Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-02-09
Fire Under Control

Baltimore Fire Checked Late fester-
day Evening-Seventy-fi Blocks,
Embracing $500 Buildings, De-
stroyed.
The fire in Baltimore is under control.
The great army of fremen, aided by the
people of the city, made a desperate
stand at Jones falls early yesterday af-
ternoon and saved the residence sections
from destruction. The mayor confirms
the statement that the fire has been
checked. Not a single life has been
lost.
In the burned district great blazes
continue, but they are no menace, being
islands Of fire in a desolate waste. A
few small and quickly conquered fires
were set by flying embers in the district
beyond the falls. The city is quiet
and splendid order is maintained.
The burned district is within the ter
ritory bounded on the west by Liberty
street, on the north by Lexington street,
on the-east by Jones falls, and on the
south by the basin. Within this district
we're the big structures on Fayette, Gay,
Lombard, Charles, Balderson, Elliott,
Holingsworth, and Cheapside streets.
Passing southeast along the basin, the
following, large docks were destroyed
McClure's, Patterson's, Smiths, Frede-
rick Long, and Union. Small thorough
fares, which do not extend as far north as
Lexington street, and which were in the
path of the flames, are Commerce, Frede-
rick, and Mills streets.
The district thus swept by the nre
comprised rs blocks and nearly 2,oOO
buildings.
The loss no one attempts to estimate.
A member of the board of insurance
commissioners says: at is impossible
to give an approximate estimate. 1t is
safe to say the loss exceeds 500, 600,
O0O."
Inspector of Buildings Preston place;
the building loss alone at $3.50, 900, OOO.
The city is under control of State and
federal troops.
Restaurants are running short of food,
and the destruction Of commission houses
along the wharyes has cut off the source
of immediate supply. Food supplies
will be rushed from New York.
The fire which has devastated Balti-
more was one of the most serious that
has visited any city. Starting at the
corner of Lombard and Liberty streets,
the fire zone extends in rectangle five
blocks in width to Calvert street AT
this point the varying winds caused the
path of destruction to wind by devious
and eccentric ways down to Jones falls,
taking in the territory as far south as
the north side of Pratt street. At the
falls branch of the flames, by some
strange fatality on the wind, switched
back and traversed the south side Of
Pratt street, to Light street, destroying
every building along both sides of Pratt
street to the water front. Thence, APP
parentlv taking the water front as a
boundary, the flames swept down to-
ward the east, consuming everything in
their track and leaving only heaps Of
blackened and worthless ruins to mark
their path.
All business vas suspended yesterday,
as there Was little left in Baltimore
wholesale districts to do business on.
Most of the merchants will call their
statesmen off the road, having no stock
to deliver to buyers. Others are ar
ranging with out-of-town jObbers in
similar lines to take care of their trade
pending arrangements for a resumption
of business. What is true of the job
bling trade was true in all markets. Com
mission trade was at a standstil.
Many of these houses were destroyed,
and those who escaped the flames were
prevented from doing business by the
impossible condition of the streets and
by the rigid military guard which was
maintained throughout the whole center
of the city. Accommodations could not
be obtained at the banks, and without
credits business is necessarily paralyzed.
There was little heart for trade, however,
and it will be many weeks before matters
in this line will go along in their ac-
customed groove.
NOTES.
Prominent capitalists, business men
and real estate dealers agree that it is
out of the question to give near cor
rect estimate Of the loss. They, how
ever, advance opinions approximating
the loss at from s65, 900, 900 to $685.
900, 900. Mr.. Alexander Brown, of the
old banking house of Alexander Brown
& Sons, says that an estimate of sos, =
900, 900 would be very conservative.
1t is reassuring to- those who had
valuabes in the vaults of the several
trust and deposit companies to know
that they escaped damage. Crowds of
eager box holders in the financial in
stitutions thronged the streets from
early morning in an effort to find out If
their valuables we're safe. The crowd
included millionaires, merchants, small
traesmen and many women, and when
they ascertained that the vaults were
safe they left greatly relieved. 1t will
be some days probably before the safety
deposit vaults will be open generally,
but reasonable assurance can be given to
those whose valuables are locked in
them that they are safe and intact.
These boxes contain millions of stocks
and bonds, valuable papers, notes and
perhaps currency.
The plan Of dynamiting the buildings
in the path of the fire, conceived in the
hope Of checking its course failed almost
wholly because of the ferceness of the