Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-09
THE BURNED DISTRICT
Area Covered by Devastating
Flames in Baltimore.
SCENE OF UTTER RUIN
ONLY WALLS REMAIN OF STATE
LY BUILDINGS.
Many Washingtonians Attracted to
Monumental City by Story
of the Disaster.

Starting at the corner of Lombard and
Liberty streets the fire extends in rectan-
gle five blocks in width to Calvert street
At this point the varying winds caused the
path of destruction to wind by devious and
eccentric ways down to Jones falls. taking
in the territory as far south as the north
side of Pratt street. At the falls a branch
of the flames by some strange fatality of
the wind, switched back and traversed the
south side of Pratt street to Light street.
destroying every building along both sides
o. Pratt street to the water front. Thence,
apparently taking the water front as
boundary, the flames swept down toward
the east, consuming everything in their
track and leaving only heaps of blackened
and worthless ruins to mark their path
Starting at a point on Fayette street. east
of Liberty, the flames had swept down both
sides of Fayette street to Charles ana then
Jumped across, taking the Union trust
Company building and nearly all that
block. with the exception of the Central
Savings Bank, the Law building standing
as a CHASTITY landmark OF the limit OF lhe
flames at that point.
The court house stopped the progress OF
the fire there, but on the south sire OF ray
cite street the wrecked Calvert and Eaulta-
BILE buildings attested Its almost ufesiStl-+
BILE fury Thence eastward to Gay street.
everything south of Fayetle street showed
that the ruin was complete.
At the Church of the Messiah. at Cay and
Fayette streets. the fire did not cross Gay
street 1t contented itself with sweeping
along the buildings on the north side OF
Baltimore treet, the Gay Street Theater De-
ing the northern limit on the east sue VI
Gay.
At Frederick street the path of the names
on the north side of Baltimore stopped and
the squares between that and the falls were
immune. On the south side or Baltimore
street everything was in ruins as far as the
falls, and this condition prevailed to the
extreme southeastern limit or the GONNA
grafton at the water front.
On the west the fire got no PARTNER
than Liberty street, with the exception OF
one two places on the west side ABOVE
German, where the loss was not very great:
On the south the burned district EXTENDED
10 Lombard street, with few incursions on
the south side until Light street was reach
ed Here it crossed over to Pratt taking
in the electric power he Use. and continuing
thence to the southeastern limit
Utter Ruin Caused
Within the area thus circumscribed the
ruin was utter, but perhaps 1T was i'm
pressed upon the observer with the most
terrible force in the banking district or
Calvert German. South and Water streets
The ruins or costly HlarDie or STONE o'Hiu-
ings covered the streets, banks. trust COM
panies and brokers' offices meeting with
common fate. $3.50
There were three notable exceptions. The
most remarkable case was that of the Safe
Deposit and Trust Company. on South
street next door to the old Sun office.
Right in the path of the greatest destruc-
ton with the Sun building to the north a
total ruin and the Commercial and Farm
ers' National Bank on the south Quilted and
a blazing fire in the rear the only damage
20 the Safe Deposit and Trust Company
building was a few broken windows and a
burned desk in the presidents office in the
northeast corner This was due, it was
stated, to the fact that painters had been
at work there, and had left some of their
ma terals The intense heat from the Sua
building caused the stuff to blaze and drip
down the desk. Otherwise there was
hardly a smoke stain the interior and
not a drop of water in the cellar. All Sun