The Actual—#1

The Actual—#1

We all had a little confusion in class about the shower scene. I went back to check it over: Harry, Jay and Amy where all in the shower. Amy and Jay were not married at the time. FYI.

I love this book. This is the first Bellow book i've read. I plan to read many more. A story that starts anywhere and then kinda ends where ever it needs to always pulls me in.

As i stated in class, Bellow did a wonderful job revealing enough information to keep me interested, but leaving out just enough to keep me involved. He had me trying to piece things together in an enjoyable way.

Bellow offers little assistance to the reader when dialog is involved. It is challenging to know who is speaking at a given moment.
Shifts in time take place with little to no warning. Both of these techniques work because Bellow KNOWS he did this and he drops clues in the following text to help you keep your place. It is refreshing to have this tension and resolutions in some areas, and unresolved mystery and ambiguity in others. So, I don't know everything, but i know enough to want to know more. As i continued to try and piece together one thing, other fragments are introduced. Its like a fugue.

The repetition of facts and events did strengthen the back stories of each character so they STUCK in my memory. Often, you would re-experience the same scene retold from a different perspective and this would validate, reinforce and broaden your experience of the scene and the characters involved.

The Ghostly Smell of Chocolate

Every wonder why it smells like chocolate when you're walking the streets of down town or making your way to class on the campus of UIC? It is because you are within smelling limits of the Blommer's Chocolate factory!

Located at 600 West Kinzie, it is the cause of the delightful and sometimes nauseating odor of chocolate.

They do tours, and they have a small store in the front of the factory where you can pick up bulk chocolate, so if the smell didn't overwhelm you and you're still in the mood for chocolate, it is a great place to pick up some high quality chocolate for cheap!

Kinzie, being a street I take often, I have been privy to seeing the tankers of Chocolate pull up and pump chocolate through their giant hoses, into the building. The workers run around all suited up like they are austronauts, and one time I got to see a chocolate spill, and they were sweeping and hosing the chocolate down the hill. Made me want to pull over my bike and help clean up the street with my tongue! A very cool Chicago factory.

Link to their home page where you can learn more about tours:

http://www.blommer.com/

Find a Grave: Illinois Edition

http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=state&FSstateid=16

This seems entirely relevant to a discussion on Chicago ghosts: A list of all the (somewhat) famous people buried in Illinois, with locations (down to lot, section, and row), and in most cases, pictures of the actual tombstones.

Some entries that I found interesting out of the 1,263 results:

Beveridge, John Lourie b. July 6, 1824 d. May 3, 1910
Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General, 17th Illinois Governor, US Congressman. Served as Major and commander of the 8th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, and as Colonel and commander of the 17th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. He was one of the founders of the Hollywood, California, Public Library and in his honor a live oak tree was planted on the grounds and named the Beveridge Oak.
Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Plot: Section F, Lot 64



Bliss, Leonard 'Baby' b. May 4, 1865 d. January 4, 1912
He was world famous in the late 1800s as the fattest man in the world. You can see some of his clothes and pictures at the Mclean County museum in Bloomington, Illinois.
Smith Grove Cemetery, Towanda, McLean County, Illinois, USA

Capone, Alphonse 'Al' [original burial site] b. January 17, 1899 d. January 25, 1947
Organized Crime Figure, Chicago Gangster. Probably the best known of the 1920s gangsters, he controlled Chicago until brought down by FBI Agent Elliott Ness. Ness later wrote a book "The Untouchables" which detailed his efforts to jail Capone. Capone was the largest of the racketeers, and captured the American public's imagination as few ever did. Born Alphonse Capone in Brooklyn, New York, of Italian immigrant parents, Gabriele and Teresina Capone, the fourth of nine children.
Cause of death: Syphillis
Mount Olivet Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Plot: Section 52, Near 115th Street


Caray, Harry b. March 1, 1914 d. February 18, 1998
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Sportscaster. He was born Harry Christopher Carabina in St. Louis, Missouri on March 1, 1914 and was orphaned by age of 10. Caray played semi-pro baseball before beginning his career in broadcasting. Caray learned his craft at stations in Joliet and Kalamazoo, Michigan, eventually doing the play-by-play for the St. Louis Hawks and the University of Missouri football team. Later, the Chicago Cubs.
All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Plot: Section 42W, Block 22
GPS coordinates: 42.0608711, -87.8983688 (hddd.dddd)


Deere, John b. February 7, 1804 d. May 17, 1886
19th Century American inventor and industrialist, best known for founding the yard, farm and earthmoving equipment company that bears his name. John Deere was born in Rutland, Vermont, on February 7, 1804, the third son of William Rinold Deere, a merchant tailor. In 1808, William sailed for England, in hopes of claiming an inheritance, but he was never heard from again, and is presumed lost at sea. Raised by his widowed mother on a meager income, John's education was limited to the primary...[Read More]
Riverside Cemetery, Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois, USA
Plot: On Prospect at Concourse, North East corner of Cemetery overlooking the Mississippi River
GPS coordinates: 41.5075493, -90.4919281 (hddd.dddd)

Karadjordjevic, Andrej b. June 28, 1929 d. May 7, 1990
Serbian prince. Younger brother of King Petar II. After 1945 lived in exile in Great Britain and later in USA. (Bio by: Jelena)
Most Holy Mother of God Serbian Orthodox Monastery, Third Lake, Lake County, Illinois, USA

Mayer, Oscar b. March 29, 1859 d. March 11, 1955
Business Magnate. Oscar F. Mayer was born in the Bavaria section of Germany. In 1873, at the age of 14, the family grocery business failed, and Oscar came to the United States with his cousin. Settling in Detroit, he answered an ad and took a job as an apprentice with George Weber's Retail Meat Market. He stayed there for three years until 1876, when the he moved to Chicago to work at the Kohlhammer meat market, and also at the Armour meat packing company (located in the stockyards). In 1883...[Read More]
Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA

Owens, Jesse (James Cleveland) 'JC' b. September 12, 1913 d. March 31, 1980
American Athlete. Jesse Owens first came to national prominence in 1933 when, as a senior at Cleveland East Technical High School, he tied the world record for the 100-yard dash. Attending Ohio State on a track scholarship, Owens had perhaps the greatest day in sports history on May 25, 1935, setting world records in the 220-yard dash, the 220-yard low hurdles, and the broad jump while again tying the world record in the 100-yard dash at the Big 10 track and field championships. He is perhaps...[Read More]
Cause of death: Lung Cancer
Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Plot: Section C-32, just off of paved road

Ruby, Jack b. April 25, 1911 d. January 3, 1967
Killer of accused Presidental assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, on 24 November 1963, in a downtown Dallas, Texas police station (Oswald was never convicted of the crime). Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald as he was being transferred in the basement garage of the police station, and the killing was broadcast on live television. Many people believe that Ruby intentionally killed Oswald to cover up others' involvement in the...[Read More]
Westlawn Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Plot: Violet Section, Plot 2 lot 9
GPS coordinates: 41.9582405, -87.8222504 (hddd.dddd)

The Devil Baby at Hull House

The Devil Baby at Hull House - I've heard so much about it and yet researching the topic proves to be almost impossible. Jane Addams denied the existence of a devil baby, but it's possible there was a baby of some type who started these rumors among the locals.

It only makes sense that something had to start the rumors that brought so many to Hull House back in the day. From what I have read, the devil baby was a phenomenon, bringing hundreds to Hull House everyday, hoping to catch a glimpse. There are a few stories about the devil baby, most having to do with some type of curse said by someone that "I would rather have the devil as a son/daughter/grandchild then a jew/irishman/atheist/insert anything else!" The most common story is a man whose wife hung a portrait of Mary above their bed, and the man, an atheist, said, "I'd rather invite the devil himself into my home than that portrait of Mary!" One of my favorites is a man with six daughters whose wife was pregnant again, who said, "I'd rather have a devil for a child than another daughter!" Lots of the rumors had to do with adultering wives or women who were with men of ethnic backgrounds other than their own as well.

So what was the devil baby really? Well, many have speculated that there was in fact a child, and that maybe this child was deformed somehow, possibly to resemble the devil. The rumors state that this baby also died at Hull House (in the attic), and so possibly this child had health problems (fetal alcohol syndrome?). It's quite plausible locals could have seen a deformed child and thought it as a devil baby, then rumors started. Again, Jane Addams did nothing but deny this. It does make for an interesting story.

Even though the devil baby story is said to be untrue, and does not have much grounding, this does not mean Hull House is not haunted! In fact, this Jane Addams did support. Many today do say they have weird encounters at Hull House, just none with a devil baby.

This is my 12th blog, so have a great break everyone! It's been a great class!

Brenda

Ghost Bikes

I can't believe, considering the "Ghosts of Chicago" theme of this class, that I didn't think of mentioning Ghost Bikes in class, or doing my project on them or something. But better late than never.

Ghost Bikes are not unique to Chicago, but the Chicago ones are the only ones I am familiar with. Ghost Bikes are bikes painted white, and locked up at the location, usually an intersection, where a bicyclist was killed while riding. The first Ghost Bike of Chicago is at the intersection of Western Ave and Augusta. I happen to ride past this intersection everyday, and on my way home last night I suddenly realized I had to share them with you guys!

The Ghost Bike on Western and August is in memory of Isai Medina. All the Ghost Bikes have a white plaque with the name of the biker killed, their birth and death date and often a very short quote. In a way it's like a grave stone.

There is one Ghost Bike, on Division Street on the North Side of the street under the viaduct, just before one turns right onto 90/94 West. Although all the Ghost Bikes produce a feeling of sadness in me, this one in particular gets to me. For one, it is scary when you go past one, and you can really understand why a biker was killed in the area. At this particular place, there is barely room for two lanes of traffic, let alone adding a bicycle to the mix. The other reason, is that this young woman died on her birthday, and her plaque reads: "She heard everyday sounds as music." It never fails to give me chills and bring tears to my eyes.

Ghost Bikes serve as a memorial to the bikers who were killed on their bikes, but hopefully the also serve as a reminder to those that pass, to slow down, watch out for each other, cars, bicycles, motorcycles, walkers, everyone and everything, and to remember getting somewhere faster is never worth a life.

I am attaching a link to the Chicago Ghost Bike page. You can click on Isai Medina's name and then navigate between pictures and bios of a lot of the Ghost Bikes of Chicago.

http://www.ghostbikes.org/chicago

The Water Tower Ghost

I think the story of the Water Tower ghost is one of the more fascinating ghost stories in Chicago. As you may know, back in the great Chicago fire, the Water Tower was one of the only buildings left standing among ruins. There is a story that back in the day, when the fire was raging towards the tower, most of the workers abandoned the building to flee for their lives. There was, however, one man who stayed behind "manning the pumps." As the fire came closer, however, it became apparent to the man that he could not escape. Rather than be burned alive, the man decided it would be better to hang himself. He did so, not knowing that the Water Tower would actually be spared from destruction.

Now even today, supposedly you can see the shadow of a man hanging in the upper windows of the Water Tower. According to some online sources, police officers have even seen this figure, but when they go upstairs no one is there. I've heard that ghosts and residual energy often come from emotional traumatic situations, and if this is true then I think the circumstances in the Water Tower would certainly be optimum for a ghost. A man thinking he is going to be burned alive, making the snap decision to hang himself instead? I can only wonder if this story is true, if it is, man that's some bad luck on that worker's part.

The Jungle

I was thinking about The Jungle the other day, as I was riding my bike down Green Street on my way to school. Green street is a really neat streat that is one block west of Halsted. It doesn't run for that long, maybe a mile or less, between Milwaukee and it cuts off at I believe Van Buren. Anyway, it has a lot of the new meat packing buildings and factories so it made me come back to The Jungle. In class we talked about how the characters felt really flat, cardboard cutouts etc. Despite this, and excluding the last 50 or so pages, it is still an enjoyable read, because I think what Sinclair does with the setting is really outstanding. As in Algren's Chicago: City on the Make, Sinclair takes a place and creates a character, rather than focusing on the conventional characterization of people. And although everything possible that is bad seems to happen to Jurgis, and it becomes almost and I hesitate to say comical, because none of what happens to him is in anyway funny, but I guess ironic in that sort of here we go again way. So although all these terrible things happen to Jurgis, what is really overwhelming and more powerful and touching than Jurgis' plight, is the scene Sinclair has created. Even though he says he aimed for the heart and hit the stomach, I think in a way The Jungle is still heartbreaking, but it is not through Jurgis or any of the characters that we find our heart breaking. For me at least, it is in the fact that such work conditions existed, and that people found it ok to treat other people that way. So when I ride my bike down Green Street and I see clean and positive working environments, I think back to what things were like 100 years ago, and how The Jungle and Sinclair were involved in helping end the bad days!