Elevated and aerial views of downtown city of Chicago skyline in mid 1950s, including skyscrapers and various buildings. View of the O'Leary house landmark from which the Great Fire of Chicago is believed to have originated. Views of still images showing damaged buildings due to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Aerial view of the buildings. The buildings damaged by the fire. View of 1950s fire fighters demonstrating use of old manual pumper cart for fighting fires. The house of Mrs. O' Leary is set on fire to make space for a new boulevard being built in the area . Smoke rises from the building. Cars drive past on the street in front of the house while it is on fire with smoke pouring from windows.
A football match played between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy teams in Philadelphia. A large crowd gather in a grandstand to watch the match. Several officials and dignitaries seated in the grandstand to watch the match. The players march on the ground. The match in progress. The crowd cheers and applauds. The army team wins the match 14-6.
A hunger march by the communist activists in Washington DC. People gather on a street. Hunger march truck trains or convoys drive past on the street. Maryland State troopers on motorbikes drive past along with the vehicles. Posters and placards on the vehicles. A poster on a truck reads: 'Winter Relief Unemployment Insurance'. They are stopped by policemen. An officer with a tear gas gun on the street. People watch the vehicles. The policemen stand at attention on the street blocking the passage of the activists.
Animal foes caged together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Several unlike animals and potential enemies are caged together in a municipal zoo. Scientists cage them together for conducting feud tests. The animals in the cages. Views of wolves and black bears and polar bears together in the same zoo enclosures.
Preparations for Christmas in Shelton, Washington. Men cut and bundle firs for the celebration of Christmas. The bundled firs are loaded onto trains for their shipment to various parts of the country.
Opening slate tells about "Pigmy" train in Waltham, Massachusetts that hauls dozen passengers safely at a fast clip. Men, women, and boys stand about as Mr. W. H. Nichols makes adjustments to his small size steam locomotive at the Nichols Machine Company in Waltham, Mass. A boy seated at the locomotive controls moves a lever forward. Glimpse of a very small boy wearing a railroad engineer's denim cap. Boy's hand pulls chain the actuates the 7-1/4" gauge steam engine's whistle. Next, the train is seen moving on an outdoor track. Charlie Purinton, son of Charles A Purinton, founder of the Brotherhood of Live Steamers, is at the controls of the locomotive and about ten children ride in tandem, behind him. View from camera further away shows the train moving over tracks in a back yard. Closeup shows the name "Ella Cinders" on the locomotive. View from behind of passengers as the train enters a tunnel built into the back yard course. View from exit side of the tunnel as a dog runs out of it. The boy engineer, Charlie Purinton, is silhouetted against the daylight as the train exits the tunnel. View from atop the tunnel as the train exits.
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