houses destroyed by the fire. One single wall survived. The ensuing investigation determined that it was a nefarious event, unleashed - wait for it- by the wrath of God. Such anger, according to rumours, occurred when an Irish cow – Irish, hence, foreigner- kicked a lamp and set the whole city on fire. It was but so absurd that nobody believed it. Rightly so.
Anyway, the case was closed in less than a minute.
In reality, many whispered that the culprit was not Destiny nor God. The hand that killed was very much human. The reasons? Money, power, glory.
Many things did not add up, about that event. First, the Chicago Fire Department was an example of unity and awareness. It was committed to defend a city, entirely made of wood, by fires that spread twice a day. It was, accordingly, very well armed and active. Eleven complete trucks, two manual fire-extinguishing systems, thirteen hoses, a forklift truck with a ladder, one hundred and twenty firefighters, one hundred and twenty-five volunteers and fifty-three horses. By 1871, it was also equipped with the unique Knocke-Pattent Hose Elevator, a water tower capable of generating and directing a high-pressure water jet.
How is it possible that such team found itself to quell the flames on the night of the 8 th of October? Easy. The Department made two unforgivable mistakes.
The first one concerns the First Aid. The responders would eventually show up, but only hours later and simply because they were submerged by calls.
The Department’s excuse was, “ We thought that the reported smoke belonged to another fire, one extinguished in the same area the day before.”
Almost grotesque, for expert firefighters. Furthermore, there is no mention in the yearbooks of that other fire. Maybe, just maybe, because there was none.
The subsequent mistake is, if possible, even more ludicrous. Once acknowledge that there was a fire, the Department sent the trucks. Only, in the opposite direction. The word miscommunication was overused and unacceptable. Especially by professionals accustomed to exchange information quickly and accurately. Moreover, all morning the firefighters had intervened to control four small arson fires in the same area. How could they ignore the fact that another one might have spread there as well?
Anyway, these mistakes were fatal. Despite the efforts and cooperation from nearby towns, the fury of the flames destroyed everything. At that point, if that was really arson, who did it? Most importantly, why?
The vast majority of the buildings in the heart of old Chicago were crumbling and illegally occupied by the Dregs Of Society, poor unfortunate souls of different ethnicities who found refuge there. Mobs, vice, and prostitution prospered.
Figure 15 - Chicago Fire Department, 1871. Although Equipped With Very Modern And Advanced Machineries, Bizarre And Deadly Mistakes Were Made During That Infamous Event.
Someone said that even Frederick Law Olmsted despised Chicago, particularly its immigrants and ugly buildings. Furthermore, in comparison to the rest of the United States, the city was far behind in terms of industrialization.
Emperor Nero used fire as a weapon to cleanse everything undesirable and corrupt about Rome. The flames that burned Chicago to the ground had the same purpose. The economic support from the State rebuilt the city in a way that was unthinkable. The very first Architecture School saw the light during the same year. While the Home Insurance Building, first skyscraper of the country, opened its door in 1885.
Figure 16 - Home Insurance Building,1888. Designed By William LeBaron Jenney, In 1884, It Is Often Considered The First Skyscraper, Symbol Of American Power.
A series of ominous events created a favourable substratum for the tragedy of the 24 th of October in Calle De Los Negros. Especially since more than half of the city already discontent with Chinese and their success.
Beyond the statements of the witnesses who retracted their versions countless times, the truth is one and only one. Bilderrain, fully armed, sneaked into Negro Alley. Together with other Vigilantes, he headed towards Yuen's house and shop. Some mentioned even the presence of Hing himself. Bilderrain's plan was to steal the well-known gold hidden in the trunk, which everyone had only learned of in the morning. Obviously, the Tongs disagreed. It was no coincidence that the Vigilantes organised