The Indianapolis journal., 1904-02-09

1915 a. m. yesterday until late in the after
noon. At o'clock the city officials again
breathed. II was agreed the flames were
under control. They had ragged twenty
eight hours, in spite Of almost superhuman
efforts put forth by the best fighting forces
which more than half a dozen cities were
able to muster.
The city is overcast with gloom The
only lights in the burned district are those
from the smoldering ruins. The only
lights i'm that section which escaped de-
struction 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
is that there are no homeless. The resi-
dence section OF the city escaped. This
phase of the situation relieved the officials
from any thought other than the saving OF
property.
At 2 p m. the Associated Press sent out
a bulletin saying the flames would be held
in check at the Union docks and prevented
from leaping Jones Falls and placing the
entire city east OF there in jeopardy. At
3 o'clock that bulletin was confirmed. A
score Of times flames of fire were found
tapping the piles Of lumber piled 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 onward sweep OF fire.
HANDICAPPED BY A GALE
Throughout the terrible contest in which
firemen and fire waged for supremacy hu-
manity was handicapped by a gale which
carried burning brands over the heads OF
the workers and beyond the reach OF the
hundreds OF streams Of water poured into
the raging furnaces. But for the work OF
volunteers in seeking out and extinguish-
ing these embers IL is almost certain the
burned area would have been twice larger
than it is
About seventy-five squares. or 40 acres.
are in ashes.
Insurance companies have opened tempor-
airy offices in the Lexington Hotel but their
representatives decline TO estimate the loss.
The answer of one of them is typical: Its
too big. We have no figures to describe IL.
Make it above one hundred millions That's
the best we can do" The same indecision
was true in regard to estimates concerning
insurance.
The city was early placed under martial
law, and thus all danger Of looting I'm the
doomed district was eliminated. Word was
received tonight that General Corbin. OF
New York, would be here tomorrow 20 take
command of the federal troops. The pres
| ence of two regiments Of militia as an ad-
| junct to the police. which were augmented
| by details from Philadelphia and Washing
| ton, resulted in the maintenance Of the best
of order.
| No one dares to guess what would have
/ happened had the flames jumped the falls.
| The struggle to-day has been with the one
end Of confining the fire to the west side OF
| the muddy stream. That this effort was
successful is merely the result Of the fire
burning itself out and coming in contact
with the concerted labors of nearly a hun
dred fire companies, aided by the powerful
fire tug Cataract.
WON BY THE FIREMAN.
Again and again the terrible heat, driven
| from the burning district across Jones falls.
| ignited buildings and lumber piles Furious
hand-to-hand fights occurred. which. for
tunately for the residents Of East Balti-
more, were won by the firemen. Several
| hours in the lumber district of the east
side volunteers watched every ember. Buck
| et brigades were formed to prevent de-
| struction by the flames across the narrow
stream. Had the fire gained foothold in
the east side lumber yards, IL is conceded
nothing could have stopped the onslaught
and the departments would have been pow
erless to prevent damage great If not
| greater than the Chicago fire
Dynamite explosions have been constant
| to-day The programme adopted last night
of blowing up buildings in an attempt TO
stav the progress OF the flames was con-
tinued until the fire was under control Then
the dvnamiters turned their attention 10
-, "a n
collapse. The result was almost constant
cannonading and the detonating was heafd
in all parts Of the city
With the fire under control the blackened
waste which lies in the wake Of the sea OF
flames presents view terrible in its pyro-
technic grandeur. II can be likened best 10
oceans Of great coke ovens, each shooting
out it's thousand tongues Of flame from
pyramids Of brick. stone and cement. Where
the fire has died out nothing remains but
waste. from which rise heavenward tower
ing insecure shafts of the same color.
These are all that is left OF what were once
handsome Office buildings. storage. whole
sale and business houses OF all kinds.
The loss ssin rot be accurately estimated
for weeks. for business men. prosperous
Yesterday morning. are poor to-day. Ex-
pressions heard among these men as they
peer into the collapsed properties reveal aa
astounding number who were only poorly
protected b. insurance.
TANGLED MASSES or WIRES.
Few persons explored fully even such por-
tons OF the burned district as the cooling
ruins would permit. The high winds made II
near impossible for any one TO pass through
the streets bordered by crumbling walls
s.A-... ,-r,x-e danger n rersonal safety
Tangled masses of wire. cross and recros
the streets. and they were laShed so furi
ously by the wind that they could hav'