Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-02-13

h"iShAOie, AAd., 4 20. J.-BalSlmOrc is
staggering Under the tire loss wnicn au
one has the tenserity to put into figures.
The important commercial district is
blackened ruins. laid bare by confia-
grafton which RACED without a mo-
mentary check frcri 1O45 a. m. Sunday
until late yesterday afternoon. At 3
O'Clock the city officials again breathed.
1t was agreed the flames were under
control They had ragged for 2S hours,
in spite of almost superhuman efforts
put forth by the best fighting forces
which mere than half a dozen cities
were able 90 muster.
The city is overcast with gloom. The
stores are closed in nearly every street.
Apparently there is but one cause for
gladness, and that is that there are no
homeless. The residence section of the
city escaped. This phase of the situa
ton relieved the officials from any
thought other than the saving of prop
erty.
Throughout the terrible contest in
which freE On and fire waged for SUI
promaoy. humanity was handicapped
by gale which carried burning brands
far over the heads of the workers and
beyond the reach of the hundreds of
streams of water poured into the rag
ing furnaces. But for the work of vol
unteers in seeking out and extinguish-
ing these embers il is almost certain
that the burned area would have been
twice larger than it is About 10
squares or about 14o acres are in ashes
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
Colonel ]. Frank Supplee, a compe-
tent authority on factory statistics, IS.
Inmates that the number of persons
thrown out Of employment will reach
$4,000. Others have estimated the Ell
forced idleness at greatly more.
Not single life has been lost, and
not human being has been even
dangerously injured The hospital
lists consist of minor burns, with the
exception of Jacob Ilgenfritz, fire
man from York, Pa. He has a frac-
tured leg and is badly burned.
Many Buildings Blown Up.
Dynamite explosions were constant.
The program adopted Sunday night of
blowing up buildings in an attempt 10
stay the progress of the flames was
continued until the fire was under con-
troll Then the dynamiters turned
their attention to razing tottering walls
which threatened to collapse. The re-
suit was almost constant cannonadins.
and the deton&ting was heard in az,
parts of the city.
With the fire under control, the
blackened waste which lies in the wake
OF the sea of flames presents a view.
terrible in its pyrotechnic grandeur.
1t can be likened best to oceans of
great coke ovens, each shooting out
its Thousand 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 Of
nee buildings, storage, wholesale and
business houses of all kinds
The loss will not be accurately esti-
mated for weeks. for business men.
prosperous Sunday morning, are poor
today. Expressions heard among these
men as they peer into their collapsed !
properties reveal an astounding num-
Der who were only poorly protected
with insurance.
LAST STAND TO CHECK FLAMES
Won Desperate Fight at the
River Front.
AS the day wore on the forefront of
the fire neared Jones Falls. a small
stream that trends north and south
and divides Baltimore from that por
ton OF the city known as East BalG-
more. This little stream was the hast
stand. If the confagration leapoe Is.
II by flying embers or rush OF fam
the fire could cross and gain q 100
hold its extent could not be fo.c.S,.