Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-02-08

fire district.
Detachments of the Fourth and Fifth
regiments have been called out and
are patrolling the streets in the vicini-
ty Of the fire, guarding property and
keeping order.
Fortunately the confiagration did not
reach the residential portion of the
city, but fires broke out in East Balti-
more, and many of the residence
streets were invaded.
Not q single morning newspaper was
able to get out an issue this morning,
with the exception of the Sun, which
has an auxiliary plant. There are five
morning papers here, three English and
two German.
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad Of
flee building has been destroyed and
lie Maryland Institute Of Art building.
The temporary custom house adjoin-
ing the postoffice was destroyed. One
hundred and fifty policemen from Phil
adelphia are assisting the Baltimore
police and military detachments.
The loss from the fire will be so gi-
gantic that it is almost beyond esti-
mate at this time. In addition to the
direct pecuniary loss will be the i'm
mense amount of loss by the necessary
interruption to business while firms
whose places r destroyed are max
ing arrangements to resume business.
Persons familiar with its affairs say
/ the section destroyed includes all the
leading trust companies, many of the
,,sro;ooI Io.li,r ;acf;fufionc oil fhQ l
largest wholesale houses, many of the
principal retail stores and thousands
of smaller business establishments.
Many of them carry little or no insur-
, ance, and it is doubtful If many OF the
insurance companies will be able TO
pay their losses dollar for dollar, and
! those that do will probably require
time in which to arrange for the pay
ment.
The first attempt at dynamiting was
in the large building of Armstrong,
Gator & Co., but it failed to collapse,
and attention was turned to the build
ing at the southwest corner of Charles
and German streets, where six charges
of dynamite, each charge containing
100 pounds, were exploded. The ire
mendous force of the explosion tore
out the massive columns that support
ed the building and left it with ap-
parently almost no support, but the
| walls failed to collapse and stood until
! the flames had crossed Charles street
, and were eating into the block be-
tween Charles and Light streets.
The fire had meantime been commu-
: nicated to the row of buildings on
South Charles street between German
and Lombard streets, and all those
places, occupied principally by whole
sale produce and grain dealers, were
in flames.
Shortly before midnight the Carroll
ton hotel was in flames, and the fire
was sweeping toward Calvert street
with irresistible fury.
The firemen working on the south
! side had succeeded in checking the
flames at Lombard street, and, as the
wind was blowing from the northwest,
there was no danger of its spreading
farther in that direction. The western
limit had also been reached at Howard
street, and the danger was now to the
east and north. The progress of the
flames toward the north had in the
meantime been so rapid as to be sim
ply appalling. From structure to struc-
ture they flew, licking up the massive
buildings as if they were composed of
paper. In the block between German
and Baltimore streets they few along,
and almost before it could be realized
the buildings along Baltimore street
were blazing from roof to basement.
For a time it was hoped the fire could
be kept from crossing the north side of
Baltimore street, and the firemen made
a desperate effort to prevent it. The
effort was useless, however, and soon
the tall, narrow building Of Mullins ho-
tel began to dart out tongues of flame,
and the remainder of the buildings be-
tween Sharp and Liberty streets SEEM
ed to be doomed.
The Mount Vernon Telephone Elk
change was destroyed, and the st. Paul
Telephone Exchange was also burned
out. The Mount Vernon exchange is
about eight blocks from the Union sta
ton in Baltimore.
The publishers n other occupants
OF the Daily Herald building, at Fay
cite and st. Paul streets, and of the
Record building opposite We're COM
PEELED to vacate by the onrushing
flames, as were the occupants of the
Calvert and Equitable structures, two
of the most massive Office buildings in
Baltimore.
$780, DAI4sr14un u4uA14 .1--~f1x1
wave of roaring, cracking flames shot
its way, consuming everything in its
wake, speedily reaching the Evening
News building, from which q number
of extras had been issued during the
preceding hours, but from which the
employees had to hastily flee, though
not until valuable records had been re-
moved.