The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-02-09
AT
JONESFALLS
Baltimore ConfIagratiOn at
Last Checked.
LOSSES ARE ESQ MILLIONS
Was a Greater Fire than That
Which Burned Chicago
in 1871.
LOSSES ARE ESQ MILLIONS

staggering under an unparalleled fire
loss which no one has the temerity to
put in figures. The important CONNER
cial district is blackened ruins, laid
bare by a contiagration which ragged
without even momentary check for
about day and half. Last night the
city officials again breathed easily, as
1t was then agreed that the flames
were under control. They had ragged
nearly thirty eight hours in spite of al
most superhuman efforts put forth by
the best fighting forces which more
than half II dozen cities We're able t.
muster.
The city is overcast with gloom. The
only lights in the burned district are
those from the smoldering ruins. The
only lights in that section which es-
capped destruction are from corner gas
lamps. The stores are closed in nearly
every street. The darkened avenues
are full of jostling people talking of
one subject Apparently there is but
one cause for gladness and that L.
that there are no homeless The resi-
dence section of the city escaped. This
phase of the situation relieved the Off
Gals from any thought other than the
saving of property.
a press bulletin has been sent out
saying the flames We're held in check
at the Union docks and prevented from
leaping Jones' falls and placing the
entire city east of there in jeopardy.
A score of times insdious flames Of
fire were found tapping the sides OF
lumber piles on the east bank of the
falls. In some instances the lumber
was tossed into the falls, and this
with similar heroic measures, stayed
the onsweep of fire.
Throughout the terrible contest
which hremen ana fire waged for su.
premacy humanity was handicapped
by gale which carried burning
brands far over the heads OF the work
ers and beyond the reach of the hun
dreds of streams Of water poured into
the raging furnaces. But for the work
of volunteers in seeking out and eX-
tnguishing these embers il is almost
certain the burned area would have
been twice greater. AS 1t is, about
Feventy-fye squares, or 40 acres, are
gone, extending from Lexington street
on the north to Pratt street on the
south and from Liberty street on the
west TO Jones' falls on the east In
surance companies have opened tenn
porary offices in the Lexington hotel.
but their representatives decline to
estimate the loss. The answer of one
is typical of all: IT'S too big We
have no figures to describe IT, Make
it above $1OO,OOO,OO0. That's the best
we can do
The same indecisiOn was true in re-
gard to estimates concerning insur
ance held on the damaged property.
The city was early placed under
martial law, and thus all danger Of
looting in the doomed district was
eliminated Word was received that
General Corbin Of New York had beer
given command Of the federal troops.
The presence of two regiments Of mi
litia as an adjunct to the police which
were augmented by details from Phil
adelphia and Washington, resulted in
the maintenance of the best of order.
Dynamite explosions have been con
slant during the fire The programme
adopted of blowing up buildings in an
attempt to stay the progress of the
flames was continued until the fire
was under control. Then the dyna-
miters turned their attentions to razing
lettering walls. which threatened TO
collapse. The result was almost con-
slant cannonading, and the decorating
was heard in all parts of the city.
With the fire under control, the black
ened waste which lies in the wake OF
re sea of flames presents view ter.
rible in its pyrotechnic grandeur. II
can be likened best to oceans of great
coke ovens, each shooting out its thou
sand tongues of flame from pyramids
Of brick. stone and cement Where
the fire has died out nothing remains
but waste, from which rise hundreds
of towering, insecure shafts of the
same color These are all that is left
of what were once handsome office
buildings, storage, wholesale and bust
ness houses Of all kinds
At the northern limits of the fire, at
the head of Eastern avenue half a
dozen fire companies were fighting
from the rear. while other companies
were thanking on the Jones falls and
the Liberty street borders. Sandwich
| n. ,,I ooToo ,,-o,.o go,.-od frOvn drov We
and coal was fed to the engines from
vehicles no larger Many of. the men
were almost furnished from their long
and dangerous detail. and the hot food
Was godsend. "a.
Every bridge over JQne$ falls held
a seoreyQf afeIp6n, and not ipfrequen,-
/ ~ tlIey were compelled to. turn their
attention., from the, towering pyres to