原標題：The Chicago Fire: America at Its Best
視頻首發於 2019 年 4 月 1 日
The most famous fire in American history happened in Chicago on October 8, 1871. But it's not the fire that is so remarkable. It's what happened afterwards. To understand why, we first need to know something about the city's history.
美國史上最著名的火災發生在 1871 年 10 月 8 日的芝加哥，然而令人矚目的不是火災本身，而是之後發生的事。為了理解原因，我們首先需要了解一下這座城市的歷史。
In 1840, Chicago was a small town of forty-five hundred souls. It ranked 92nd in population in the United States. Yet, only three decades later, by 1870--just a year before the great fire--Chicago was closing in on a population of 300,000, making it the fifth-biggest city in America and the fastest-growing city in the world.
1840 年，芝加哥是一座 4500 人的小城鎮。在人口上排美國第 92 位。然而，不過三十年後，到 1870 年——這場大火的前一年——芝加哥人口已近三十萬，使其成為美國第五大城市，也是全球發展最迅速的城市。
What led to all this rapid growth? In three words: location, location, location.
是什麼使其發展如此迅速？三個詞概括：位置，位置，位置。
"Chicago was near the center of the country, and near where the waterways and railways met," city historian Tim Samuelson notes. "It was a perfect place for anything and anyone to get anywhere…"
「芝加哥靠近美國中心，也靠近水路和陸路交匯處」，城市歷史學家蒂姆·薩繆森寫道，「貨物、人員去往任何地方都非常便利。」
Timing had a lot to do with it, too. America was moving from a rural to an industrial power. Chicago was right in the middle of the action. Ironically, its rapid growth was almost its undoing. "[Chicago] had to build, and build quickly, and so they built it out of wood," explained Sarah Marcus of the Chicago History Museum. "It was quick, it was easy, and it was cheap.」
時機也是一重要因素。美國正從鄉村國家轉變為一個工業大國。芝加哥正是個中重心。諷刺的是，芝加哥的快速發展同時也是其禍根。「『芝加哥』不得不趕快建設，因此他們用木頭建造，」芝加哥歷史博物館的莎拉·馬庫斯解釋說：「這樣速度快，簡單，也便宜。」
And, as it turned out, very flammable.
結果證明，它也極其易燃。
By most accounts, the fire started on the city's West Side, near the De Koven Street barn of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. No one is sure of the cause, but it could have been anything, from vandals to a drunken neighbor to that clumsy cow of urban legend.
多數人認為，這場火災起於城市的西邊，在德克文街派屈克與凱薩琳·奧利裡的糧倉附近。無人確定起因，不過可能是任何原因，從破壞分子，到醉酒鄰居，到都市傳奇裡那頭笨拙的牛。
Within minutes, the blaze roared out of control, tearing through Chicago's business district. The fire was so hot, it created its own tornado of flame. By 3:30 a.m., all hope of saving large parts of the city was gone. Nearly 30 hours later, the fire finally died. The reason? There was nothing left to burn.
不到幾分鐘，火勢愈發失控，橫掃芝加哥商業地區。火焰是如此熾熱，竟產生出火焰龍捲風。到早上 3:30，已經無望拯救大部分城市。近三十分鐘後，大火終於熄滅。原因？已經沒有東西可燒了。
The losses were staggering: The fire claimed nearly 300 lives, destroyed over 17,000 buildings covering almost 3.5 square miles, and caused damage of over $200 million-about 3.8 billion today. Roughly a third of the city lay in ruins, and one out every three people living in Chicago--nearly 100,000 residents--became homeless overnight.
損失慘重：大火奪走了近三百條人命，損毀超過 17000 棟建築，面積達 3.5 平方公裡，造成超過兩億美元損失——相當於今天的 38 億美元。城市接近三分之一變為廢墟，芝加哥每三人就有一人，近十萬居民，一夜之間無家可歸。
"All the law offices were destroyed, all the major hotels were destroyed, all the major department stores were destroyed, and all the major banks were destroyed," Chicago weather historian Tom Skilling notes.
「執法部門全數被毀，大型酒店全數被毀，大型購物商城全數被毀，大銀行全數被毀。」芝加哥氣象史學家湯姆·斯吉林記錄。
In those days, there were no national or state agencies to help. Chicago was on its own.
那些日子，沒有國家機構或州機構前來幫忙。芝加哥只能靠自己。
What was to be done? To most of Chicago's citizens, the answer was obvious: Rebuild. Make the city better than ever. Yes, there were many victims of the fire, but there was no sense of victimhood. Even before the bricks stopped smoking, the people of Chicago went to work.
要做什麼呢？對大多數芝加哥居民而言，答案不言而喻：重建。讓這座城市變得比以前更好。是的，這場火災有許多受害者，但不存在受害者心理。即便建築都還在冒煙，芝加哥人仍去上班。
First, the damage had to be assessed. The death and destruction were obvious. But there were some major pluses as well. The stockyards and meat packing plants had been spared. Two-thirds of the grain elevators survived. And most importantly, the railway and rail stock escaped major damage. This was critical because it would allow shipments of building materials and private relief aid to come pouring in from across the country and around the world.
首先，必須評估損失。死亡人數與被毀建築顯而易見，但也還有值得慶賀的。牲畜圍場及肉食包裝廠躲過一劫，三分之二的穀物升降機倖免於難。最重要的是，鐵路和軌道沒有遭受嚴重損失，這點至關重要，因為建築材料與私人救助物資能夠從全國各地乃至全球源源不斷地運輸進來。
The banking community quickly rallied. Within 48 hours, 12 of the 29 banks that had burned to the ground were operating in makeshift facilities. Merchants--large and small--immediately set up temporary shops. Local financier Henry Greenbaum sent letters to investment bankers all over the globe. This wasn't the time to give up on the city; it was the time, he told them, to buy in. Many agreed.
銀行界迅速振作起來。不到 48 小時，被焚毀的 29 家銀行中 12 家在臨時設施中運作。大大小小的商人立即設起臨時商店。當地金融家亨利·格林鮑姆寫信給全球各地的投資銀行家。這不是放棄這座城市的時候；他告訴他們，這是買入的時機。許多人認同。
Among them were creative young architects attracted to the nearly blank slate the city presented to them. They would raise a new city from a new product: steel. Their work, praised and copied all over the world, came to be known as the Chicago School.
其中還有具有創意的年輕設計師，他們被這座城市近乎空白的狀態吸引住了。他們將用新產品：鋼鐵打造出一座城市。他們的作品得到了全球各地的讚揚，和複製，後世稱之為芝加哥建築學派。
By 1890, only 20 years after the fire, Chicago's population passed the one-million mark, becoming the second-biggest city in America. The population had more than tripled since the Windy City's darkest night.
到 1890 年，大火發生短短 20 年後，芝加哥人口達到一百萬，成為全美第二大城市。自芝加哥最黑暗的那夜過後，人口增長了三倍。
Why is this all important to know? Because the government didn't rebuild Chicago. Chicago rebuilt Chicago. And with astonishing speed and energy. A can-do spirit, devotion to community and free-market capitalism made it happen. It's impossible to look at this achievement without admiration--and more than a bit of nostalgia.
了解這些為什麼重要？因為並非政府重建了芝加哥。芝加哥重建了芝加哥。並且是以令人吃驚的速度與力量。一種奮發實幹的精神，奉獻社區與自由市場資本主義使其實現。無法不抱著欽佩的心情看這一切成就——還有不只是一點的懷念。
Could we summon that same spirit today?
我們今天能聚起同樣的精神嗎？
Yes. We can. But only if we proudly retell stories like this one that remind us the greatness of America is not a product of government, but a product of self-government--empowered citizens pursuing their own best interests.
是的，我們可以。但只有當我們驕傲地講述這類故事，提醒我們偉大的美國不是政府的產物，而是自治、自我賦權的公民追求自己最佳利益的產物。
I'm Lee Habeeb, host of "Our American Stories," for Prager University.
我是李·哈比布，《我們的美國故事》主持人，為 PragerU 製作。