Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1904-02-11

Baltimore, Feb. 7.-Baltimore's great
est fire broke out shortly before ! o'clock
this morning in the wholesale dry goods
store of John l.. Hurst 4 Co, on Hop
kins place, in the heart OF the business
district, with series of loud explosions.
which were heard in remote parts Of the
city, and spread with fearful rapidity.
In a half hour there were dozen big
warehouses in the wholesale dry goods
and notions district burning tiercely. The
entire city lire department was called out,
but was utterly powerless TO check the
spread of the flames, which were aided by
high winds, and by noon there were saw
age tires in at least thirty big warehouses,
and the conhagration was steadily eat
ing its way into successive blocks east.
north, west, and south. Building after
building fell a prey to the flames. and ap-
parently there was no check to the on
wardsweep of destruction.
On Baltimore street the block between
Liberty aud Sharp was soon ablaze; then
came the next block east to Hanover,
and after that the block on the south side
to Charles street broke into flames, the
Consolidated Gas Company's building and
Oehm's Acme Hall burning fercely.
Spread In All Directions.
Meanwhile there were stores north of
Baltimore street. being similarly consum-
ed. Mullin' Hotelcaught and other build
ings near it. West of Liberty street on
the south side OF Baltimore, the block was
doomed, and the big Baltimore Bargain
House also caught. Down in Hopkins
place, where the confagration started.
Hurst's building and the other wholesale
houses on both sides of the street crumbled
and fell
The big dry goods houses OF Daniel Mil
Ter & Sons and X. NJ. Sutton & Co., were
soon atame. and along German, east and
west, from the Hurst Building there were
a dozen buildings burning and scores more
threatened. The spectacle OF ruin and de-
struction from any point in these DOOM
ed blocks was something appalling.
Mass K kemper's big wholesale store
on Baltimore street quickly succumbed to
the flames, and the walls fell with crash
that was heard for squares. The Hurst
Building was utterly destroyed not even
wall ten feet high being left standing.
and was apparently the center of the
caldron, from whence the flames radiat-
ed over the doomed neighborhood.
Firemen's Efforts Futile.
On Hopkins place the Hopkins Savings
Bank and the National Exchange Bank
were Quilted by flames. the few streams
of water that the iiremen were able TO
turn on them proving utterly Intellectual
to even halt the destruction. Across the
street Were the ruins of John E. Hurst &
CO., and next TO it 5. Hecht, jr., & Sons
were in flames Adjoining was the large
building owned by the William Koch I'M
porting Company, which was also quick
~ destroyed.
Opposite, the Stanley & Brown Drug
Company Building was quickly in ruins.
while fronting on the Baltimore street
side of this block We're the Roxbury Rye
Distilling Company, the building oceupi-
ed by SHERMAN & Todes, the house OF
Allen Sons & Co.. which has hardly been
completed, while next to il was the es-
Establishment of NJ. Moses & Co. On the
corner was the building occupied by
Messrs. Sugar 4 Shear, and several other
smaller concerns. All of these wereswal-
lowed up in flames. and. in fact, the whole
block was nothing but a caldron of fire.
Mondays Washington Post.