Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-02-11
Has Left 140 Acres of Smoking
Ruins in the Heart of
Baltimore.
LOSS INESTlMABLE
Residence Portion of the City ESCAPED
Total of $500 Buildings Dcstrcy-
ell during the IS Hours Con-
nagration-City Placed Vn-
der Martial Inv and
IOOting Prevented.

baltimore, Md. Feb. S.--When dark
ness fell tonight the people of this
stricken city know the worst was over.
The iiames, which had swept resist
lessly through the heart Of the city,
were checked. Firomen conquered Il
fire that will rank among the world $
great CONGREGATIONS.
Worn by Il night and day of terror
the great crowds that watched the ruin
OF their city. turned homcward ana at
midnight the streets were deserted
save for the police and militia who
guarded the burned area. TO the south
red glow rises ana falls. marking
140 acres of deVaStation--75 squares of
property that yesterday morning rcpre-
sented vauoS to the extent of from S7j.-
100000 to $125. 100000. Not even 4 close
approximation can he made Of the loss.
No guess can be made Of the insurance.
IN expert, the city building inspector,
estimates the loss in buildings alone at
$15O,OOO.ooO. SO far there has been no
systematic attempt to iiX the values.
An insurance broker said tonight:
Il cannot give you figures. 1t is too
big. No man can give figures"
enc factor that will figure largely in the
fnnl estimates consists of the securities
IN the banks and trust companies whose
homes were destroyed. Their vaults and
safes to-nieht are in the ruins. covered
with tons of debris Experts who have
eiv"n thom rs close examination as pos
eibc. cypress The belief, however, that
tho contents aye safe.
On the corr, ctncss or falsitY of this
belief depends many millions of dollars
Srcutcr or less Of the final total.
Not single life has been lost ana not
II human being has been even dangerously
Injured. lie hospital lists consist Of
minor burns with the exception of Jacob
lngl"fritz, Il fireman from York. Pa II"
has fractured leg and Is badly burned.
5 I'VE for its physical ASPECTS the story
If the past q hours IS "A negative on.
in all that usually attends SO vast "a
calamity. There has hccn little or no cN-
citcmont I There has .bccu TO disorder aud
to the credit Of the city al Baltimore b.
should be said there has boon no dttcmIt
nj looting Only the throb of engines md
The boom Of dynamite destroying dan
gerous walls is heard tonight. M,n who
were merchant princes yesterday and
bcgSared tonight viewed their great
losses with a calm that j. either the
apathy Of dazcd senses or quiet rcsiera-
ton to the inevitable. This constitutes
the most remarkable phase Of the meas
urccss calamity.
So far there has hcon TO call for aid
Proffcis OF assistance have come from
many quarters. from sister cities from
corporations ana from private citizcns.
but the question of accepting viii be de-
Cldcd tomorrow.
y food scarcity. it is believed. could be
relieved in Il hours.
BURNED IS HOURS.
The important commercial district is
n mass Of blackoncd ruins tho result of
a couiiag grafton which ragged without even
n momcntdry check from 1888 Il m, yes
tcrIay Until about three O'Clock this af-
tcrnoon. when city officials agreed the
hameS were under control.
The fire had ragged nearly thirty-eight
hours inspite of almost superhunan cf-
forts put forth by the best fighting forces
which more than half a dozen cities mus
tered.
To-nirht 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 escaped de-
etruction are from corner gas lamps
The stores are closed in nearly every
street The darkenod avenues are full of
1ostling people talking of one subject.
Apparently there is but one cause for
Flndness and that is that there are no
homeless. for the residence section of the
city escaped.
At p. III. the Associated Press sent out
q bulletin saying the flames would he held
IN check at the Union docks aud prevent
cd from lcaping Jones Fails and placing
the entire city east Of there in jeopardy
Al three o'clock that bulletin was con-
frmcd.
A score of times inslduous flames of
IRE We're found tapping the sides of lum-
Der plies on the east bank Of the falls. In
some Instances the lumber was tossed into
the fails ana this, with similar heroic
measures. stayed the fire.
Throughout the terrible contest which
frcmen and fire wdgcd for supremacy,
humanity was handicapped by a gale
which carried burning brands to remote
fections. But for the work of volunteers
IN cNtiuGuishing these emhcrS it is almost
certain the burned area would have been
much greater. As it is about seventy-tvc
blocks or 40 acres are gone.
THE BURNED DISTRICT.
The burned district is within the terri
tory bounded ON the west by Liberty
street on the north by Lexington street
on the cast by Jones Falls and on tho
south by the basin, Within this distric,
were the big structures ON Fayette, Gay
Lombard, Charles Baldcrson, Ellicoc
IIaliugs worth and Cheapside streets
Passing southeast along the basin the fol
lowing large docks were destroyed.
McClurcs l'attcrsons, Smiths Frederick
Long and Union. Small thorOuehfares dc
not eXtond as far north as Lexington
street and those were IN the path o! tho
names are Commerce, fredericks anc
Mil streets.
The district thus swept by the fire com.
prscd nearly $500 buildings.
Insurance companies have opened tenn.
poiary CnIccs III the LcEingtOn Hotel, bat
their representatives decline to cstiirn,,
the loss The answer Of one is typical OF
all; 'lts too blg. We have rot figures tc
describe it. Make Il above one hundrcc
million. That's the best we can do"
The same INDIGESTION was true in regar(
to estimates concerning insurance.