Caption:
In a tunnel under the Chicago River, a descendant of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow follows her calling.
Alt text:
ACETYL
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_flood
What basically happened is a work crew broke through an old service tunnel (one which was already leaking and which the city had failed to maintain), and the Chicago River began to flow into it.
“Insurance battles lasted for years, the central point being the definition of the accident, i.e., whether it was a “flood” or a “leak”. Leaks were covered by insurance, while floods were not. Eventually it was classified as a leak, which is why many residents still call it the “Great Chicago Leak”.”
Plus the Great Chicago Fire said to have been started by Mrs O’Leary’s cow knocking over a lantern in a barn.
Fire: 1871 Flood: 1992
I didn’t mention the fire half, because the Mrs. O’Leary’s cow trope is, well, a trope.
I’d never heard of it…
The cow belonging to Mrs. Catherine O’Leary, often blamed in folklore for starting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871… The accusation is that her cow kicked a lamp over during milking and that started the fire.
Part of the blame was O’Leary she was an Irish immigrant.
