The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-02-08
BALTIMORE FIRE
Continued from 1st page.)
Story of the Fire.


In addition to the destruction of the
city's commercial and financial dis
trict, the postoffice building and the
$4,000, goo courthouse were consumed
IN the conflagration which swept ev-
erything before it The fury of the
fire was beyond description. The
flames swept down the streets with
the onward rush and fury of tidal
wave Great pillows of fire 200 feet
in height would fill the space between
the buildings and, sweeping from side
to side, would blot out of existence q
skyscraper as though it were a box
of matches.
The burned district is the heart of
the business section, including the en-
tire wholesale trade and great part
of the retail trade. In the fire district
were all the important business and
office buildings, all the newspaper CT
fees, two hotels. the central building
of the Baltimore 4 Ohio railroad, the
city hall, the courthouse. the postoffice
building, the Western Union and Pos
tai Telegraph offices, the Bell Tele-
phone building, police headquarters,
Holiday street theater and several Of
the important banks
Following the rapid destruction of
the -paIatial commercial buildings il
the wholesale district the cyclone Of
roaring flames burst into Baltimore
street licking within a few minutes,
the seven-story Mullins hotel like some
insatiate monster and rapidly rolling
with irresistible force both eastward
and westward cutting down wholesale
and retail houses, manufactures, shops
jewelry stores, furniture emporiums
and restaurants. At Charles street the
remorseless tide swept on down Bal
timore street, but also turned into
Charles street, where it quickly en-
quilted the eleven-stOry Union Trust
building starting eastward on Fayette
street. By o'clock the occupants of
the Daily Herald building at Fayette
and St Paul streets and of the Record
building opposite were compelled to
vacate by the outlying flames as we're
the occupants of the Calvert and
Equitable structures, two of the most
massive Office buildings in Baltimore.
Down Baltimore street a parallel
wave of roaring, cracking flames
swept, consuming everything in it's
course, speedily reaching the Evening
News building from which the EN-
ployes had to hastily flee, though not
until valuable records had been re-
moved. Shortly thereafter the Cont
mental Trust company. a fourteen-story
A
American newspaper building was en-
veloped in clouds of sparks and burn
ing splinteTs and the employees were
ordered out. The financial district,
including the chief banking AMI brok-
erage firms on South and German
streets, then seemed to be doomed, and
scores of the city's leading financiers
and business men scurried in and out
of their Offices bearing packages or
placing yaluables in conveyances.
During the hours of the night the
pyrotechnic display was magnificent
and imposing beyond the power of
painter to depict Vast columns of
seethirg fame were shooting skyward
at varying points of the compass, and
the armament was one last prismatic
ocean of golden anu siiy er-hued sparks.
Great multitudes of people lined the
streets, awe-struck with the panorama
which was being enacted before their
eyes
Though every bit of fre-ighting ap-
paratus in the city was called into
Upon the disclosure Of Japan's position
the Russian authorities met the situa-
ton with great promptness. Instruc-
tions recalling Baron de ROsen were
forthwith telegraphed and he was di-
rected to leave Toxic Immediately.
Count Lamsdorf's circular to the Rus
sian representative abroad, instruct
ing them to inform the government of
the countries to which they were &C
credited of Japan's action, was then
prepared This circular was printed
in the Official Messenger Sunday
morning.
With war imminent orders have
been given for a rigid censorship over
all information relating to naval and
military movements. Preparations
were also made for the cars journey
to the ancient capital, Moscow where