Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-02-09

uhu Atb Obc very EhectlNe-OAty Oh-
der Martial Law and Constantly
PatroIIed by Force OF a Thousand
Troops-Never such Disaster with
No Loss of Life.
BALTIMORE, Feb. 9.-Baltimore is
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 cohtiagration which ragged
without even a momentary check for
about a day and a half. Last night the
city officials again breathed easily, as
it was then agreed that the flames
were under control. They had ragged
nearly th%irty-eight hours in spite of al
most 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 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 is
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 were held in check
Mt the Union docks and prevented from
leaping Jones' falls and placing the
entire city east of there in jeopardy.
A score of times insidious flames of
fire were found tapping the sides of
lumber piles OF 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
premacy humanity was handicapped
by a 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-
tinguishing these embers it is almost
certain the burned area would have
been twice greater. AS it is, about
seventy-five 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 OH 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: ITS too big. We
have no figures to describe it. Make
it above 500, 100000. 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 been
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 attention to razing
tottering 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
.Ae sea of flames presents a view ter
rible in its pyrotechnic grandeur. 1t
can be likened best to oceans of great
coke ovens, each shooting out it's thou
sand tongues of fame 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 fianking on the Jones' falls and
the Liberty street borders. Sandwich
es and coffee were served from drays,
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 d godsend.
Every bridge over Jones' falls held
a score Of fremen, and not infrequent