Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-09
Many Offers of Aid From the Out
side.
PROBLEM OF TAKING CARE OF THE UNEMPLOYED
WILL BE A SERIOUS UNDERTAKING.

sion Will be made not only for the needs of
today. but the prospective want that is i'm
| pending as condition to be met during
many months to come.
Loss to Land Owners
Added to the loss of wages is the loss to
the owners of land included within the zone
of the fire. The old system of land rental
prevails in Baltimore to a very large ex-
| tent. and 1t happens in result that but few
of the land owners also owned the burned
structures. The owners of the latter will
| receive some sort of insurance-just how
much it is impossible to tell at this time 1t
is known that many companies will be Sc
riously embarrassed by the heavy loss
which has come upon them in single
blow. Meantime the owners of IN lions and
millions of dollars worth of the most val
liable real estate within the city of Balti-
more will be deprived of ground rentals or
| revenue Of any sort They must pay taxes
as before. so their loss will be double one
to degree. The amount of money thus
lost in rentals is not to be quickly esti-
mated. 1t brings the total cost of the con-
fiagration to a figure. however, which
makes the mine gidd- to contemplate.
WI VI ocRluS.
The fast-dying flames no longer con-
stituting a menacing factor in the situa.
tion, rich corporations and modest mer-
chants with equally heroic efforts today
set about restoring as nearly as they
could their business enterprises. They
were confronted by a task even more
difficult than they anticipated. although
the ordinary obstacles in the way seemed
well nigh insurmountable.
While troops were hurried to the scene
of the fire from the armories of Baltimore
and neighboring military posts TO protect
the burning and imperiled property from
any ravages of imported criminals, little
heed was paid to the possibility of preying
sharks of another and more potent charac-
ter within the city gates themselves These
vampires encountered by the mer-
chants and the representatives of trust and
banking corporations who found themselves
homeless result of the fire.
Knowing that the exigencies of the emer-
gency require that temporary offices shall
be opened. and temporary establishments
set up. the owners and agents of buildings
without the pathway of the flames have
banded together to mulct their suffering
townsmen to the limit of their purses
Rise in Rents Follows Disaster.
Rents of Offices buildings and houses Of
every character have been increased from
30 to 80 per cent. There is no attempt to
defend the action, either. The landlords say
their places are needed and SO badly needed
as to make the exorbitant prices justifiable.
1t is difficult to reconcile the honest con-
scientious citizen to this view.
There are exceptions to the rule, of
course. and some lessees of buildings have
space at their disposal to the fire suf-
ferers free of all charges Others have been
content with normal and modest rentals.
But in the majority of cases the corpora
tons have found themselves face to face
with the most cut-throat proposition ever
imposed upon a dependent people. For an
Office room that has ordinarily been consid-
cred steep at $25 a month, they have been
compelled to pay SO. In addition to the
exorbitant rate. they have been coerced into
taking long-ter lease. whether they will
need the rooms for the length of time
specified or not The average advance, 1t
was stated this morning in the real estate
offices, has been about fifty per cent
Many of the buildings the losers have
been forced to occupy are the most anti
quated. the most dlapidated of any in the
city. They buildings and rooms on
which the "to let signs have become en-
cased in cobwebs. Yet these undesirable
quarters have taken a valuation far
above the rent exacted in the most modern
of metropolitan structures.
Residences Utilized for Business.
The retail merchants are setting up eS-
tabkshmerts of some sort wherever they
can lind the room. The available Office
buildings having been exhausted, the mer-
chants are even resorting to residences for
the conduct of their business. Those who
have been fortunate enough to have secured
a comparatively desirable location at this
time. have placed orders In New York and
Philadelphia for new stocks and hope to
open in few days.
Next to the cutting off of the wages Of
thousands of poor working people, one Of
the most serious features of the situation
Ia the increase in the price OF food stuffs.
Many produce and commission houses
were in the line of fire. In the shipping
district the facilities for handling truck
and provisions were seriously damaged.
These facts, in conjunction with the gen.
eral exigencies of the people, have sent
prices soaring.
Eggs were selling in the wholesale dis
trict this morning at 46 cents a dozen.
and difficult to obtain at that figure