The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-15

Four Hundred Thousand Dollars Worth sl
Damage was Done. N


BALTIMORE. ND, June i4.--One Of the
most destructive fires that ever visited ths
water front Of Baltimore started at 225
o'clock this afternoon on the Bay Linz
wharf. at the foot Of Union dock A work
man sew q flash among the thousands Of bales
OF cotton stored there and gave tho alarm
Almost before the great crowd Of workmen
on the spot knew 1t the entire water edge %
the Bay Line. or. properly speaking.
the Baltimore Steam Packet Com
pany. was A roaring furnace. Three houre
late- the ruin was complete and damage
moderately computed at Sl00 600 had been
done. The immense wooden freight sheds
lining Union dock 800 feet, the basin froDt
400 feet and tae small dock at the west 250
feet were inass of debris. Thousands Of
dollars worth Of baled cotton, ,hogsheads of to-
baceo. bags of -four. barrels of whisky and
rosln and miscellaneous freight were destroyed
and the large bricS freight and general Off
ces, cotton storage sheds laundry aud private
fire and lighting plant that were clustered
with their regular quadrangle of the whsryes
were burned out. leaving erect only their
stout brick walls. Everything was roasting
with the heat of the day when the fire started.
How 1t began no one knows Spontaneous
combustion was suggested by dozen thao-
rsts' but there Is no certainty aoout the
matter.
The fire did not stop ON the Bay Line prop
erty, but went farther 10 the north and de-
stroyad the oil warehouse of James Corner
x Sons, with its contents. This structure was
about 1000 feet north of the fires origin.
Spreading from it the damcs attacked o pile
OF rosin barrels lying on Union dock. II IL
well that they stopped there, tor on the NORTH
ern side OF Corners rosin shed was brick
wall dividing the fire from an immense ware
house in which, besides barrels of oil.
was huge iron tank containing 1850 gallons
of turpentine
Captain Darius j. Hill. superintendent OF
the packet company. was on the second noor
of the Office building. Ito found himself sur
rounded by flames and ordered that four en-
ployes laundry women-be taken out His
next thought was for the Norfolk steamer
Carolina. Captain Hill gathered the de-
moralized freight rushers where the steamer
lay and ordered her lines TO De cast or aud
she was thus saved. The people about the
place made good their escape. but Captain
lin waited too long and was badly burned
about the facs and bands. He lost great
deal of valuable personal property.
In the meantime the flames ssvagely at.
tackled the barrels Of rosin and spirits on tho
wharf and spread to the fouf-masted
schooner Augustus Welt. loaded with Ice at
the Cochran Oler dock. Everything above
the waters edge vas quickly destroyed. snd
the flames communicated to some adjoining
vessels. several schOOners and lighters being
badly damaged.
The furniture factory of Hollander a Co..
four blocks from the pier. WAS found TO be
abaze at 8 o'clock A relay of iremen we're
promptly on the scene. but could not get con-
troll If the flames Thafactory was destroyed,
The loss on the furniture factory IL $4,000.
The total insurance " estimated on the dock
vessels. ETC., at 5i55, 900.