Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-02-19
FIRE AFTERMATH.


Notes or the Baltimore Fire.
Bsltimore's fire eclipsed all other
episodes of the past week, to our
readers minds, and on all sides the
question still comes-"anything more
from the fre?"
While We were engrossed i'm the
troubles of the Monumental CITY
there were fires in other parts of the
country that would have attracted
our attention, but did not.
a town down South was burned off
the map; SO was one in the far North,
and Chicago celebrated by having a
$3.50, 900 blaze.
The great Chicago fire, October 8,
9.lS7l, burned over 81 square miles,
destroying 1880 buildings, killing
200 persons, land rendering $4,000
homeless. The loss was $3.50, 1000, 900.
Ii was the most destructive fire ever
known. The Baltimore fire, though
not destroying so many buildings or
covering SO much territory, will
about approximate the Chicago fire
n the amount of loss.
The fire did not reach West Pratt
street. The old Maltby House was
the last building west on that street
to go. The Green House is still
doing business.
The large insurance companies are
rapidly paying the claims. The
Liverpool, London and Globe Co. tele
graphed their general manager in
New York the following: "Draw for
Baltimore loss and give ten thousand
dollars for relief of sufferers and con-
yey our deep sympathy" The loss
of this company ia one million dollars
by the fire. Some of the small COM
panies will be ruined if they pay the
losses. Two of these-the Peabody
and the Firemen's-were taken into
the courts as result of losses sus-
tanned by them in the recent fire, and
receivers appointed by consent.
New Baltimore will rise in splen-
dor-more modern, more symmetrical
and substantial. A greater harbor
is now talked of, one to accommodate
all sea going vessels. The widening
of Pratt and Light streets is also
talked of. This would be of inesti-
mable advantage.
The Board of Police Commits
sioners has raised the embargo on
the liquor traffic, and all the saloons
and barrooms of the various hotels
have opened as usual during the day.
The saloonkeepers and bsrtenders
were cautioned by the police not to
sell liquor to intoxicated men. as.
should there be noticeable increase
IN the number of drunken persons
on the streets, the board will close
the saloons again.
Banking business resumed it's nor
NAL status on Monday, 18th, and the
work of these institutions is moving
along as smoothly as the cramped
quarters of many of the temporary
locations will permit. There was no
hitch anywhere, and the banks re-
port that their discount operations
were carried on as usual, no accom-
mediation for legitimate business pur-
poses being refused.
OF 800 fire-proof safes that have
been taken from the ruins and OPEN
ed so far, all but two were found to
have given complete protection to
their contents. La these two cases
1T is thought the loss was due to the
fact that the safes were opened
while yet too hot, land the entrance
of the air resulted in spon taneous
combustion" More than 1000 safes
are yet to be recovered.
Soldiers and police had orders 10
use revolvers and bayonets on the
miscreants who try to loot. "Police-
men have no time to waste with
marauders," said Marshal Farnan.
81 will issue orders to my men to
shoot any would-be hooters. This is !
not an empty order. Looters will
be shot on sight" This order ia the
result of the great flow of people
towards Baltimore, an incoming tide
in which there are crooks of every
possible description, from every part
of the country. When it. is consid-
cred that millions of dollars in specie
and millions of dollars in valua bles
are In vaults under the ruins of the
financial section and that safe-crack-
ing is down to science these days,
the fear of attempted footing for big
spoils is not unfounded.
A 40 mile gale swept through |
Baltimore Tuesday, doing damage in
the burned district. A mum Der of
walls tottered, and flying bricks
made work dangerous. 1t was ex-
cessively cold aud militia and police
suffered much.