Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1904-02-12

Fire, Fhlcn started at lU.5O O'Clock
Sunday morning, devastated prac-
'lcally the entire central business
district of Baltimore and at midnight
the flames were still raging with as
much fury as at the beginning.
TO all appearances Baltlmorv's bus
intss section Is doomed. Many OF the
principal banking institutions, all the
leadiDg trust companies, all the
largest wholesale houses, all the
newspaper offices, many of the prin-
cipal retail stores and thousands OF
smaller establishments went up in
flames, and in most cases the con.
'eDts were completely destroyed.
What the loss Will be in dollars
10 man can even estimate, but the
sum will be so gigantic that it is hard
ior the average mind to grasp It's
magnitude. In addition to the pc
cuuiary loss, will be the immense
amount OF business lost by the I &c.
rssUry. interruption 10. business while
the many firms whose PLACES are de
~lroyed are makl"g arrangements fer
resumlng business.
There is little doubt that many
men, formerly prosperous, will be
ruined by the events OF the last "a
hours. Many of them carry little or
no insurance, and it Is doubtful ii
many OF the insurance companies
viii be able 10 pay their j sses dol
ar for dollar, and those ut will
probably require time in "h.ch TO
arrange for tb, pa! inert.
STARTS IN HURST BUIEDITG.
~ 1850 o'clock in the morning
the automatic fire.alarm box, No.
o54, ~ the basement of the whole
sn.e { y goods house of John K
Hurst & Co., German street and
Hopkins place, sounded an alarm.
Almost before the alarm had reach. ]
ID the various engine houses the en-
tire building wosa roaring mass o
flames from top to bottom.
GASOLINE ExPLoDEs.
After burning fercely for perhal S
10 minutes there was a loud explosion
from the interior of the building as
the gasoline tank used for the engine
in the building let 60. Instantly the
immerse structure collapsed and :he
flying, flaming debris caused the
flames to be communicated to the
adjacent buildings on all tour corners.
By this time the first of the tire
apparatus had reached the scene and
was quickly put to work, but the fire
had already gone beyond control and
swept with irresistible force and in
credulous swlftness on its devastating
way. 1t was known that the con-
fagration would prove vastly dc
structive, but not one of those who
witnessed it at this time imagined for
an instant the terrible results hat
would ensue.
MANY FIREMEN INJURED.
Every minute almost the lives OF
the firemen were in imminent danger
from falling walls or leaping fumes,
and more han 50 OF them were
aarried from the ground more or less
severely burned.
GREAT BUILDINGS GONE.
rhe section devastated contains the
largest and most modern buildings in
the city and this renders the calamity
the more appalling. Immense office
buildings, 10 and IL stories high,
large modern wholesale houses.made
of brick and steel, all disappeared as
if built OF The fimsi.st material.
AT2 O'CLOCK A. NJ.
At 9 o'clock this morning the fire
bad extended south on Charles street
to Lombard, and east of Charles
street, between Charles and Light,
was rapidly eating its way through
South to Pratt street II was
hougLt that its progress would not,
be stopped south of the waterfront
at Pratt and Light, and N all proba-
biIi,y would extend along Light
street, south Of Pratt.