The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1904-02-11
GREAT BALTIMORE FIRE.
Seventy-Five Blocks Burned
$500 Buildings in
Ashes.
100000, 600 Of Property Destroyed

| "A nf0 OrOK0 OUT III D3ILiulOI0 OuEUdJ
in the Wholesale house of John E. Hurz
& Co., and ragged until Monday after.
| noon. Assistance was sent from Wash
| ngton, New York and Wiimlngto1,
out the city seemed doomed. The
papers give accounts OF the fire in such
| way as to make one believe that it beg
| gard all description. The associated
press dispatch said:
"The burned district is within toe
territory boundaa en the west BY Lib
erty street, Gu the north by Lexington
street, on the east BY Jones Falls and
on the south by the Basin. Within
the dis:ric: were the big structures on
Fayeite, Gay, Lombard, Charles, Bald
e-son, Elliott, Hollingsworth and
Cheapsids streets Passing southeast
aloug the basin the following large
docks we're destroyed:
"McClure's, Peterson's, Smith g,
Frederick, Long and Union. Small
shoroughtares, which do not extend as
far as Lexington street, and which were
IN the path OF the flames, are Com
merce, Fredericks and Mills streets.
1.-The district thus swept by the fire
comprised seventy-fve blocks and
nearly $500 buildings"
Following lisa description OF the fire.
work during Monday afternoon.
During the afternoon the wall OF
fame ate Its way i'll southerly ard
westerly direction, toward the water.
Sporadic fires sprang into existence and
caused the withdrawal Of apparatus
and men from the line of battle. Build
ings, cid and new, large and small
stores, shops, every Imaginable class OF
business houses vanished as the fire
swept onward.
''As the day wore on the fore front OF
the fire neared Jones Falls, a small
stream that trends north and south
md divides Baltimore FROM that por-
tlon oi the city known as East Baltl-
more. This little stream was the last
stand.
''If the coofagratlon leaped it, if by
flying embers Or rush OF flame, the
fire could cross and gain foothold Its
extent could not be foretoid. Tremend
ous forts were made to block 1T.
dynamite was used freely. The
ere apparatus was centered and all the
skill of the fire fighters called into play
TO defeat the element that had eaten up
millions of dollars worth of property.
and human skill and pluck and grit
and unfalter1ng courage won. The fire
was checked. But bshind it lay a
great Quilted waste of more than lao
acres In extent.
RULED BY THE BAYONET.
every street that led to the fire was
crowded with awe-stricken spectators.
Down the narrow gulch sheets of black
smoke hung densely, split now and
then by a red glare of flame. The
crash of falling buildings was lost in
The roar OF exploding dynamite as it
was used to demolish structures as vet
untouched by fire.
"The city was under the strictest OF
military control. ALI around the burn
ed area was stretched Gordon of SOL
diers, who held up all corners at the
point OF the bayonet. Police brought
from the neighborlng cities patrolled
the district and on every street near
the limits OF the fire area placed armed
sentinels. In the early hours this
morning the army of fire lighters COPIED
against overwhelming odds, and when
dawn broke the flames were raging
fiercely along the wharves ana focused
about the great power house of the
United Railways Company that furn-
lsbes the power for all the street rail-
ways of the city. Then the flames ate
their way with undlminished force
southwark, following the lines of Jones
Falls, and were finally checked near
the waters edge at West Falls Avenue,
In the southeast section OF the city.
There the flames continued through
to night, but only in spots and with
diminishing fierceness. A dark gloom
served to assist the watching thousands
of spectators, held behind the lines
many squares away, to locate the
flames"