The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-02-10
MAYOR ArLANE.

present needs no outside help, but will
endeavor with her own resources and
those of the state to meet the emer-
gency At this conference also was
developed the machinery for an adj
Yisory legislative commission to act in
conjunction with the legislature.
The military officials also had un.
usual problems to decide and solved
them in a military manner, for every
pass that has been issued giving en-
trance to the FIRE lines was revoked.
No civilian may pass the Gordon of cit
izen sOldery which after forty-eight
hours of continuous duty stretches
around the fire swept desert where lie
safes and vaults containing untold
treasure. These We're the chief events
of a governmental character
With equal promptuess the chamber
of commerce held a general meeting
and issued formal announcement
that reflected the preva-ing hopeful
ness, declaring there are already such
evidences of recuperation that encOur-
age all In the hope of the early rest0ra-
ton Of every branch Of trade"
The Stock Exchange members, keyed
TO the same pitch of energy, met and
decided to rebuild as soon as possible
The same story can be told of prac-
tically every commercial body, while
on every hand is evidence of private
effort toward rehabilitation.
Old buildings long unused. private
residences near the business section
in fact every available structure-bear
crudely lettered signs on board or
cloth announcing that within is the
temporary office Of firm. The names
on some Of these signs are those that
rank high in the financial and COM
mercial circles OF the world. and in
these temporary offices men who for
years have known only mahogany
desks work on deal tables and plain
boards
Labor is in demand. and the news
papers already contain display adver-
tisements for men TO begin the work
Of clearing the ruins.
All things considered, the public
stock taking that engrossed the bust
ness world of Baltimore was salts
factory. But this does not mean that
the great fire was lesser calamity
than has been pictured in these dis
patches. The words that have hurried
over telegraph wires, restored by al
most superhuman energy to meet a
waiting worlds demand for news,
have given but an inadequate concep-
ton Of this catastrophe OF century.
The bold fact is that 40 acres of bust
ness buildings, representing property
to the approximate value Of $125,000,-
600, was destroyed within the journey
Of a clocks hand History is marked
by few calamlties so vast and so cost
ly in actual values, but with the pass
ing of the first great shock and pros
tration the brighter side Is coming up
permost, and realization of what
Baltimore escaped is dawnlng
A great cloud was lifted when it was
discovered that practically all OF the
vaults and strong rooms and safes OF
the financial concerns whose buildings
were destroyed are unhurt tremen-
dous loss in securities had been antici-
pated here, and when vault after vault
yielded up its treasures unframed the
Joy of the guardians was boundless.
From one tr9st company's safes
alone papers to the amount Of more
than S2OO,OO0,OOO We're recovered. The
news cheered the whole city and en-
couraged immediate and thorough In
vestigation. Merchants and their as
sistants, smoke soiled and begrimed
and hollow eyed from anxiety and loss
of sleep, worked like laborers in the
smoking ruins to uncover their safes,
and In nearly every instance they were
rewarded by intact contents. Another
surprise was the discovery that three