The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-02-09
nilding, starting eastward on Fay

building, starting eastward on Fay
cite street.
Shortly thereafter the Cincinnati
mpa q f~ourteen-story build
ing, took fire. A block below the
American Newspaper building was en-
veloped in clouds Of sparks and burn
ing splinters and the employees were
ordered out.
The corps OF Associated Press opera
tors were twice burned out during the
night.
For many hours the ~pyrotechnic dis
play was magnificent and imposing
beyond the power Of a painter to de-
pict.
At midnight vast columns of seeth-
ing flames were shooting skyward at
varying points of the compass and the
armament was one vast prismatlc
ocean of golden and silver hued
sparks.
MuItitudes Watch Panorama.
Great multitudes of people Lee; tha
streets, awe-struck by the panorama
which was enacted before their eyes.
Detachments of the Fourth and
Fifth regiments nave been called out
and are pat1olling the streets in the
vicinity OF the fire, guarding property
and keeping ORDER.
One hundred and fifty policemen
from Philadelphia arrived here to as
sist the Baltimore police n military.
The outside, boundaries OF the fire,
including the burnedI district, are on
the west along Liberty street, north
to Fayette, east to Charles, north to
Lexington, south on Charles to Balti-
more street, east on Baltimore to Holli-
day, and from there in spots to Cen
ter Market Space. South along Cen
ter Market Space in a number Of lum-
Der yards to the water-front-the
southern boundary is Lombard street
as far east as South street. It burned
in places as far south as Pratt street,
the western boundary is midway be-
tween Liberty and Howard streets.
Every newspaper Office in the city is
destroyed. The fight to save the 81
100000 courthouse and city hall still
continues with some hopes Of success,
although both buildings have been on
fire several times. The Continental
Trust building, a th~irteen-story struc-
ture, caught at the tenth floor and was
totally destroyed. The private bank
) of Alexander Brown, right in the
heart of the fire, has escaped destruc-
ton. The bank is a one-stOry stone
: structure.
t Other Cities Send Assistance.
: New York, Philadelphia and c-hel
; cities have sent firemen here to assist
the weary iremen of this city.
e About $50 buildings have been de
stroyed; 5000 firms wiped out; forty
. persons injured but nobody killed, sc
far as known.
g The burned area is t~hree-quarter'
of a mile long and from two to eigh
blocks wide.
e There have been many changes il
the course of the fire since it started
e at II O'Clock. It first took a norther
ly direction, swerved northeasterly un
til about 4 O'Clock, and then strucl
due east. The last change is south.
A number Of engine companies al
rived at 5 o'clock and began to thro,
streams of water upon the burnin
y buildings, several of which have bee
n dynamited to prevent the spread 9
= the flames. The city is PRACTICAL
le under martial law, the Fourth an
- Fifth regiments, Maryland militia, t.
- gether with a company of regular a
- tillerymen from Fort McHenry, reil
y forcing the local police force to kee
~ the crowds in check.
~ On South Charles street are sewers
large tobacco warehouses of the Mar.
~ land Tobacco company and If thes
u are reached it is not known where tn
u fire will end. Large lumber yards al
being destroyed along the west side
" jones Falls, over which the flame
u are threatening to leap into the hea
of East Baltimore toward the foreig
AZ quarters and Canton. On that side
~ the falls the people are removir
~ their effects and rushing eastward.