Morning journal and courier., 1892-06-15
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH. From All Quarters. BIG WAREHOUSE ABLAZB A Loss of Nearly a Million:
 Dollars. REPRESENTATIVE STACkAoUSE DEAD A Destructive Tornado Wis.,
 its Illinois. EXPLOSION OF AN OIL STEAMER Associated Chambers of Commerce Meeting.
REPRESENTATIVE sTAGkaouSE DEAD
ExpLOsIoN OF AN OIL STEAMER
MUCH DAMAGE DONE,

A Hig Warehouse in Baltimore Takes
 Fire From Spontaneous Combus-
 t1on-Firemen Suffer From the Heat
 Many Bales of Cotton Deatroyed-
 The Loss Will Reach Nearly a NIil-
 lion Dollars.
 BALTIMORE, Juno 14.-The big ware. house of the Bay line of steamers at the foot of Union dock took fire this afternoon from an unknown cause and within five minutes was roaring mass of flames. Stored inside the warehouse, which is several hundred feet long, were between five hundred and one thousand bales of cotton, several shiploads of rosin in barrels and a great number of hogsheads of molasses. The infammable nature of the contents ot the warehouse caused the blaze to spread with lightning-like rapidity.
 Tho four -masted schooner Augustus Wirt, the steamer Carolina and number of other vessels lay at the pier when the fire broke out. The Corolina caught fire, but tugs made desperate effort to save her. The schooner Wirt was wrapped in flames in few moments and will likely be burned to the waters edge. It was reported the captain of the vessel was caught aboard the vessel. He may have jumped over board, however, and saved himself The heat from the burning warehouse, to- gether with that of the weather, were terrible on the fremen and several dropped at the hose pipes.
 The dock jis one of the largest of its kind in the city and is located at the foot of Concord street, and is in one of the wolst localities in the city for a fire to break out. Around the dock are exten- sive lumber yards and dozens of coasting schooners.
 The fire broke out this afternoon on the old Bay line wharf at the foot of Union dock. The freight shed of the Bay Lin @ company was fully stocked with cotton, whisky and general merchandise con signed to foreign firms. The fire is thought to have originated in the cotton by spon- taneous combustion. The flames spread ed and the whole fire department respond ed. The fire boat Cataract also rendered assistance. Intense excitement reigned along the entire water front. The Bay line wharf was destroyed. It was about five hundred feet long and two hundred feet water front. The wharf had on it a large warehouse, 8 big laundry, and a new office building. The wharf was in the midst of other valuable property, which was for time in danger. The fine Bay line steamer Carolina and the freight steamer Gaston were lying at the wharf and before they could be lowed away they were badly damaged Lying at Cochran Oeler's wharf, southeast of the burning pier, were the fine four-masted ice schoon- CTS Wesley Oeler, Mamie Howard and ,-k Ala rigging of the schooners, eating at the masts and sails. Tugs lowed the burn ing schooners to safety. The flames were then quickly conquered, but consider able damage was done. Lying at the Cochrane Oeler wharf north of the three schooners was the four master Augustus Welt It was magnif- cent specimen of marine architecture, and arrived yesterday from Bath, Me-, with a cargo of ice for the owners, Cochrane & Oeler. A sheet of flame shot from the burning wharf. and soon the Welt was a mass of fire. The Cataract threw power ful streams on her, but the Welt's rigging and cordsge were burned away, masts and blackened wreck. The Welt was loaded with l ,321 tons of Maine ice. About 200 tons had been unloaded. The 1000 tons in her is almost total loss. Four of the sailors were on the cross-trees when the fire broke out, and they hastily scrambled to deck. They lost theiI effects which were in the hunks. The schooner was built in Waldoboro in 1888 and owned in Boston. Captain John B Sproul was her commander with crew oi ten men. The estimated damage to the schooner is $25, 1000. Insured by the in dividual owners. The ice is valued at s4 ton. Two barges laden with cottor moored to the Bay line wharf were totally | destroyed. Several buildings of the Bal | timore Steam Packet company were gut | ted. The packing house of w. w. Boyer ! & Son was considerably scorched. There were 5000 bales of cotton and 200 bar rels of whisky in the burned warehouse | The whisky came from the Peoples Ware
 house company of Louisville, Ky., and wal
 consigned to Tate, Henreichs & Co.
 A quantity of whisky on the whar
 awaiting shipment to Germany was als' destroyed. The total loss by the fire i estimated at nearly $1 .000, ,000. The burned
 property was well insured. The fire ol
 the pier had hardly been got under contro | when the furniture house of Charles Hol
 lander 6 Sons on East Pratt street wa
 burned. Loss $5,000.
 The heat at the big fire at times was dis
 dressing, and many fremen were com
 pelled to strip to their skins. Many o
 them were exhausted by the heat. Thei
 work was impeded by streams of molte | rssin that flooded the streets,